Exploring Clinicians’ Knowledge, Beliefs and Clinical Experiences Related to Pansexual Youth

Abstract Pansexuality is the emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attraction toward people regardless of their biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression. This study examined what clinicians know about pansexuality and their clinical experiences; 84 clinicians from different cultural backgrounds with an age range from 20-60 years old were examined. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling. Recruitment for the study utilized email advertisements containing a description of the study. Further, participants responded to open-ended survey questions related to working therapeutically with pansexual youth. Thematic analysis was utilized to gain a deeper understanding of specific ideologies, biases, and knowledge that these clinicians held. Pertinent themes emerged from the thematic analysis: unique challenges experienced by pansexual youth, working therapeutically with pansexual youth, and therapists’ beliefs and assumptions. The results showcased the need for clinicians to be more mindful of biases, to further their training on sexual minority populations, and for overall advocacy. Clinical implications suggest professional mental health clinicians, therapists, and psychologists to implement trainings and practices that include pansexual youth and the LGBTQ + community without personal biases and assumptions in therapy sessions or during assessments.