Low or absent sexual desire
Pain with sexual intercourse
Difficulty experiencing orgasm or ejaculation
Difficulty getting or maintaining erections
Rapid ejaculation that is causing problems in your relationship
Different level of sexual interest compared to your partner that is causing problems in your relationship
Past sexual abuse or trauma that makes it difficult for you to enjoy sexual experiences
Sexuality is an integral and fundamental part of being human and sexual health is every individual’s birthright. Unfortunately, we live in a society that often does not promote healthy sexual learning during childhood and adolescence. This leaves many people with attitudes and experiences that evoke sexual shame, guilt, and fear. Addressing sexual issues in therapy – alone or with a partner – can open a door to healing and empowerment.
Beginning a dialogue about these often very sensitive topics can deepen your understanding of yourself as well as your relationship. The practice of sex therapy reflects the mind-body-spirit experience that is human sexuality. Sex therapy will involve an initial comprehensive assessment to build a holistic understanding of the biological, psychological, relationship, and spiritual factors that may contribute to your sexual concerns.
Treatment will be tailored individually to meet your specific needs. Sex therapy is primarily talk therapy, though treatment often is supplemented by at-home behavioral exercises, discussion, and relevant reading. There is never any nudity or sexual behavior in session. Length of treatment varies and will be discussed during the feedback and planning session after the assessment.
In the early days of therapy, sexual concerns were treated with long and intensive psychoanalysis. “Modern” sex therapy, first developed in the 1960s by Dr. William Masters and his colleague Virginia Johnson, diverged from psychoanalytic methods to use specific behavioral exercises in combination with talk therapy to address sexual concerns. Because sexual experiences often take place in the context of relationships, since then sex therapy has evolved to merge the best practices in relationship/couple therapy with sex therapy techniques. This integrated approach is at the basis of the current practice of sex therapy.
