What is Sex Therapy?
When I tell people that I’m a sex therapist, I often get some confused looks. Have you ever wondered what sex therapy is? I have had people ask me if I touch clients, watch couples have sex, and every other question you can imagine. Let me bust some of these myths for you.
According to the International Society for Sexual Medicine, sex therapy is “a form of counseling intended to help individuals and couples resolve sexual difficulties, such as performance anxiety or relationship problems”
A therapist does not receive adequate education in graduate school to be able to help clients with sexual issues. Just as specialized doctors such as an ENT or a cardiologist attend additional schooling to specialize in that area of medicine, a sex therapist attends additional schooling and supervision, post graduate school, to receive the appropriate training necessary to help clients with their sexual struggles.
It’s totally normal to feel anxious about seeing a sex therapist for the first time, as talking about sexuality to a stranger can be uncomfortable. You can expect your therapist to ask you things related to your sexual health, sexual background, sexual education, beliefs about sex, as well as sexual concerns.
The goal of sex therapy is to help people move past any physical and/or emotional challenges they may have and to help them have the type of sexual relationships that they desire.
Most importantly, sex therapy sessions do not involve any physical contact or sexual activity among clients and therapists. If you ever feel uncomfortable with any aspect of therapy, it’s important to let your therapist know! We’re here to help and want therapy to be a successful experience for you.
Sex therapy homework may include:
🔥 Experimentation. Couples who feel they’re in a sexual rut may try different activities, such as role playing or using sex toys, to increase their desire.
🔥 Sensate focus. This technique for couples is designed to build trust and intimacy while reducing anxiety. Couples progress through three stages, starting with nonsexual touching, progressing to genital touching, and, usually, ending with penetration.
🔥Education. Sometimes, clients do not receive adequate sex education while they are growing up. As a result, they may not be aware of anatomy and how the body functions during sexual activity. Therapists might assign books or web content to read or videos to watch. They might also suggest that clients use a mirror to learn more about their body.
🔥 Communication strategies. Clients may practice asking for what they want or need sexually or emotionally in a relationship.
Source:https://www.issm.info/sexual-health-qa/
