What exactly is Sex Therapy?
Many people have an idea of what sex therapy and sex therapists are like based on movies like Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers or the popular Netflix series “Sex Education” but like all stereotypes, those ideas are often pretty far from the truth. I don’t have a giant wooden penis in my office but I do have lots of books, resources, and training under my belt to help you with your sexual health concerns. Our sexuality is such a fundamental part of who we are. Maintaining positive sexual health is vital to our happiness and relationships. If we are experiencing a problem with our sexuality or sexual expression, it often impacts our entire lives.
Many people grew up in homes where no one discussed sex or were shamed for any type of sexual expression. Others experienced shame about their body or their sexual interests or fantasies. And others had a decent enough sex life until something happened such as getting married, having a baby, losing an erection, menopause, a health crisis, or other major life events. By the time someone finds my website, they have often been struggling with a sexual issue for a long time. Being alone in that struggle or fearing your relationship is going to fall apart because of a sexual issue is overwhelming. Kudos to you for having the courage to reach out and ask for help.
It may feel icky and uncomfortable to consider talking about sex with a stranger. I completely get it. But I do this all of the time so please trust that I will help make it ok for you to talk about your sexuality. You may find it’s a big relief to share some of the things that bother you with a caring therapist.
What kinds of things do we talk about?
Sex therapy involves talking about your sexual health and your relationship with your sexuality. Some of the things we talk about are listed below, but from my experience, the main topics are a lack of emotional connection that inhibits sexual connection, desire mismatch between partners, low desire or low interest in sex, painful sex, erectile difficulties, inability to have an orgasm, shame, sexual trauma and boredom with your sex life. Here’s a more comprehensive list of many of the things clients and I talk about:
- Discomfort discussing sexuality
- Desire mismatch between partners
- Low Sexual Desire
- Pain During Sex (Vaginismus, Dyspareunia, Vulvodynia)
- Difficulty with Erections/Erectile Dysfunction
- Difficulty with Orgasm
- Infertility and Sex
- Post-Partum Sexuality
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Premature Ejaculation
- Delayed Ejaculation
- Performance Anxiety
- Concerns about pornography use
- Sexual and Emotional Affairs
- Sexual Abuse or Trauma
- Gender Expression/Sexual Expression
- Polyamory
- BDSM/Kink
- Issues with Pornography
- Out-of-Control Sexual Behavior (a.k.a. Sex Addiction)
Why work with me?
I’d love for you to choose me as the person to help you be confident in your sexual expression. I work very hard to make talking about sex as comfortable for you as possible. I have had TONS of training. I graduated with a Certificate in Sexual Health from the University of Michigan and have taken many, many additional courses. I am currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program focused on Clinical Sexology.
And besides that, I’m a nice person. (I thought I’d throw that in for those of you that read this page all of the way to the end!)
If you are ready to get started, please click HERE.