What is Sex Therapy?

Our sexuality is influenced by many factors, including our age, gender, physical health and ability, our upbringing and culture, exposure to traumatic experience, and by the ideas and beliefs we hold about what pleasure and healthy relationships look like.  Thus, sex therapy is a holistic psychotherapy that integrates a focus on mental health with examination of all of these other pieces.  

Here are some of the many reasons that folks pursue sex therapy:

-Differences in sexual interest between partners in a relationship.

-Performance anxiety

-Changes in sexuality or sexual function (ie, Erectile Dysfunction or Vaginismis) due to aging, medical conditions/illness, or trauma.

-Coming out and/or exploring sexual identity and orientation.

-Navigating ethical non-monogamy and/or kink individually or in a relationship.

-Addressing infidelity and/or breaches of trust in relationships.

-Surviors of traumatic experiences wanting to recover/explore/improve their relationship to sexuality and/or intimacy.

-Changes in sexuality or sexual relationships related to gender transition/exploration. 

-Compulsive or out of control sexual behavior such as consumption of pornography, masturbation, or excessive and intrusive focus on finding/having sex.   

-Shame, sometimes connected to religion or cultural background

What Can I Expect?

For individual and/or relationship therapy, after a free phone consultation, you can expect that the first few sessions will essentially be an extended conversation and evaluation of what your needs are in a supportive and shame-free environment.  

I work with each Client to determine specific goals for our work together and to identify some of the outcomes they're seeking from our work together.  We will work collaboratively with transparency and check in along the way to assess and redirect our focus as needed.

My training is in psychodynamic therapy, meaning I draw on the experiences from our past and look at patterns of behaviors and belief systems to inform what is happening in the present.  My style is warm and approachable, conversational, and I aim to be transparent and welcoming of feedback and input.