What is Sexual Health and How Does Therapy Help?

For many folks the very idea of thinking about their sexual health is foreign. So what is Couple Sexual Health? Not everyone is naturally able to fall in love have romantic sex with their partner and then just do that forever. What actually happens in Normal Couple Sexual Health?

Actually, normal couples DO have to WORK to have a happpy healthy sexual style throughout the lifetime of the couple.

What is Sexual Health Education and Therapy

So often, the issues of sexual health are dismissed or misunderstood. When Redisovering Connections at Counseling ReDiscovering Connections, you’ll find the resources you need to better understand what’s happening to you – and what you can do about it .

Like most other forms of psychotherapy, sex therapy is exclusively talk therapy , which involves meeting with a therapist on a regular basis to talk about how to overcome whatever problem a person has identified. In exchange, the sex therapist shares his or her knowledge of human sexuality and expertise in working with sexual functioning and relationship challenges.

Sex therapists are trained to help you understand how this can happen and what is commonly done to find solutions. Once you and your therapist have a basic understanding of the problem, your therapist will design a treatment plan especially for you. Given the multi-faceted nature of sexual issues, your sexual issue may be linked to other things going on in your life, your marriage, or your health. Some types of sexual dysfunctions are related to a biological cause. In this case, your sex therapist may ask you to sign a release of consent so that they can collaborate with your physician or psychiatrist to provide the most comprehensive treatment possible. . This will often mean collaborative relationships with physicians whose specialty is sexual medicine. (Despite common misconceptions, sex therapy does NOT involve sexual or physical contact between therapist and client).

Other types of sexual issues may be the result of a dynamic between you and your sexual partner . In this case, your therapist may ask that your partner attend sessions with you. In any case, you will be asked to collaborate with your therapist to provide feedback on what works for you in the therapy process. Therapy is a very personal process and should make you feel safe, respected and encouraged As with any form of therapeutic relationship, an ability to feel comfortable with a therapist is very important. Many people find it embarrassing to talk about sex, thus it’s even more important that you find a therapist who puts you at ease and with whom you can begin to talk freely.

Want To Find Out More About What Sex Therapy is, Click The Link To Watch A 3 Part Video Series

Sexual Intimacy

Why People Come to Sex Therapy

Some of the issues that sex therapy can help with are as follows

For Couples:

• Decrease in sexual frequency
• Lack of enjoyment of sexFinding the ability to relax and enjoy sexual activity a challenge
• Lack of desire to have sex
• Lack of intimacy or emotional closeness
• One partner wanting sex more than another
• Issues with sexual performance in one or both partners
• Inability for one or both partners to achieve an orgasm
• Infertility issues
• Extra-marital affairs

For Women:

• Painful sex, Dyspareunia, or Involuntary spasming of the vagina (known as Vaginismus)
• Lack of desire to have sex
• Since having a baby, you’re less interested in sex Infertility issues creating stress on the sexual relation Inability to have an orgasm either alone or with a partner Body image concerns Feelings of embarrassment or shame about your body and sexual functioning When you’ve been faking orgasms because you’re too ashamed to talk about your difficulty climaxing

For Men:

• Not being able to achieve or sustain an erection or orgasm either alone or with a partner
• Difficulties maintaining control of ejaculation or trouble with “timing”
• Excessive pornography use and/or addiction
• You’re so worried about “performing” that you avoid sexual intimacy

For Both Sexes:

• Sexual addiction
• History of sexual abuse
• Feelings of being born into the wrong bodyYou have questions about your sexuality and don’t know who to ask Your partner wants an “open” relationship and you’re unsure if you can handle it or even want to try . You feel like you spend too much time thinking or fantasizing about sex

How Sex Therapy Works

Sex therapy is conducted in a similar fashion to other forms of counseling. It consists of meeting with a counselor or psychologist to talk about and explore your concerns.

How Sexual Issues Are Understood

Sex therapy can focus on many different aspects of sexual health and functioning. In the field of sex therapy, sexual issues are broadly categorized, diagnosed, and researched under several main umbrellas:

Sexual Dysfunctions – include issues related to psychophysiological changes in the sexual response cycle. This includes the following diagnoses and/or related symptoms:

• Sexual Desire Disorders (not wanting to have sex)
• Sexual Arousal Disorders (not becoming physically aroused or having erectile dysfunction)
• Orgasmic Disorders (not being able to achieve orgasm or having premature ejaculation)
• Sexual Pain Disorders (having pain before or during sexual intercourse)
• Sexual Dysfunction related to an organic, or biological, cause Keep in mind that these categories are not mutually exclusive. In other words, an issue in one area doesn’t preclude an issue in another area also occurring. Human sexuality is dynamic and its expression is unique for each person. In addition, these categories don’t specify the cause of the issue.

For example, a person may present with complaints of an inability to maintain an erection. It could be that this person is physically unable to maintain an erection due to a physiological problem or it could be that this person has a history of sexual abuse, which is psychologically interfering with their ability to maintain an erection. Understanding and diagnosing sexual issues in broad categories such as these aids therapists and clients in understanding the specific issue to be understood and overcome. Yet treatments may be tailored to the specific etiology, or cause, of the diagnosis.