Sex therapy consultations

Sexual dysfunctions can be successfully treated or some work can be done to develop wellbeing in this important area. Similarly to psychological afflictions, it is vital to find the reasons of difficulties the patient is experiencing.

A medical doctor (eg. gynaecologist, urologist, psychiatrist, neurologist or sexologist) can be helpful when the dysfunction is of physical nature, while a psychologist/psychotherapist and sex therapist can help when it is psychological, or related to the psyche. Often a doctor and a sex therapist cooperate to increase the probability of successful treatment. Most difficulties within the sexual area are related to the psyche and can be caused by mechanisms that govern the functioning of human beings, to the way they perceive themselves and their relationships, their body, role, orientation and gender identity. Sometimes the difficulties are caused simply by lack of adequate and reliable knowledge about sexual functioning of a human being and by fear or shame that stop them from talking to their partner about what brings them sexual satisfaction and what is unpleasant or difficult to accept.

The first session with a sex therapist may cause a lot of controversy, reluctance, shame and also curiosity. No wonder – it is a very intimate and fragile aspect of human life. Many areas are intertwined here: physical: related to the body and functioning of a human organism, psychological: temperament, personality, personal history and experience, as well as social: beliefs about sexuality present in a society (community, family), functioning within a gender role, religion and culture governing the values and way of behaving. A sex therapist in a climate of respect, acceptance and sensibility asks questions related to the issue with which the patient comes. The therapist takes into account each of the above mentioned areas as well as a unique experience of the patient. The questions are aimed at understanding the difficulties, examining the mechanisms and agreeing with the patient on further actions: whether the issue should be consulted with a medical doctor, any other measures should be taken, or individual psychotherapy, couple therapy or psychoeducation should be started.

It is important to emphasise that a psychologist/sex therapist does not perform any physical examination. The therapist also respects the values, openness and readiness of the person seeking their advice; the therapist never uses any type of persuasion or pressure. It is the client who is navigating: they decide how much time they need to feel safe enough to discuss the issue or disclose the topic they need to tell about.

If you think that a consultation with a psychologist and a sex therapy specialist is a good idea, contact us.