5 Things This Sex Therapist wished People Knew about Sex Therapy

There are a lot of things that people do not know about sex therapy. There are also a lot of misconceptions about sex therapy and what exactly sex therapy consists of. With that in mind, here are a few things I wished people knew about sex therapy.

1. Sex Therapy is for Couples/People in Relationships:

You don’t need to be a relationship or partnership to attend sex therapy. Sex therapy may be helpful for people who are not in relationships or partnerships. Sex therapy is not only for people in relationships or partnerships. Individuals can and do seek sex therapy to work on their own individual concerns.

2. Sex Therapy is only for Adults:

While adults may seek sex therapy, children and/or adolescents may sometimes come to sex therapy. Children and/or adolescents often come to sex therapy to learn skills to help them explore their sexual or gender identity (being Trans and/or Queer), problem sexual behaviors (PSB) or out-of-control sexual behaviors (OOC), experiences with sexual trauma or sexual abuse, puberty related concerns among other issues.

3. Sex Therapists touch their Clients:

A sex therapist is not allowed to touch their clients. If you are looking for someone who can provide hands-on work, then you may want to see a Sexual Surrogate, a Somatic Body worker, or Sex Coach.

4. Sex Therapy takes Years:

Some people may do sex therapy for a long period of time, some people are only in sex therapy for a few sessions. The length of time you’re in sex therapy depends on your goals and your individual treatment plan. Talk to your sex therapist about your treatment if you’re concerned about how long it is taking. Your sex therapist should be able to provide you some information about how much longer you will be in therapy.

5. Sex Therapy is only done in Session:

A lot of the progress made in sex therapy is made outside of the session. The Sex Therapist may assign homework to complete between session to help you achieve your sex therapy goals. It is important that you complete your homework as assigned, if there is ever any difficulty with your homework, then feel free to discuss with your therapist.

Jasmine M. McLean, LCSW, M.Ed.