Sex is a highly charged issue for many human beings, and it is no surprise that many people encounter sexual difficulties of one sort or another at some point in their lives. Sex therapy is tailor-made to address those difficulties.

Some sex therapy concerns sexual dysfunction, such as erectile, lubrication, or orgasmic difficulty; other sex therapy concerns erotic behaviors and lifestyles. In my practice I work with both sorts of issues.

When people have physiological problems with sex, it is always important to speak with a physician who specializes in a relevant area such as sexual medicine, urology, gynecology, or proctology, in order to rule out a physical problem that should be treated medically. I gladly provide my clients with references to such doctors as appropriate.

Sometimes, however, even when a person’s plumbing is in order and he or she has been given a clean bill of health by a physician, sexual problems persist. In these circumstances what appear to be physical concerns may have roots in emotional or other psychological issues that can be addressed in standard psychotherapy.

Similarly, whether people engage in usual or less usual sexual activities, they can occasionally feel embarrassment, shame, guilt, and other forms of emotional discomfort. Such feelings are not uncommon, and may arise from individual issues, from relationship challenges with a partner or other person, or even from social disapproval. In all these circumstances counseling can be beneficial.

Sex therapy with couples specifically seeks to alleviate sexual problems that occur within a romantic/erotic relationship. Sometimes the process closely resembles couples counseling as described further down in this website, and sometimes it calls for specific exercises for the couple.