As a trained sex therapist, I take an educational, experiential, and integrative approach to sex therapy.
This means that I provide you with information about intimacy and connection. Then I will give you “homework” exercises.
Some of these strategies might include communication tips, opportunities to connect with your partner, and rebuilding trust or repairing anything else that is hurting your sex life.
I provide a sex-positive, non-shaming space for you to explore intimacy issues.
After working through these issues in sex therapy, you will feel more comfortable talking about and initiating sex.
You can have connection, excitement, and a renewed sex life after sex therapy. You will feel a sense of connection and friendship with each other again.
What’s holding you back from having a sexual relationship with your partner?
How I Work
I utilize both traditional therapeutic methods, as well as evidence-based treatments supported by current research.
Some of these theoretical techniques include:
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is an empirically based method of treatment that emphasizes how our thoughts influence our feelings and behaviors. Our past experiences can shape the way we think, often leading to maladaptive and irrational thinking patterns.
These negative thoughts and beliefs can lead to emotional distress and self-destructive behaviors. In cognitive-behavioral therapy, the client learns strategies to reduce irrational thinking and change behavior patterns, leading to improved well-being. The approach is goal-oriented and emphasizes problem-solving strategies.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy is a traditional, insight-oriented form of treatment. It operates under the principle that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by internal conflicts that are often unconscious.
In psychodynamic therapy, clients explore early relationships and experiences (often involving their family-of-origin) so that they can gain insight into how these dynamics are influencing current relationships and behaviors. This awareness can lead to a decrease in distress and other negative emotions, and improve overall functioning.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens.
Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment.
When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.
Sensate Focus
Sensate focus is a sex therapy technique introduced by the Masters and Johnson.
It works by refocusing the participants on their own sensory perceptions and sensuality, instead of goal-oriented behavior focused on the genitals and penetrative sex.
Sensate focus has been used to treat many sexual issues with individuals and couples.
Gottman Method
The primary goal of the Gottman Method is to help couples to create greater empathy and understanding for each other, increase levels of intimacy, respect, and affection in the relationship, address verbal conflicts in the relationship, and to improve feelings of stagnancy within the relationship
