Sex Therapy

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Sex Therapy

Strengthen Your Relationship

Sex counseling is a touchy subject for the majority of people. Although it’s a significant part of most people’s lives, we don’t talk about sex enough, and many people don’t do anything to look after their sexual health. Couples often view sex therapy as a last resort for severe sexual dysfunction, when it can also be another way to strengthen relationships and improve your sex life. In fact, in relationship research, one of the factors that’s most connected to relationship satisfaction is sexual satisfaction.

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What Is Sex Therapy?

Sex therapy is a form of talk therapy with the specific objective of helping people address factors that are negatively impacting their sexual satisfaction. While many people undergo counseling by themselves, sex therapy is often something couples do together. The goal of sex therapy is to help people remove physical and emotional barriers that are preventing them from having a satisfying physical relationship and deriving pleasure from sex. Although no one likes to admit it, more people suffer from sexual dysfunction than you would expect. Indeed, 31% of men and 43% of women report some form of sexual dysfunction at some point in their lives. Sexual dysfunction is any issue occurring during any part of the body’s sexual response cycle that prevents one or both partners from experiencing satisfaction from sexual activity. There are four broad categories of dysfunction.

Desire disorders: Lack of interest in or desire for sex.
Orgasm disorders: Being unable to climax
Arousal disorders: Being unable to achieve physical arousal or excitation during sexual activity
Pain disorders: Feeling pain during sexual activity and intercourse

Specific issues we cover

Some specific types of sexual dysfunction include:

Erectile dysfunction
Premature ejaculation
Low confidence
Excessive sexual appetite
Intrusive or distressing sexual thoughts
Unwanted fetishes

While some of these disorders may have physical causes, many result from psychological issues, which sexual dysfunction counseling can resolve.

Why You Need Sex Counseling

Since communication is such a central element of a healthy relationship, why is it so hard to talk about sex with your partner? Most of us don’t grow up discussing sex, much less sexual problems. It makes sense, then, that in our romantic relationships, talking about sex doesn’t often come naturally. Many people take sexual issues as an indictment of themselves as a partner, so it’s no wonder couples rarely talk about their sex life. Unfortunately, this often leads to unhealthy and unfulfilling sexual relationships. Sexual communication counseling teaches you how to have meaningful discussions with your partner around sex, breaking down interpersonal barriers that may be causing dysfunction. Many couples that pride themselves on communication overall falter when it comes to sexual discussions due to social conditioning that associates feelings of shame or awkwardness with talking about sex. Sex therapy for couples provides the opportunity to speak frankly in a safe space without fear of judgment. The therapist doesn’t take sides, but instead encourages each party to share openly and honestly, so both partners better understand each other’s needs. You deserve a fulfilling sex life. Both the physical and emotional elements of intimacy are natural and healthy. Sex therapy allows you to address sexual challenges, improve confidence in your performance and make sex a more satisfying part of your life.

Benefits Of Sex Therapy

Romantic relationship counseling with a focus on sex helps improve satisfaction from multiple angles. Sex therapy may include the following benefits.

Increasing overall relationship satisfaction: Numerous research studies show that relationship satisfaction is highly related to sexual satisfaction. The healthier your relationship, the more likely you are to have a satisfying sex life. Conversely, the healthier your sex life, the more likely you are to feel connected to your partner and report satisfaction with your overall relationship.
Developing realistic goals: Couples are often on different pages when it comes to goals for improving their sex life. One partner may be more interested in quantity, while the other is concerned with quality, for example. Therapy can help couples set specific and realistic goals for treatment.
Exploring sexual fantasies: A sex therapist can facilitate important discussions about fantasies by providing a safe space and guidance to keep both participants grounded during the session.
Identifying catalysts: Many people don’t even know what incites sexual arousal or how to produce it when desired. Sex therapy can help you pinpoint your sexual routines and use your unique catalysts to your advantage.
Exploring alternate expression: Sex therapy can help participants increase their range of sexual activity to enhance satisfaction and reduce boredom with established routines.Sexual relationship counseling often has roots in the concept of mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness allows people to be more open and responsive to their current circumstances and activity, and can help partners make a more genuine intimate connection.

Sex counseling helps participants become more emotionally present and aware of physical cues, leading to a stronger sexual relationship, thanks to an improved flow between the senses and your perception of them. Sex therapy involves “homework” to do outside of sessions. Some examples of the homework you might receive include:

Experimentation: Your therapist may instruct you to try something new, such as role-playing, new positions or using fun and intimate games to enhance the sexual experience.
Sensate focus: This technique involves beginning with non-sexual touching such as massage to build safety and intimacy, and leading up to sexual contact and potentially intercourse.
Communication practice: A sex therapist might ask you to practice specific forms of communication, such as directly asking for what you want on a sexual or emotional level, and how to respond when you don’t feel comfortable with what your partner does or asks.
Education: Many people don’t receive adequate sex education growing up, and some sexual dysfunction may be a result of not knowing basics such as anatomy. The therapist may provide educational resources to improve your overall knowledge of sex.

Sex therapy may be able to help you resolve your concerns within just a few sessions, or you may need ongoing therapy to work on deep-seated issues. In your first appointment with the therapist, you’ll discuss your goals and create a road map for treatment.

With an open mind and a willingness to commit to the homework assigned, people participating in sex therapy can significantly enhance their communication skills and ability to derive the most pleasure from a healthy sexual relationship.

Our Reimbursement Process

The team at SCC is passionate about ensuring our clients get the treatment they need. We can provide you with the resources you require to submit your insurance claims for our services.

Going to an out-of-network therapist can come with several benefits. They can provide highly personalized services, quick booking and more frequent sessions than in-network providers. For people that are looking to use insurance benefits for counseling, some out-of-network services are eligible for partial reimbursement.

Trust Stanford Couples Counseling

If you are seeking sex counseling for couples in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, Stanford Couples Counseling is ready to help. Our providers are highly qualified and expertly trained to provide a range of counseling services for couples, including sex therapy.

When engaging in sex therapy, it’s essential to work with a provider who you can trust. At Stanford Couples Counseling, we will treat you and your partner with respect and holistic attention to your individual needs and the needs of your sexual relationship. We pride ourselves on creating safe spaces where you and your partner can explore your sexuality and strengthen your relationship. If you’re ready to make a change and try sex therapy for yourself, we make it easy and convenient to request an appointment online. We are also happy to answer any questions you may have about our services via our online contact form.

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