Sex Therapy Is a Specialized Form of Professional Counseling - Essay Example

Sex therapists provide sessions to those who are facing these problems and help them recover and lead a normal sex life (Wikipedia, 2011).

A sex therapist has professional training and the required practice to solve sexual problems. They generally have an educational background in other fields like psychology, medicine, or social work. Many people have inhibitions in discussing their sexual problems but sex therapists help them overcome them. During their sessions, they ask the patient to read various sex-related books, practice better sexual communication skills, and do touching exercises that are so designed to reduce the problem they have during intercourse. Sex therapy does not give a medical degree but has a separate course with its own rules and regulations (Indiadiets.com, 1999).

Many women all over the world are facing childbirth problems which can be solved through sex therapy. The sex therapist helps in determining the exact problems that a couple faces in childbirth. He assesses the whole situation and provides the solution accordingly. Some people have been sexually abused and are suffering from depression. A sex therapist through proper counseling can help such people overcome the problem. Thus sex therapy also helps in clinical works. In one case, a wife had been referred to a sex therapist by a psychologist. Initially, she was having orgasmic problems which the psychologist related to excessive drinking by the husband and the use of violent language by him. After six months of marital therapy, the conflict between the husband and wife was solved but their sexual problems remained. On consulting the sex therapist it was known that the couple’s problem was orgasmic dysfunction and premature ejaculation. After a series of 14 visits to the sex therapist, their dysfunctions were successfully solved (Maurice, August 1976).

The traditional way of sex therapy involves general stop-and-squeeze exercises. They don’t look into the depth of the problem and basically, look at a problem from a medical or a psychological viewpoint. Their process generally involves the intake of medicines rather than a practical approach and takes a long time to get solved. In this approach, only the patient is involved in the treatment. The symmetric approach looks at a sexual problem from a couple’s point of view rather than just the patient's. They treat the partner as the homework surrogate instead of the traditional thought of just being an informant. The systemic method goes much beyond the traditional approach- understanding the main problems faced by couples in having sex, its assessment in detail, and providing solutions involving both the patient and his partner. It’s a new approach that believes that the reasons for sexual problems in a couple may vary from inhibitions to lack of sexual communication.
The viewpoints of both partners matter in solving a sexual problem otherwise it may spoil their relationship. In this system, the couple is given respect and space to understand their weakness to enable them to do their homework sincerely. The symmetric approach to sex therapy is much more advanced and better than the traditional approach (Hertlien, 2008).

Sex therapy has helped many couples overcome the problems of sexual dysfunction. This therapy is based on a lot of research and study of various couples suffering from different kinds of sexual problems in their life. It has helped many couples regain their confidence and lead a happy marital life. Read More