What is Sex Therapy?

Sex therapy refers to the treatment, sexual education, and resolution of all sexual problems between couples, as well as the individual treatment of sexual issues by a sex therapist specialist.

Some couples who seek family and marriage counseling may be referred to sex therapy due to the issues they face. In such cases, the question arises: who is a sex therapist and what is their role?

The meaning of sex therapy implies sexual treatments that can be provided for any individual. Sex therapy is not only limited to married couples but can also be beneficial and effective for individuals experiencing sexual problems, providing solutions tailored to each individual.

Some men who seek urology for the resolution of their sexual problems or women who visit gynecologists and midwives may be advised to seek sex therapy if their issues have psychological roots. Through therapy sessions, their physical problems can be reduced, or complete improvement can be achieved.

Sex therapists can be graduates in psychology, counseling, or psychiatry. Which of these specialists can help you with your issues depends largely on the type of problem you have and the reason for seeking help. Sometimes, it is necessary to address psychological issues before tackling sexual problems.

Psychiatrists, with their comprehensive understanding of the human body, can provide more assistance in understanding anatomy and solving individuals’ psychological issues. Sex therapy sessions for each individual or couple may vary depending on the nature of their problem. The diagnosis by a counselor in this field is one of the most important and influential factors.

Issues Requiring Sex Therapy:

– Treating Libido Disorders:
One of the questions clients ask is whether having a high or low libido is considered a defect in this area. In response, it must be said that neither of these is considered a defect; in fact, both are recognized as individual characteristics and personality traits. However, these characteristics can become problematic if they cause difficulties in daily life or marital relationships.

One of the reasons we emphasize premarital counseling is the compatibility of the couple in this regard, as well as understanding each person’s temperament based on this. If the spouses have different temperaments, with one being warm-natured and the other cold-natured, it can lead to difficulties in their sexual relationship.

Excessive warm-natured tendencies, despite responding to one’s needs, may not necessarily lead to a good feeling about resolving one’s temperament and may cause one to want to engage in this relationship more than before or repeatedly. In such cases, necessary treatments, whether medication or psychotherapy, will be administered.

– Sexual Education:
Not all individuals seek counseling due to problems; sometimes, the goal is to gain a better understanding of oneself and learn about proper sexual relationships. These teachings can be provided in various ways and formats.

Teaching health tips and observing each of these tips, including many important issues, are provided by sex therapists to couples. These individuals can be divided into two categories: some seek premarital counseling, and others have already married and started their married life.

Helping individuals understand their spouse’s characteristics, gaining knowledge about establishing a proper sexual relationship, and creating a sense of enjoyment in both individuals are very important issues addressed in these sessions.

– Orgasm Disorders:
Failure to achieve orgasm or orgasm disorders exists for both women and men. The causes of this problem may sometimes be related to an individual’s physiology and sometimes to its psychological aspect, which will be addressed if necessary, after performing physical tests.

The form of reaching orgasm may be different for some women. In fact, one thing we will definitely mention and evaluate, which will be examined and evaluated, is the erroneous beliefs about sex and sexual pleasures. In fact, a significant part of reaching orgasm is related to its psychological aspects.

In many cases, the reason for not reaching orgasm is psychological, and for this reason, it is necessary to change the mindset of individuals regarding the type of problem and its background. Proper education can have a very important effect on the individual.

– Gender Identity Disorders:
Gender identity is formed for all humans between the ages of 3 to 5. In fact, at these ages, individuals can identify themselves as a female or male. The formation of this sexual identity, for any reason that happens correctly, or if there is a problem in this regard, behaviors similar to opposite sexual behaviors will occur, and this will cause many problems for them.

The tendency towards the opposite sex needs to be treated. Marrying someone who is inclined towards homosexuality will never be right because this issue will create many problems in married life.

The treatment of some disorders that have their roots in childhood will be very difficult and time-consuming, and it cannot be easily decided in these cases. However, the effort is to reduce these problems to a large extent, and this depends to a great extent on the efforts of the clients and the skills of the counselor.

• Premature Ejaculation and Delayed Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation and delayed ejaculation in both women and men can have either physical or psychological roots. Depending on the underlying cause of the problem, different treatments may be available. Sometimes it’s necessary to refer patients with premature ejaculation to a urologist for evaluation, and if medication therapy is needed, the necessary medications should be provided.

Sometimes laboratory tests and the physician’s opinion suggest that there is no physical problem, and in that case, all our focus will be on treating premature ejaculation and delayed ejaculation from a psychological perspective. Sometimes medication therapy may be needed for a specific condition, and this may affect desire and erectile dysfunction, and improvement will be achieved with consultation with the treating physician.

Anxiety and stress, including depression, are very important issues that must be examined and addressed. If an individual suffers from any of these problems, it is important for partners to attend counseling sessions together to be examined.

• Treatment of Sexual Problems:

Unfortunately, one of the problems that people struggle with today is the issue of infidelity. If infidelity occurs, regardless of the cause, sexual problems between couples will arise, and as a result, they may experience indifference and sexual disorders.

Another reason for couples’ problems is that sometimes unresolved issues cause them to be constantly involved in disputes and conflicts, and these unresolved problems will affect their entire lives and therefore may have a negative impact on marital relationships. Efforts to understand and resolve these issues are essential.

As mentioned, in some cases, individual problems causing many of the issues are identified. Depending on the type of problem, the individual will strive to address them. Behaviors that couples exhibit during sexual intercourse will also be influential in creating problems, and efforts to improve and resolve them are very important factors.

• Treatment of Vaginismus:

Vaginismus is considered a problem for women and a sexual disorder for men. When referring to a gynecologist, many specialists try to address the problems so that the individual undergoes surgery for treatment. This is in situations where even in surgery, positive results may not be obtained in these cases.

If a woman is not mentally prepared for sex during sexual intercourse, she will experience a lot of pain, which will not only prevent the pleasure but will also be very unpleasant for her. In some cases, mistaken beliefs about sex may be the cause of this problem, and in other cases, other reasons, such as men’s behavior during sexual intercourse and lack of mental readiness, may be identified.

• Sexual Addiction:

Sexual addiction can be divided into two types. One classification is physically habituating to repeated sexual intercourse with different people. In these circumstances, the relationship crisis will result, and the person will try to have a good sexual relationship with them with different people and their desires for the phenomena of people.

Another type that may be a problem for sexual addiction is that some women and men are addicted to watching pornographic films and believe that the other person should always behave exactly like pornographic stars and sex workers and exactly perform these actions. This very issue can have repeated sex without sexual consent.

Why don’t people experience orgasm during the sexual intercourse phase? There are various reasons for this issue. Interestingly, people addicted to sexual addiction will not experience sexual satisfaction and usually only repeat it as a habit to experience initial pleasures over and over again but will never reach ejaculation and satisfaction.

• Treatment of Sexual Guilt:

One of the psychological problems that women have during sexual intercourse is that, due to their previous talks and problems, they feel guilty about having sex in their marital relationship, and therefore do not have the inclination to have sex, or during this intercourse, they feel guilty and therefore do not reach orgasm.

There are also problems for men in this regard, and they may not be able to experience sexual intercourse properly for previous reasons or may experience erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation. Sometimes another problem for these men is not reaching orgasm. In all these cases, efforts are made to eliminate this feeling of guilt and help improve their performance.

Is it the duty of a sex therapist to treat sexual abnormalities?

Sexual abnormalities have various causes. If these abnormalities are not treated, these psychological disorders will harm the family and society in the future. Sexual abnormalities have various types. Unfortunately, some families or couples believe that simply referring to a sex therapist can solve all their problems.

It is very important how long the person has been involved in sexual abnormalities and when they have sought treatment, this is a very important issue in this regard. Another important cause involved in treatment is the individual’s satisfaction with treatment. It is very important that the individual also have the desire to be treated and perform the exercises.

Will all sexual abnormalities be treated in sex therapy sessions?

Generally speaking, not all disorders are treatable. But in many cases, if the person has the necessary will and performs therapeutic actions, the disorder can be treated.

Shaghayegh Aalam

11/18/2021