What is Psychosexual Therapy?
Psychosexual Therapy/Clinical Sexology is the specialism that covers a wide array of areas, connected to many aspects of our sexual being, these may include aspects such as, Biological – Psychological – Social – Environmental – Cultural – Historical, and the impact of how these aspects may affect how we understand our desires, choices or limits within our sexual world.
Recognising the impact and concerns around our relationship with sex, sexual self, identity, ability, as well as choice, trauma and communication as individuals or within our relationships, are all key aspects of development we may work on within therapy.
Within this page we will outline some of the key areas we work in as well as how we work and who we work with, but in such a broad area this is simply the tip of the iceburg, to learn more please contact us to ask any specific questions or to find out how we can help you.
What is Sexuality
Often you may hear the word sexuality in your daily life, in a modern context this word is often used to describe an individual’s sexual orientation.
In therapy, we use this word to describe any individual’s sexual relationship with themselves and it can encompass many things, from desire, fantasy, choice, ability, or indeed fear, anxiety, disability, dysfunction, or even the unknown and misunderstood.
For many people, sex is and may always have been a taboo subject and one in life which we feel ill-prepared or anxious to talk about or even question, for others it may be something we need to discover more about or understand our own history.
We all have the right to understand and feel educated, and knowledgeable, and have choices in regards to our own sexuality “our own sexual self”, and it is in working towards this that Therapy can provide a unique and lifelong outcome.
Understanding can often be the first step to change, growth, and Sexual Fluidity.
Diversity & Speciality
Fluid Psychotherapy is there and accessible for all, with no discrimination or judgment, as Person-Centred Therapists, our focus is based on the ethos of assisting you the client to reach & achieve your hopes, desires, and outcomes in life.
We do however have specific experience in working with and interest professionally in certain areas of diversity and specialty, and as an organization, we feel strongly to promote inclusivity and accessibility in mental health support for those who may be members of specific diverse or under-represented/understood groups. These include but are not limited to:
- Those from the LGBTQ+ (GSRD) Community
- Those from the Transgender Community
- Those from the Polyamorous/Relationship Diversity Communities
- Those from the Sex Works Community
- Those From the Kink/Fetish Communities
- Those who’s Sexual Addiction or Concerns around ChemSex or PNP may be cause for concern
- Those who may feel marginalized by behaviour relating to Out-of-Control Sexual Behaviour or Offending Behaviour
Please see our page on Diversity & Speciality for more information.
Elements
In such a broad field it is hard to identify a definitive list of what we may or may not work on, simply the human connection with sex, sexual function and the impact of issues around sex are too broad.
But some of the areas clients present with most often are listed below.
- Sexual Dysfunction & Disorders (Clinical/Biological)
- Miss Matched Sexual Desire (between partners)
- Fertility
- Sexual Identity and Diversity
- Gender transition and Reassignment
- Kink & Fetish Work
- Sexual Addiction
- Out of Control Sexual Behaviour
- Sexual Trauma & Intimate Partner Violence
- Diverse Relationship work (Navigating Non-Monogamy and Polyamory)
- Disability & Sex, including long-term Mental Health conditions and sex
- Social & Cultural impacts relating to sexual choice and navigation
Process
Unlike many areas of Psychotherapy, its unique balance of often working with both the physical or psychological as well as its broad understanding from education/knowledge, culture/society through to lived experience and into specialisms such as Trauma, Diversity as well as areas such as out-of-control sexual behaviour or addiction, we work in a pluralistic and often solution focused manner.
This means that we will use many different approaches to find the most suitable psychological tools and processes to work with you as an individual.
The basis for all work is to work in an open, safe, trusting non-judgemental arena where you as the client feel able to share and trust in the work you do alongside your therapist, this can take time as many emotions or feelings may surround your connection with Sex or the impact, behaviors and choices you wish to explore.
Our first role is to work with you to build this trust and work at a pace that you feel in control and comfortable with, we will never presume to know your experience or knowledge, and will never expect you to educate us, but to share and enable us to support you in your journey and from your perspective, helping you to become your own expert in yourself.
Fluidity
Our relationship with sex is lifelong, it naturally changes in ability, choice, and direction as well as the impact on us as we grow and develop at all stages of life. But as much as it is constant (sometimes even in its absence) it can still prove to be a mystery or something that due to experience we are fearful or damaged by.
Supporting you to feel and experience Fluidity and movement from where you are now to where you desire and hope to be is our key focus, we recognize that for each and every individual this path will be as different as your experiences in life are, and as such we will always work with you as an individual first, hearing and holding your experience as the starting point for growth and development.