Treatment options for Sexual Health and Wellbeing
Issues with sexual wellbeing can be caused and perpetuated by a range of physical, medical, and psychological factors. Treatment often requires a team approach – this may include a general practitioner (GP), pelvic physiotherapist, urologist or gynaecologist, and psychologist. Finding a GP who is knowledgeable about sexual pain and dysfunction is a good place to start.
Psychological therapy will generally look like one to two sessions of intake assessment followed by treatment. It is important that a thorough assessment is undertaken to understand you (the client), the presenting problem, the core underlying cause of the problem, and any additional mood issues that have occurred alongside the problem. Psychological treatment may focus on distressing beliefs about yourself or sex, difficult emotions that are associated with sexual contact, addressing trauma that may have led to the development of symptoms, and exploring personal, family, and cultural beliefs around sex.
A variety of psychological therapies can be used to treat issues associated with sexual health. These include:
Sensate therapy
Trauma-informed therapies
Mindfulness techniques
It is important to remember that there is no single therapy that can be used to address issues associated with sexual wellbeing. The most effective psychological treatment happens when the client feels comfortable with the psychologist – it can take a few sessions to settle into therapy and feel like you can open up about issues that matter to you.
If you want to learn more about the different types of Sexual Health problems, please click here.
Laura Coat is one of Senior Clinical Psychologists in the team who has a special interest in Sexual Health and Wellbeing. If you would like to learn about more how the sexual challenges relate to you, you can contact us to discuss further.