Today we’re going to be having a discussion with Heather McPherson, AASECT certified sex therapist, licensed marriage and family therapist, therapist supervisor, and founder and CEO of the Sexual Health Alliance.
Questions about Sex Therapy:
1. What do you see as your role in sex therapy?
Sex therapy can encompass a wide variety of issues, such as being comfortable with one’s sexuality, communication about individual sexuality, specific issues dealing with sexuality between partners, and the various alternative relationship forms and the sexual complications that arise.
If you are seeking sex therapy for your relationship, it is important to seek a sex therapist that has a background in relationship and family systems in addition to sex therapy.
Approaching sexuality from a sex positive perspective.
2. Is there a common misunderstanding about human sexuality that comes up you’d like to correct?
Sexuality is often wrapped up in messages from the past, family, religious, and cultural stories, that may be preventing people from having the sex that they want. Challenging assumptions and learning what sexuality can look like. What biases are being brought into therapy by both the client and the therapist?
What is sex? Is sex only intercourse? What are the negative ramifications of that definition? How does our definition of sex impact our sexual identity?
Encouraging a sex positive perspective and expanding the definition of sexuality beyond a heteronormative understanding.
3. Advice you have on having healthy fulfilling sexual relationships?
Communicate, communicate, and communicate. Easier said than done, as in order to have healthy communication, you must have done your own work to be comfortable with your sexuality. Can you ask for what you want, before, during, and after sex?