Who pays for your services?
I accept cash, checks, and credit cards (including HSA/ FSA debit cards) for payment. Insurance plans vary, and you may be able to submit your own insurance claim directly with your carrier. Please consult your insurance carrier for details and ask about your out-of-network, outpatient, mental health service benefits to get a better idea of potential reimbursement and how to submit claims.
What kinds of problems are appropriate for sex therapy and when should I seek help?
Typically people having concerns about arousal, performance, or satisfaction are likely to benefit from sex therapy. Included in these concerns are: decreased or increased desire for intimacy, or in the case of a couple, mismatched or discrepant desire or interest in sexual intimacy. Both men and women can experience concerns related to arousal, and there are many causes and options for addressing these problems. At any age, performance skills can be of concern, as can issues related to orgasm and satisfaction.
What can I expect in sex therapy?
I will meet with the individual or couple in an office setting where an extensive history of the concerns will be taken. Both the psychological and the physical components will be noted and will likely establish one or more diagnoses. After the diagnostic process, a treatment plan will be developed with your input. In some instances, I may work closely with your physician, nurse, or other therapist or counselor to establish causes and possible remedies for the problems.
Depending on the diagnosis, I will educate you about the issue and about options for change. This educational process may occur through reading suggested materials, watching educational audio-visual materials, discussing various topics, attending workshops, or any combination thereof. Sometimes having more information will allow the problem to resolve. Sometimes more specific or intensive therapy will be needed.
If more specific therapy is needed, a regular schedule of office appointments may be suggested. Often, homework exercises to be practiced individually or as a couple in the privacy of your home between office appointments will be suggested. The homework may be as general as communication exercises or as specific as actual sexual experiences, depending on the progress in the therapy and your level of comfort with accepting direction.
In no instance will I engage in any kind of sexual activity with therapy patients, whether in the office or in any location. To do so is a breach of ethics, and in some states and provinces is a crime.
What does it mean when a sex therapist is AASECT certified?
In most states and provinces, sex therapy is not a separately licensed or regulated profession, just as child psychotherapy or geriatric psychotherapy is not government regulated beyond granting the basic license to practice therapy. AASECT stands for the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, which is the only credentialing organization for sex therapists in this country. Certification is awarded after extensive training in sexuality and therapy have been attained and approved by the organization. Certified sex therapists meet a rigorous set of requirements to be granted certification. Therapists who aren’t certified have not necessarily met these standards.