Sex therapy is a specialized form of counseling for adults that focuses on sexual issues, most often for individuals in relationships (although you do not need to be in a relationship to seek sex therapy).
Sex therapy is usually solution focused. This means that the sex therapist will try to help you develop a clearly defined issue and the goal of therapy will be to work on that issue and resolve it, or find a way to make whatever problems it causes have less of an impact on your life and sex life. Commonly sex therapy will focus on a sexual dysfunction or major sexual communication problems between partners.
Sex therapy is usually brief, lasting anywhere from a few sessions to more than a dozen sessions.
Sex therapy is usually directive. Sex therapists will be be active, asking questions and often giving direct suggestions, homework exercises, and information in an effort to support your goals for the therapy.
As a term and practice, sex therapy is not federally regulated, which means that anyone can call themselves a sex therapist. There are several organizations that offer certification for sex therapists, and while it is no guarantee that you will have a positive experience with them, it is recommended that you see a sex therapy who has been certified by a reputable organization. In the United States both the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists and the American Board of Sexology certify sex therapists.
