Other types of Sexual Therapy

It is important that you are assigned to a therapist who offers the type of therapy that will work best for you. This can be difficult for people to understand, as they hold no competent knowledge of the types of therapeutic approaches available. This is why it is of utmost significance to digest as much details about your relationship difficulties during the initial assessment. However, it is usually the case that a therapist has a background in more than one type of therapy. In this section, the main therapeutic disciplines will be outlined in order for you to better understand what type of therapy would best suit you and your partner.

Client-centred therapy

Client-centred therapy is rooted in the process of the client discussing their thoughts and emotions. During this time, the therapist will merely listen and work to see things from the point of view of the client. There will be no directing of the conversation, but only the allowance of the client to work their way to their own answers.

The point of sessions involving this therapeutic approach is to help people get back to basics, and to gradually come to understand what is best for them. You will discuss what you think should be happening in your relationship, and what is actually happening, but also discuss any mixed messages you may be receiving from things such as the media and friends when it comes to issues like sex.

Cognitive behavioural therapy

The point of this therapy is to help the client understand any misconceptions they may hold and how this is affecting their relationship. The therapist will try to ascertain how you view your relationship, and what affect this has on your thoughts and feelings. It is a form of therapy that tries to focus on current events, rather than the past. You will likely be offered self-help techniques to help improve different areas of your relationship. This therapeutic discipline can be particularly beneficial if you are having difficulties with anxiety or depression.

Existential therapy

This is a form of therapy that helps you to recognise and change and negative forms of behaviour you may be continually undertaking. Existential therapy will help you to identify your problematic behaviours, but you will also be offered a helping hand from your therapist. Even if a certain behavioural type is beneficial for someone else, it may not be the right thing for you at this moment in time. This process is based in the view that people will have problems and that these are not necessarily wrong, but that change is sometimes for the best.

Systemic therapy

This is a type of therapy in which you will not be seen as an individual, but as a team. No one problem will be centred on the individual but will require each partner to be accounted for. For example, if there are sexual difficulties occurring then the therapist will allow each partner to express their opinion, as both partners often feel as if they are in some way to blame. The therapist will play an active role, in order for the two of you to discuss any issues troubling you. A therapist will work to get both of you to understand that you each play a role in any arguments that arise, whether it is to do with housework, money, or jealousy.

Psychodynamic therapy

This is a form of therapy in which the therapist will allow the client to speak, and will try to help them get to their true feelings and worries. You will be helped to communicate emotions you may not even have realised you had, which are often the real problem affecting your relationship. You may also be asked to think back on past experiences when growing up and in prior relationships, in order to identify how this may be affecting you. Answers that may arise include feeling as if you are not respected, which is why you argue about housework, having difficulty responding sexually due to low self-esteem and feeling jealous because of past infidelities. This is a therapeutic approach where it is best to be open and honest.