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Sexual Health
CMECNE

What is Sex Therapy?

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Learning Objectives and CME/Disclosure Information

This activity is intended for healthcare providers delivering care to women and their families.

After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

1. Recall implications of licensure and certification requirements in order to call oneself a ‘sex therapist’
2. Compare and contrast potential uses of sex therapy

Estimated time to complete activity: 0.25 hours

Faculty:

Susan J. Gross, MD, FRCSC, FACOG, FACMG
President and CEO, The ObG Project

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) requires faculty, planners, and others in control of educational content to disclose all their financial relationships with ineligible companies. All identified conflicts of interest (COI) are thoroughly vetted and mitigated according to PIM policy. PIM is committed to providing its learners with high quality accredited continuing education activities and related materials that promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business interest of an ineligible company.

The PIM planners and others have nothing to disclose. The OBG Project planners and others have nothing to disclose.

Faculty: Susan J. Gross, MD, receives consulting fees from Cradle Genomics, and has financial interest in The ObG Project, Inc.

Planners and Managers: The PIM planners and managers, Trace Hutchison, PharmD, Samantha Mattiucci, PharmD, CHCP, Judi Smelker-Mitchek, MBA, MSN, RN, and Jan Schultz, MSN, RN, CHCP have nothing to disclose.

Method of Participation and Request for Credit

Fees for participating and receiving CME credit for this activity are as posted on The ObG Project website. During the period from Dec 31 2017 through Jan 25 2023, participants must read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures and study the educational activity.

If you wish to receive acknowledgment for completing this activity, please complete the post-test and evaluation. Upon registering and successfully completing the post-test with a score of 100% and the activity evaluation, your certificate will be made available immediately.

For Pharmacists: Upon successfully completing the post-test with a score of 100% and the activity evaluation form, transcript information will be sent to the NABP CPE Monitor Service within 4 weeks.

Joint Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and The ObG Project. Postgraduate Institute for Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physician Continuing Medical Education

Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Continuing Nursing Education

The maximum number of hours awarded for this Continuing Nursing Education activity is 0.2 contact hours.

Read Disclaimer & Fine Print

There is much confusion about what sex therapy is, what it entails and when it is appropriate to make a referral.

The most important thing to understand is that the definitions of sex therapy and sex therapists differ significantly between individuals. It is important for the provider to understand these distinctions in order to refer patients to the appropriate practitioner that best meets their needs and expectations.

Key Clinical Points:

There is no license for sex therapy. Anyone who is licensed in psychology, psychiatry or social work can technically call themselves a “sex therapist.” Therefore, it is generally a good idea to look for a practitioner with certification in addition to licensing. Certification is available from AASECT in different areas of the sexuality field, including Sex Educators, Sexuality Counselors and Sex Therapists.

  • Colloquially “Sex Therapy” may refer to:
      • Education about sexuality
      • Behavioral therapy – Works with a patient on practical elements of their sex life
      • Psychotherapy to understand reactions to sexual issues
  • Sex therapy can be provided for individual or couples
  • A sex therapist never engages in any type of sexual activity with clients
  • Behavioral sex therapy is most effective when:
    • A patient needs basic sex education
    • A patient feels shame or discomfort regarding sex
    • A patient feels awkward and insecure around sexuality
  • A Psychotherapist specially trained in sex therapy is effective for:
    • A patient who feels shame regarding sex
    • A patient with body dysmorphia
    • A patient who has experienced trauma or sexual abuse
    • A couple who needs help negotiating their sex lives or has trouble communicating about sex
  • Sex therapy is less useful for patients who have physiological problems contributing to their sexual concerns, for low desire in long term relationships, the loss of orgasm or the onset of pain

Learn More – Primary Sources:

Perspectives of Sex Therapy Outcome: A Survey of AASECT Providers

A Comparison of Sex Therapy and Communication Therapy: Couples Complaining of Orgasmic Dysfunction

Locate a Sexual Health Professional:

AASECT-Referral Directory 

ISSWSH-Find a Provider 

SSTAR-Find a Therapist

Take a post-test and get CME credits

TAKE THE POST TEST

Want to be notified when new guidelines are released? Get ObGFirst!

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Related ObG Topics:

Treatment Options for the Patient with Low Sexual Desire
A Patient Complains of Low Sexual Desire – Making an Accurate Diagnosis
Practical info on sexual health for your women's healthcare practice
Female Sexual Dysfunction Explained 
Asking About Sexual Health

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Computer System Requirements

OBG Project CME requires a modern web browser (Internet Explorer 10+, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge). Certain educational activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of their content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Flash, Apple QuickTime, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft PowerPoint, Windows Media Player, or Real Networks Real One Player.

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.

The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information
presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

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