What’s The Difference Between Sex Therapy and “Normal” Therapy?
Earlier in my career, when I was a pre-licensed therapist, a former supervisor asked me, “Is sex therapy just the same as normal therapy?” I answered her, “yes,” but have regretted it ever since, mostly because it’s a gross oversimplification. I wish I had responded that the specialized training that a sex therapist undergoes provides deeper knowledge on sex and sexuality, which allows them to understand how to apply therapeutic techniques to issues surrounding sex.
Consider how a traditional therapist treats depression. We would expect that therapist to familiarize themself with depression by understanding how depression can originate and be reinforced. We would expect deep knowledge of the risk and protective factors associated with development and prevention of depression. We would expect insight regarding the process of recovery, the likelihood of relapse, and importantly, evidenced-based treatments for depression, such as CBT and SSRIs. In other words, we would expect this therapist to have developed significant expertise surrounding depression, its literature, and its treatment options.
The same is true of treating sexual problems. A trained sex-therapist is experienced with common therapeutic techniques such as IFS, CBT, or ACT, but can also apply them to sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction or low sexual desire, given specialized knowledge in sexual disorders and problems. Any given sex therapy session might even feel like a “normal” therapy session.
As part of my training, I completed a certificate program through the University of Michigan School of Social Work, requiring an additional 165 hours of classroom education, above and beyond what was covered in my sexual health specialization during my master’s degree. We covered a range of sexual health conditions such as out of control sexual behavior, more commonly referred to as sex or pornography addiction, erectile dysfunction, anorgasmia, low sexual desire, and sexual pain. A topic of particular interest to me was cancer and sexuality, which I used to create protocols for sexual rehabilitation following cancer treatment when I worked at City of Hope (formerly “Cancer Treatment Centers of America”). We covered kink, BDSM, polyamory, and asexuality in detail, understanding that these are not problems or disorders and how to approach these topics in therapy, whether working with individuals or couples.
For me, this is what sets apart “sex therapy” from therapy focused on sex, which is an important distinction considering that anyone can label themselves a “sex therapist.” As a result, it’s important for consumers of therapy (and yes, we’re consumers, as we’re buying a service) to inform themselves of who provides their treatment and how that individual has been trained.
For today, this is my answer. Who knows, maybe I’ll revise it again in a handful of years because I’m always reading, learning, and refining my craft!
