Human sexuality is a complex and controversial topic that is often ignored during therapy and clinical training. However, it is an outstanding aspect of the human experience, requiring a deep understanding of both the client presenting for therapy and the therapist facilitating treatment.
Sex, sexuality, and therapeutic practice provides therapists with a fundamental framework for understanding our personal beliefs regarding sexuality and a guide for addressing sexuality in clinical practice. Written from systemic, cognitive-behavioral and social constructivist approaches, this book offers readers the opportunity to understand the impact of sex and sexuality on the individual, as well as on the broader social and cultural contexts in which the person lives.
The book begins with a theoretical discussion on various conceptualizations of sex and sexuality. A simple description of sex, sexuality, and gender through biological, legal, moral, and spiritual lenses provides readers with a solid base of knowledge to build on in the remaining chapters. The next chapter looks at how therapists can discuss sex with clients during therapy. A discussion of health and disability sheds light on the sexual problems that this population often experiences infrequently. The next chapter considers the experience of sexual and gender minorities during therapy, and explains how training programs can address these issues with aspiring therapists. The penultimate chapter assesses sexuality throughout life; A developmental perspective toward the end of the book provides a context in which the previous chapters can be understood. This is a critical chapter as it describes the development of sexuality along the developmental continuum. The book ends with a chapter that analyzes the relationship between culture, sex and sexuality.
This book is a practical guide for all therapists regardless of their theoretical orientation. Hands-on exercises dot each chapter to ensure readers apply the information rather than just thinking theoretically about sexuality. The questionnaires ask readers to test their assumptions and knowledge about sex, sexuality, gender, and sexual orientation. Complex theories and concepts are boxed and bulleted to facilitate readers’ understanding and application of these concepts to clinical care. Diagrams complement complex theories and provide readers with a visual image that illustrates the relationship between theory, concept, and human behavior. This is definitive read for students in graduate training programs and therapists currently in practice.