Counselors and marriage and family therapists work with individuals, couples, and families on issues related to sexuality. However, clinicians may be underserving their clients by "not" having adequate training and preparation to work with clients with these presenting issues. One mitigating factor in the treatment of sexual problems is…

Understanding couples' relationship problems is fundamental to couple therapy. Although research has documented common relationship problems, no study has used open-ended questions to explore problems in couples seeking therapy in naturalistic settings. The present study used a reliable coding system to explore the relationship problems reported…

Limited empirical information exists on whether or not marriage and family therapists are having sexuality-related discussions with their clients. When helping professionals ignore client sexuality, the potential for unintended negative outcomes increases. The researchers surveyed 175 clinical members of the American Association for Marriage and…

Examines whether a new instrument for measuring couple functioning would differentiate couples in therapy for sexual dysfunction from couples in therapy for other problems. While the other-problems group had greater sexual satisfaction than the sex dysfunction group, the groups were similar in experiencing moderate marital distress. (JPS)

The Ob/Gyn Department of Rambam University, Haifa, Israel, recently established a Center for Sexual Counseling, Therapy and Education. The Center's concept and format of therapy, and some preliminary observations, are presented. (Author)

The surrogate role is stressful. The surrogate hopes to bypass explosive relationship issues in order to lower the patient's level of tension. Such bypassing is difficult. An alternative tactic has been developed for Individual Sex Therapy and is exemplified by a case study. (Author)

Lack of consideration of the sexually functional population has led to misconceptions about causes of sexual dysfunction functioning. Automatic functioning can mask effects of pathogenic influences on sexuality, making these effects appear random, confounding etiological issues and creating the belief that causes of sexual dysfunction and disorder…

The new sex therapy, a brief outpatient treatment of sexual dysfunction consisting of structured sexual exercises and conjoint therapeutic sessions, is a systematic integration of behavioral and psychodynamic elements. The integration of approaches in the new sex therapy has general significance for psychotherapeutic theory and practice. (Author)

Psychopathology, in the form of a deficiency in ego functions of pleasure, intimacy, or cooperation, is usually associated with sexual dysfunctions that prove refractory to sex therapy techniques alone. Each deficiency forms a distinct clinical syndrome with specific treatment requirements, necessitating further diagnostic subcategorization of…

The complex issues in the relationship between cotherapists who are doing sex therapy have not received adequate attention. Differences in status, experience, and training; aspects of the personal relationship between therapists; and the sexual content of their work are typical issues that arise and can affect the outcome of treatment. (Author/NG)

The Marital Satisfaction Inventory (MSI) is a potential instrument for differentiating couples with specific sexual distress from those with more general marital complaints. Couples (N=45) expressing primary complaints of dissatisfaction with their sexual relationship and couples (N=45) expressing primary complaints of generalized marital distress…

This paper explores family aspects of sexual issues demonstrating that when sexual dysfunction represents the distillation of a couple's relationship to their own parents, successful resolution of their own sexual relationship may be a crucial first step in rebuilding family harmony and providing a culture of intimacy for their children. (Author)

This paper raises issues and questions which repeatedly confront the sex therapist rather than the patient. Issues raised are: conflict in values; the impotent male; masturbation; nonorgasmic females; and the philosophical approach to therapy of women therapists influenced by the women's movement. (NG)

This paper emphasizes the rapid response of American medical schools to the absence of sex education in their curricula, which has led to diversity of design, strategy, and evaluation of human sexuality courses. It further points out that most such courses are inadequate. (Author)

Because the emotional trauma associated with a mastectomy exceeds the physical trauma, the recovery of the woman is greatly affected by the response of her husband or lover. Sex therapy, therefore, involves the couple. The approach described is aimed at assisting the couple to confront and integrate the mastectomy experience. (Author)