Sex therapy is a specialized form of psychotherapy focused specifically on sexual health, intimacy, and the psychological and relational factors that affect a person’s or couple’s sexual experience. While couples counseling addresses the broader relational dynamic — communication, conflict, trust, and emotional connection — sex therapy goes deeper into the specific concerns around desire, arousal, physical intimacy, and the meaning each partner attaches to their sexual relationship. In practice, the two are deeply interconnected. Sexual difficulties are almost never purely physical — they are rooted in fear, shame, past experience, relational dynamics, and the stories we carry about ourselves and our bodies. At Marina Edelman Therapy, I address both the relational and the sexual dimensions of intimacy as part of the same integrated clinical picture, never treating one in isolation from the other.

More than most people realize — and far beyond what the phrase “sex therapy” might initially suggest. Sex therapy addresses low libido and mismatched desire between partners, sexual arousal difficulties, sexual pain and physical discomfort, sexual inexperience and performance anxiety, the impact of past sexual trauma on present intimacy, challenges related to infidelity and the loss of sexual trust, and the broader intimacy difficulties — emotional unavailability, avoidance of physical closeness, difficulty with vulnerability — that so often sit beneath the surface of a couple’s sexual concerns. Intimacy is about more than physical contact. It involves honesty, trust, and the willingness to be genuinely seen — and sex therapy addresses all of those dimensions.

Both formats are clinically valuable, and the right approach depends on the nature of the concern. Some issues — such as past sexual trauma, personal shame, or deeply held beliefs about sexuality — are best addressed initially in individual sessions before bringing them into the couples context. Others — such as mismatched desire, communication around sex, or the aftermath of infidelity — are most effectively addressed with both partners present from the outset. In many cases, I work with a combination of individual and joint sessions depending on what the clinical picture calls for at each stage. You do not need to have a partner to benefit from sex therapy, and you do not need your partner’s participation to begin. What matters is that you are ready to take the first step.

No. Sex therapy at Marina Edelman Therapy is entirely talk-based — there is no physical contact, no explicit demonstrations, and nothing that would feel inappropriate or uncomfortable in a standard clinical setting. Sessions involve honest, professional conversation about sexual concerns, relational dynamics, and the psychological factors shaping your intimate life. I understand that the decision to seek help for a sexual or intimacy concern is a deeply personal and often emotionally charged one — and I approach every conversation in this space with the utmost care, compassion, and clinical professionalism. Creating a safe, welcoming environment where you feel respected and at ease is not an afterthought. It is the foundation everything else is built on.

Yes — and this is one of the most important clinical areas I work in. Past sexual trauma, childhood experiences, or a history of abuse can profoundly affect a person’s relationship with their own body, their capacity for vulnerability, and their ability to experience intimacy as safe and pleasurable. These are not simply emotional memories — they are experiences stored in the nervous system that continue to shape present-day responses, often without the person fully understanding why. In my practice, I integrate trauma-informed approaches alongside sex therapy — creating a careful, paced process that honors both the sexual concerns and the deeper wound beneath them. Healing the trauma and healing the intimacy are not two separate journeys. They are the same one, approached with patience, safety, and genuine clinical expertise.