Affordable psychosexual therapy in London

What is psychosexual therapy?

Psychosexual therapy is a form of therapy that can be very effective for people who are having problems with sex and intimacy. It combines talking therapy with exercises that clients are given to do at home.

It is available for individuals and couples. We offer reduced-fee psychosexual therapy, delivered by carefully selected trainees from courses accredited by the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT).

What issues can be treated with psychosexual therapy?

The issues that psychosexual therapy is suited for include:

• low sexual desire/interest
• mismatch in desire in couples
• dyspareunia (painful sex)
• rapid ejaculation and delayed ejaculation
• vaginismus
• erectile difficulties
• compulsive sexual behaviours (e.g. porn use)
• chemsex issues
• anorgasmia.

What causes sexual problems?

Sexual problems often start with a bad sexual experience. This might be sexual trauma, a physical condition that makes sex painful or not being able to get an erection after a night of heavy drinking, for example.

The person then can become anxious that their future sexual experiences will also be bad. Even when the initial bad experience is over, their anxiety makes the sexual problem continue. If you are worried that you won’t get an erection, you probably won’t be able to relax enough to get an erection. If you are worried that sex will be painful, you will probably tense your muscles, which will make sex painful. So sexual problems are often fuelled by anxiety.

Psychosexual therapy reduces your fear

A key part of psychosexual therapy is understanding what you are anxious about in relation to sex and tackling that anxiety. This is done in two ways: through talking in the sessions, and through the exercises that you are given to do at home.

These exercises involve going back to the basics of intimacy and learning how to enjoy it in a way that reduces your anxiety. You learn to be more present in the moment and in touch with your bodily sensations. You also learn to communicate about sex more easily.

It can be hard to talk about sex

Most people find it hard to talk about sex. It’s a topic where we feel vulnerable and expect to be judged for what we like or don’t like. There are lots of misconceptions about sex and what is ‘normal’.

Your therapist will help you to feel more comfortable talking about sex, and they won’t judge you for your sexual preferences. They may teach you about sexual anatomy, how our bodies respond during sex or sex aids. Whether you have psychosexual therapy as an individual or a couple, becoming more knowledgeable and talking about sex in your therapy sessions will help you to communicate more comfortably with sexual partners.