How do I find a sex therapist in Utah?

Finding a therapist is difficult enough, let alone finding a sex therapist! Here are few things you need to know that will help you make the best choice:

What type of sex therapist should I choose?

Any therapist can call themselves a sex therapist and there are many different types of therapists. A therapist can be a psychologist (PhD or PsyD), licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), clinical mental health counselor (CMHC), or licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT). You first need to ask yourself, what kind of therapist do I want to see? Psychologists generally have much more training than all other therapists (typically 6+ years after earning a Bachelor’s degree), but as a result, may be more expensive. Once you’ve decided what type of therapist you want to see, then you’ve got to dig through all those therapists who say they specialize in sex therapy.

Which “sex therapist” is the best?

Again, any therapist can call themselves a sex therapist or advertise that they do sex therapy. But you probably don’t want just any therapist. You probably want a therapist who truly specializes in sexual health. Therapists who specialize in sexual health get AASECT Certified. AASECT stands for the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. AASECT Sex Therapy Certification requires over a hundred hours of specific sex therapy education/training, over 300 hours of being supervised while doing sex therapy, adherence to strict ethical standards, and takes anywhere from 2-5 years to complete. If you want a sex therapist who truly specializes in sex therapy, then you want them to be AASECT Certified. You can locate an AASECT certified sex therapist near you at www.aasect.org.

How do I choose the right sex therapist for me?

Let’s say you’ve looked at the AASECT website and picked a few sex therapists near you. Next, take a look at each therapist’s website and see what they specialize in . . . that’s right, within the specialty of sex therapy there are sub-specialties. Sexual health is such a broad topic, it would be impossible for every sex therapist to be able to treat every sexual health concern. For example, my specialties are couples therapy, sexual dysfunction, transgender health, and cancer and sexual health. I do not treat sexual trauma. Not all sex therapists treat the same sexual health concerns, so you need to review their websites/give them a call to make sure they can treat the concern you have.

Is sex therapy covered by insurance?

Many insurance companies do not cover therapy for sexual health concerns. This is really frustrating and has led most sex therapists to decide not to take insurance. However, ask your insurance if they have “Out of Network” benefits. If they do, your therapist should be able to provide you with paperwork to submit to your insurance for reimbursement of a portion of the fee you paid your therapist.

Is sex therapy even going to help?

Sex therapy has been shown to be effective in treating a wide variety of sexual health concerns (for example, erectile dysfunction, low sexual desire, difficulty with arousal and orgasm, premature ejaculation, sexual pain, to name a few). You deserve to have a healthy sexuality/sexual relationship and the right treatment is only a phone call away. What are you waiting for?