Treatment Strategies for Sexual Dysfunction

This course will address the practice theories and techniques for assessment, evaluation, and treatment of individuals and couples presenting with sexual difficulties. This course will provide grounding in the following perspectives: attachment theory, psycho-sexual development and functioning across the life span, physiology of sexual functioning, contemporary and historic approaches to understanding human sexual behavior, and the interaction of physiology, personality, and social influence in developing a sexual self. Variations in human sexual function and expression will be discussed from physiologic and sociocultural viewpoints. The practice component will address major clinical concepts, including assessment, evaluation, differential diagnosis, and treatment planning. Intervention techniques will be discussed considering their effectiveness with different kinds of sexual problems, in different practice settings, and respecting client differences, including the diverse dimensions (including ability, age, class, color, culture, ethnicity, family structure, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), marital status, national origin, race, religion or spirituality, sex, and sexual orientation). The applicability and limitations of different theoretical approaches will be discussed. This course will focus on empirically based models of intervention and the use of evaluative tools in the practice setting.