When sexuality issues come up with your clients or patients
Consult a sexuality expert
In any healthcare setting, when sexuality becomes one of the issues requiring attention, adding clinical sexuality expertise to the treatment team can make a difference between adequate and outstanding care. By phone, Zoom or email, we do our best to provide other clinicians with up-to-date information. With direct client contact, our clinical work may supplement or complement other primary treatment.
Sex Therapy and Sexuality Counseling
At Seattle Institute certified and licensed clinicians serve couples and individuals with diverse sexuality concerns. We are skilled in dealing with a variety of issues, including loss of desire; obsessive sexual behavior; erection or ejaculation difficulties; sexual identity; orgasm; vaginismus; pain; trauma; paraphilias; dating and courtship skills; and conflicts in relationships over sexual values, attitudes, or behaviors.
We work with adult women and men of different sexual orientations, cultures, and lifestyles. In general, we are supportive of all expressions of sexuality which are not self-destructive or exploitative of others.
Therapeutic interventions can be as brief as one session or quite lengthy, depending on the presenting complaints and the clients’ skills and resources. Homework is assigned and is necessary to achieve and maintain significant change.
Sex Education
Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 10:00 AM Pacific Time, FREE TELEPHONE CONSULTATION is available to other professionals and the general public. 206-522-8588.
Brief general information is available via EMAIL to other professionals and the general public. Please be patient in awaiting a response, which can take a week or longer.
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING is available to licensed and practicing mental health professionals who wish to add sexuality to their expertise. Contact may vary from occasional visits as a guest to regular monthly attendance at our Consultation Group. Co-therapy with an experienced clinician may also be possible. A resume is requested from interested clinicians.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is sex therapy?
Made famous by Masters and Johnson, this intervention is typically couples oriented, homework intensive, and highly structured. The techniques are derived from learning theory, behavior modification theory, and psychodynamic theory. In modern practice, these tools have been combined with a focus on meaning, heightening awareness of subjective experience, and making personal choices.
How do you collaborate with other therapists?
When clients present for treatment, it is our practice to request written consent from them to contact current or recent therapist(s) who have seen one or both clients and to encourage them to provide similar consents to those practitioners. Clients are assisted in developing clear treatment goals and, in consultation with the referring clinician, a treatment plan is formed.
How does therapy proceed?
- Intake: Brief problem assessment and treatment recommendations.
- Histories: Sex and relationship values, attitudes and experiences.
- Planning: Discuss goals and treatment choices.
- Intensive Therapy: Weekly or biweekly sessions, with homework.
How do I refer a client?
Call (206) 522-8588. While we accept queries by email or fax, we encourage telephone contact for referrals. We discourage electronic transmittal of clinical information unless all identifying information has been deleted. We encourage only telephone or hardcopy sharing of client information.
Confidentiality
Since our founding, Seattle Institute has been committed to strict confidentiality. We keep no clinical or financial records that identify clients unless requested to do so by the client. Therefore, only if a client or referral source requests a written summary or report at the time of the intervention will one be prepared.
Organizational History and Structure
Seattle Institute was founded in 1975 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a commitment to bring resources to people of all incomes, sexual identities, cultural backgrounds, religious faiths. Services such as free telephone consultation or therapy at reduced fees are made possible through time donated by skilled professionals.
Since couples counseling and sex therapy are rarely covered by third-party payers, we try to keep our services affordable by offering negotiated fee reductions.
Our clinicians are in private practice and give a portion of their professional time to seeing Seattle Institute clients. Staff members often donate additional time to support the organization’s mission.
Summary of Services
To health care providers
Professional Consultation
Professional Training
Referral Resource
To the public
Sex Therapy
Sexuality Counseling
Sex Education
Free Services
Telephone Consultation: Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Contact us: (206) 522-8588
therapy@sextx.com or education@sextx.com
206-522-8588