Are you hesitant to talk about what’s going on with your vulva? Obviously, you aren’t alone. Our genitals are not frequent topics of conversation on their best day. And when they are burning, stinging, itching or feeling raw? Well, then we often try to tough it out, self-diagnose, or self-medicate before seeking the relief and optimal care required.

If you suffer from vulvodynia (chronic pain in the vulva) you understand completely. And you likely struggle to cope with the impact on your life and relationships. Still, you needn’t be ashamed or suffer in silence. You’ll feel better with more information, more support, and a path forward.

Not so sure if what you’re experiencing is actually vulvodynia? The first step is an honest conversation with your care professionals. Also, consider the following:

The pandemic puts a damper on everything. Even sex. You’re not alone.

For lots of couples it was novel to spend those early, socially distant days and weeks, close and cuddled in. You may have genuinely relished the fact that you had all the time you wanted to enjoy and explore each other.

Low desire is the most common sexual dysfunction complaint that women have. Why is that? In large part, it’s due to the way that we believe sexual desire functions. We’ve been conditioned to believe that desire and our sexual response cycle is linear, meaning that desire comes first, then arousal, then orgasm, followed by the resolution or baseline phase. Then repeat. This is the model that Master’s and Johnson proposed originally in 1966 and again 1979. The Masters and Johnson sexual response cycle describes what is typical for approximately 75% of cis-gender heterosexual men.

While all of my counseling services are influenced and informed by attachment theories, cognitive-behavioral approaches, sexual health, trauma, and feminism as well as mindfulness and somatic psychotherapy, for some people, making the connection between feminism and counseling isn’t intuitive.

I am a product of the closed adoption system that was the norm due to the secrecy and shame that surrounded adoption and sex outside of marriage in 1968 when I was born.

Is gun control is effective,? What about the role, if any that mental illness plays? In truth, America’s gun violence problem is a cultural issue that is going to require multiple solutions.

The many accusations against Harvey Weinstein are an opportunity for us to talk openly and honestly about sexual assault and harassment.

All relationships involve conflict, negotiation, and compromise. Same-sex couples, however, tend to be happier than heterosexual couples. What's a significant difference between same-sex and straight couples?

One might think that the majority of divorces in heterosexual marriages are initiated by men, due to the financial and social difficulties that many women face post divorce (Brinig & Allen, 2000). However, research since the 1940’s, has revealed that women are more responsible for initiating divorce than men and that divorced women are happier after ending their marriages (Brining & Allen, 2000; Rosenfeld, 2016).

Most men don’t rape. But the men that do rape, tend to rape repeatedly. Lisak & Miller (2002) surveyed close to 2000 male students at a midsize urban commuter university and found that out of the 6% of the participants who admitted to attempted rape or sexual assault, 63% admitted to committing more than one rape, averaging six rapes per male. The repeat rapists in this study also admitted to committing other forms of interpersonal violence, which is typical of many sex offenders.  

In a just released position statement, the World Psychiatric Association stated that sexual orientation is innate, and calls for psychiatrists to take responsibility for advocating to reduce social inequality that is related to gender expression and sexual orientation. 

One of the largest research studies on what makes couples happy and sexually satisfied in long term relationships is going to be published shortly. In this study, 39,000 heterosexual couples who are married or living together were surveyed. Here’s a summary of the results.