Background

In the July 2012 issue of this Journal I reported back on the experiences of psychosexual therapists.1 Their voices clearly and movingly described their motivations, their training, their challenges, their magic moments – and their hope for a deeper connection between the medical and therapeutic worlds when it comes to acknowledging and actioning psychosexual support for our patients. In so doing, I hope I helped show Journal readers that such support is a ‘Good Idea’ and – by inference – that we can confidently refer patients to it.

But hold on. Do patients themselves have any idea what ‘psychosexual support’ is? In this follow-up article, I explore the questions patients might raise, particularly the one that – whether they admit it or not – is underpinned by sheer terror.

Because, however fully practitioners may be at ease with the concept of professional sex therapy, patients being referred to it will not only feel the normal wariness surrounding the idea of any kind of counselling: “Will I be expected to hit cushions?” (probably not) … “Will I have to drag up the painful past?” (not always) … “Will it be confidential?” (yes, absolutely). They will also tap into a whole extra layer of fear based on the natural human need for safety when talking about intensely personal matters.

If we are able to confidently answer patient questions about what sex therapy means and what it involves, that process not only informs but also calms and reassures. Crucially, it also makes it much more likely that patients will proceed down the therapy road and profit as much as possible on their journey.

The basic question

So what are these patient queries, the ones we are likely to face once we've uttered the “Have you considered therapy?” suggestion? The first and most obvious question is …