Addressing sexual issues in couples seeking relationship therapy
Marianne Emond, E. Sandra Byers, Audrey Brassard, Nadine Tremblay, Katherine Péloquin
Abstract
Sexual issues are common in couples who seek relationship therapy. However, few studies have examined the nature of the sexual issues reported by these couples and how these issues are addressed in relationship therapy. This study examined the nature of the sexual issues most often reported in 169 couples seeking relationship therapy, as well as the sexuality-related goals pursued by their therapist. The concordance between these sexuality-related goals and a) the sexual issues qualitatively reported by the couples and b) partners’ scores on quantitative measures of sexual satisfaction and function was also examined. Findings showed that in 48.5% of couples, at least one of the two partners reported a sexual issue as a reason for seeking therapy. The most common sexual issues were the frequency of sexual activity and sexual desire. Our results also showed that when couples reported a sexual issue, their therapists were five times more likely to pursue a sexuality-related goal. They were also slightly more likely to pursue a sexuality-related goal when women reported lower sexual satisfaction. Globally, this study stresses the need for all relationship therapists to receive formal training in sexuality and underscores the importance for them to address sexual issues in relationship therapy.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14681994.2021.1969546 .