Healthcare providers, including those focused on metal health, receive little if any training on human sexuality. Sex is addressed it is in terms of dysfunction and diagnosis, and only when clients present specific concerns and symptoms. Clinicians are not prepared to assess sexual functioning holistically, and we do not consider its role in improving health.
Using a positive sexuality perspective this presentation will move beyond a deficit model to explore the role sex may play in optimizing mental and physical health. Building on a strength-based approach to assessment, case examples will demonstrate how sex may be addressed clinically.