Sexual concerns are common in couples in all ages, genders and life styles. These concerns can start as an individual concern and affect the couple or be part of the couple’s dynamic.
Many couples, particularly if they are in a long term relationship may have sexual concerns at one time or another. Many are treatable, individually or as a couple. Some common individual issues that affect couples are pain during sexual activity (men and women), difficulties obtaining an orgasm (men and women), sexual arousal problems, low sexual desire, and erection issues. These concerns do affect the sexuality as a couple. Some common presenting couple sexual issues are desire discrepancies (one person is more interested in sexual activities that the other), timing, sexuality and aging, coping with an affair and how to maintain desire over time with one partner. Counselling helps to address these concerns, normalize them, offer realistic expectations and developed solutions that help solve the problem. Counselling also helps to open up the conversation in this important area between the couple.
It is important to have ongoing positive communication between a couple, particularity around sexuality and intimacy as they closely tied to feelings of self-worth and desirability, counselling can help frame the conversation in a hopeful and positive way.
Counselling services offered by Catholic Family Services can help couples struggling with sexual intimacy issues. The Counsellor and couple work together to discuss realistic expectations and develop solutions to nurture more satisfying sexual intimacy.