Dr. Troy Fenlason

We are sexual beings. How we come to navigate this reality within our cultural, social, relational and religious contexts is an important aspect of our human development. Sexual issues span the spectrum from sexual addiction to sexual anorexia. Sexual behavior and sexual development is far more than physical encounter. It is wrapped up with layers of meaning and emotion that we associate with our sexual identity and desire. Sexual abuse takes many forms and has been inflicted on a third of the women we know. Sexual abuse inflicted on men is less known.  Even though the numbers are probably less than for women, the numbers for men are expected to be larger than earlier estimates as more men are beginning to talk about their own experiences of sexual abuse as children. The impact of sexual abuse runs deep. What we do in memory of past abuses can profoundly impact how we live in the present and into the future.

Because sexual issues bring a deep sense of shame to many of us, people seek the privacy of psychotherapy to work through their sexual issues. Some seek psychotherapy to heal from sexual abuse, some to untangling unhealthy associations with sexuality, some to overcome sexual obsessions/compulsions/addictions, some to understand and come to terms with their own sexual development and sexual identity, or some to find a healthier, more intimate sex life with their partner. Here, therapy is a safe place to talk about sexual issues and to struggle together with what has been difficult or harmful and what are the possibilities for health.