What do we mean by therapy?

When we use the word therapy we mean ‘talking therapy’.  That means a way of treating mental conditions or emotional difficulties by talking to a trained therapist, either alone or with others.

You will not be touched by a Psychosexual or Relationship Therapist.  They will not carry out medical examinations or give medical opinions.  They won’t prescribe you drugs or anything physical. 

They will just focus on talking with you to understand and address challenges you face.

What does the ‘psycho’ bit mean?

The prefix psycho comes up a lot in therapy.  It is there at the beginning of Psychotherapist, Psychologist, Psychology and of course Psychosexual.  When it is used in these ways it isn’t a way of describing someone or how they act.

Psycho comes from Greek and means mind or soul.  So, we are simply pointing out that a professional or a therapy is focused on people’s minds, emotions and behaviours.

What about sexual?

Psychosexual Therapy obviously includes the very important work sexual.  But what does it really mean here?  Well, it really means all the instincts, physical processes and activities connected to physical attraction and intimate contact between people. 

So, from how and why we might be attracted to someone through to what physical sex acts we do, don’t, can or can’t carry out. 

And the word relationship?

The word relationship is there in both the forms of therapy we oversee and is hugely important.  It is easy to complicate things but really it means the way two or more people are connected, or the way they behave toward each other. 

It isn’t just about intimate or sexual relationships – although that is a big part of it.  It also means other connections like between family or friends. 

Knowing that, what is Psychosexual and Relationship Therapy?

Psychosexual and Relationship Therapy is an advanced therapy that brings together (integrates) different components – psychosexual therapy, relationship therapy, and broader psychotherapy.

The ‘psychosexual’ makes this different to other types of therapy. At the most basic level it means looking at people’s sexual life and development.  But instead of just examining and treating physical issues, this therapy explores how someone’s emotional, psychological and physical state and experiences affect their sexual feelings and behaviours.

By bringing in relationships, it also allows an exploration of how sexual challenges can affect how people connect and behave towards each other – and vice versa.

All of this means that the therapy needs people to have special training.  If you see a Psychosexual and Relationship Therapist they will understand how the body works.  They will know about things like drug use and the effects of medical treatments.  Those things are not part of normal therapy training.  They will combine that specialist knowledge with a detailed understanding of how people think and act and relate so you can tackle issues as effectively as possible.

So, what about Relationship Therapy?

This is another type of advanced therapy that needs special training to do. 

It is focused on improving the relationships between individuals by helping them resolve interpersonal issues.   That means understanding and dealing with emotional and psychological issues linked to all sorts of relationships – not just romantic or intimate ones.

This therapy often involves exploring people’s patterns of behaviour so their future personal interactions are more positive and healthy.  It looks at things like communication, conflict, dealing with the beginning and endings of relationships, grief, trauma and more.

Naturally, sexual issues come up in Relationship Therapy but the focus is squarely on human interaction.  When issues of sexual function or behaviours become a main issue, only someone trained as a Psychosexual and Relationship therapist can give proper help.  That is because Relationship Therapy training does not include the specialised issues around biology and how the body works.