It is estimated that 6.3 million people are being commercially sexually exploited globally at any given time based on the most recent 2021 report by the International Labour Organization and the Walk Free Foundation. Over 25% of these people are under the age of 18 and nearly 80% are women or girls….

Jess was such an exciting Teach Me Sex guest and we want to send a huge thank you to them for sharing about themselves so we can continue learn more about the various ways people have sex and express themselves sexually!

The 3rd part of our Pelvic Floor Series is highlighting affirmative clinician strategies for working with transgender and gender non conforming (TGNC) folks. This newsletter doesn’t get into the potential pelvic floor goals or sexual goals of TGNC clients, but is a good prerequisite for any OT/OTA clinician - not just pelvic health OTs.

When it comes to discussing sexuality with our clients, occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) and other healthcare providers can come up with all sorts of justifications not to. But here's the thing: most of these justifications have more to do with our own biases than with the clients themselves. It's time to challenge those biases and ask ourselves, "Why am I avoiding this conversation?”

Welcome to the second part of our three-part series on addressing sexuality and intimacy after spinal cord injury (SCI). Today, we’ll delve deeper into the crucial role that Occupational Therapists (OTs) play in supporting individuals with SCI in this aspect of their lives. With their expertise and unique perspective, OTs can provide invaluable guidance and interventions to empower SCI patients and promote a positive and fulfilling sexual experience. The OT can be the shining light of comfort and advocacy! OTs are perfectly situated to lead these efforts in a clinical setting both for their patients and for the interdisciplinary team. Let's continue our exploration of the strategies and approaches that OTs employ in this domain.

As Sexuality and Intimacy Trailblazers, we know that sexuality and intimacy are important parts of our lives, bringing us joy and enhancing our overall well-being. However, when someone experiences a spinal cord injury (SCI), these aspects can be profoundly affected. Today, we'll discuss when to address these topics, the impacts of SCI on sexual health, specific complications that can arise, and the role of occupational therapy in supporting individuals on this journey.

"Sexuality and intimacy contain so much more than the act of sexual activity. Beyond the physical mechanics of “sexual activity,” sexual and intimate occupations encompass a broad range of personally meaningful activities for building intimate partnerships, developing a sense of self, actualizing desire, and experiencing pleasure.” - Ellis & Ungco, 2023.

TLDR: Love the quote, ready to order? Read More to order the textbook.

Despite anecdotal evidence regarding the potential for pleasure from anal play, it remains a taboo subject in the context of female sexuality. This partly stems from the fact that we often associate anal pleasure specifically with anal sex, namely anal penetration of a penis, which can be a daunting proposition for a woman who has never experimented with any sort of anal stimulation.

I recently attended a webinar by Dr. Farris on Sexuality and Intimacy After Brain Injury with the Brain Injury Association of America. It was a great presentation that shed light on some important points that we as OTs should be making sure to address and incorporate into our practice.

What’s an OT to do when Valentine’s Day is approaching, the clinic is covered in hearts and cupids, you're wearing red or pink on every portion of your body, yet your client shows up and says, “I’m dreading Valentine’s Day.”

You dig a little deeper.

They say, “I’m dreading Valentine’s Day, because I know my partner will want to have sex with me and I have no desire for it.”

Ok, ok, ok, before you freeze up eyes wide open, here’s what you talk about:

I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Sam for my latest Teach Me Sex episode and it was a great one! Dr. Sam DuFlo PT, DPT, PRPC is a physical therapist as well as the owner and founder of Indigo Physiotherapy, based in Maryland. She and her team of fellow healthcare workers including PTs, lactation consultants, Craniosacral therapists and bodywork therapists focus on pelvic health, pelvic physical therapy, prenatal and postpartum training, oncology and women’s/men’s/pediatric/transgender health concerns. You can learn more about Dr. Sam and Indigo Physiotherapy here!

I had the pleasure of speaking with Sormeh, a fellow OT and recent OTD graduate. Sormeh's identities include queer, first generational woman of color, and hard fem. She has been active in the queer community for just over a decade and was previously active in the polyamory community.

One question I often get asked is, how should I address sexuality and intimacy with teens and young adults? And I get it... it sounds like it can be an uncomfortable conversation to have! But, I'm here to tell you it doesn't need to feel that scary. There are a handful of topics that fall within our scope of practice and relate to sexuality and intimacy.

This blog is guest co-written with Kala Plasterer. Kala will share a bit about herself below, but I’m delighted to bring in a mother, OT, and someone passionate about sex after baby to write about this topic. Kala and I have been working together for a while as she is a virtual assistant to The Institute. It was a no brainer to have her write about sex after baby!

If you have a brain, you have a bias. Confronting our own biases is uncomfortable, but it is our ethical responsibility as occupational therapy professionals. Considering how paramount reconciling our biases are to enhancing the therapeutic relationship and treatment efficacy, and reducing patient harm and health disparities…

It's no surprise that as sexual beings we all have our own sexual preferences. Our likes, wants, and needs are unique to each of us and shape our sexual and intimate experiences. But what about our dislikes? Or aversions to certain stimuli? What if the enjoyment and pleasure of sex can quickly turn to pain and kill the mood. For some of us, this might be when our partner lightly touches our skin or grasps too firmly. What is this experience like and how can OT play a role in this??? Many of the clients I have work have sensory preferences and high/low thresholds, and this can be even more so for people with autism or sensory regulation difficulties.

If you've been following along then you know this is the last post of my three part series: The Selfies, Sexplay and Sexual Communication. This post we're talking about Sexual Communication. Whether it's with a casual partner, one with relationship potential, or long time partner helping our clients learn how to establish sexual communication in their relationship is an important part of addressing sexuality and intimacy.

As promised, I'm continuing my three part series of important topics to cover when addressing sexuality and intimacy, which brings us to Sexplay. As a part of Sexplay, I'm going to talk about dirty talk, pleasure, and sensate focus. All of these can be helpful for our clients (and let's be real - US!) to understand as potential activity demands. Below are some strategies and exercises you can share with your clients!

When it comes to helping clients with sexuality and intimacy there are several topics I find important and helpful to address: the selfies, sexplay and sexual communication. Being able to acknowledge and validate their wants and needs to their partner can be uncomfortable for our clients, especially if it's a foreign practice.

Cue, The Selfies.

Like many client populations, service members can struggle with sexuality and intimacy secondary to physical, emotional, and/or mental injury/illness. Trauma such as amputation, spinal cord injury, and PTSD (to name a few) can lead to trouble with self-esteem, genitourinary dysfunction, pain, loss of desire, testosterone deficiency, body image challenges, and more.