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?”

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.

Working with clients on their sexual routines is one of my top 5 ways I fall in love with OT again and again - every time. It reminds me how perfectly situated Occupational Therapy Professionals are to discuss sexuality in our clinical practice. We understand the impact of routines and specifically how occupations are sequenced together to facilitate participation, satisfaction, quality of life, and in some cases a great roll in the hay!

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.