Abstract
Counselling and psychotherapy are core interventions in sexual medicine and clinical sexology. Knowledge and competence, as a result of good training and professional expertise, lead to greater flexibility in adopting a patient-centered approach. Specific skills in this field are particularly important when the client is suffering from a mental disorder. Even today, the prevalence of sexual dysfunction is underestimated by psychiatrists, and spontaneous complaints of patients are uncommon. Still, there are barriers for the assessment of sexual function, as both the patient and physician may be reluctant to initiate a conversation about sexuality. This chapter will describe the main models and algorithms in providing sexual health services, following the current guidelines of scientific societies. The aim of this section is also to give practical hints for clinicians. Readers will find suggestions on how to manage assessment and treatment of sexual dysfunction, with particular attention to the clinical approach with the psychiatric population. The role of the care in the therapeutic relationship is addressed, as well as the importance to remain focused on meeting the sexual needs of the patients.
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Tripodi, F. (2021). Counselling and Psychotherapy in Sexual Medicine. In: Lew-Starowicz, M., Giraldi, A., Krüger, T. (eds) Psychiatry and Sexual Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52298-8_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52298-8_12
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