Sexual Assessment and History Interview

Abstract

The necessity of doing an in-depth history on clients entering sex therapy is still open to debate. Some clinicians such as Dr. William H. Masters and Virginia Johnson advocate extensive interviews lasting a total of around seven hours, while others do no history-taking beyond the initial evaluation interview. It is probably safe to say, however, that most clinicians spend some time reviewing the past history of their clients.

History-taking can serve many functions. Perhaps the three most important are: (1) to get a frame of reference for understanding the etiology and maintenance of the sexual difficulties of the particular individuals; (2) to afford the opportunity to build rapport with the clients; and (3) to provide a basis on which to begin formulating treatment interventions.