1st Edition

Women and Sex Therapy Closing the Circle of Sexual Knowledge

By Ellen Cole, Esther D Rothblum Copyright 1989
    312 Pages
    by Routledge

    312 Pages
    by Routledge

    Outstanding feminist scholars present seldom discussed women’s views of sexuality. In the past, there has been little feminist discussion among sexuality professionals and between feminist therapists and sex therapists. The valuable ideas expressed by the contributors to this book are aimed at increasing the possibilities for all therapists and counselors to discuss with their clients the nature of sexuality, and in particular, what women feel about sex. Professionals provide remarkable perspectives on issues that concern all women--orgasm, the double standard, new reproductive options, intimacy, bisexuality, and more.

    Contents Preface
    • Introduction
    • Section I: Historical and Political Perspectives
    • A Feminist Critique of the Sexual Dysfunction Nomenclature
    • Propping Up the Phallocracy: A Feminist Critique of Sex Therapy and Research
    • Women and Sexual Ecstasy: How Can Therapists Help?
    • Section II: Theoretical Considerations
    • Sexual Socialization for Therapists: Applications for the Counseling/Psychotherapy of Women
    • The Theory of Sexual Relativity: Female Reality/Male Myth
    • Reporting Colleagues Who Are Sexually Intimate With Clients: It’s Time to Talk
    • “Nice Women” Don’t Say Yes and “Real Men” Don’t Say No: How Miscommunication and the Double Standard Can Cause Sexual Problems
    • Section III: Physiological Conditions and Issues
    • Sexual Difficulties Experienced By Women With Interstitial Cystitis
    • Disorders of Desire: Women, Sex, and Food
    • Intimacy and the New Reproductive Options
    • When Abortion Is a Blessing
    • Sex at Menopause: Each in Her Own Way
    • Teaching Safe Sex to Women in the Age of AIDS
    • When the Diagnosis is Vaginismus: Fighting the Misconceptions
    • Section IV: Clinical Implications for Particular Populations
    • Issues in Sex Therapy With Ethnic and Racial Minority Women
    • Lesbian Sexuality in the Framework of Psychotherapy: A Practical Model for the Lesbian Therapist
    • Research on the Sex Practices of 1566 Lesbians and the Clinical Applications
    • Bisexuality in Women: Myths, Realities, and Implications for Therapy
    • Issues in Sex Therapy With Survivors of Intrafamily Sexual Abuse
    • Divorced Women’s Sexual and Contraceptive Issues
    • Women, Sexuality, and Disabilities
    • Epilogue: Tensions, Dilemmas, and Possibilities for Understanding Women’s Sexuality

    Biography

    Ellen Cole