I remember as a teenager that on Sunday nights I would sneak off into my room with my Walkman (Hey, I’m an eighties girl, what can I say?) so I could listen to pioneering sex educator, Ruth Westheimer. I was as fascinated by the topic of sex, as I was aware that I should not be the kind of girl who was fascinated by the topic of sex. During graduate school, I received little to no training in how to talk with individuals and couples about sex. Instead, I was simply told that once I helped my couple fight less and communicate more effectively, their sexual connection would be restored. This message from our field reinforced my sense that nobody, not even therapists, should be talking about sex. When we cannot talk about sex—in our clinical offices, in our classrooms, with our partners, with our children—shame inevitably fills the void left by our silence.
Answers & Comments
Answer:
I remember as a teenager that on Sunday nights I would sneak off into my room with my Walkman (Hey, I’m an eighties girl, what can I say?) so I could listen to pioneering sex educator, Ruth Westheimer. I was as fascinated by the topic of sex, as I was aware that I should not be the kind of girl who was fascinated by the topic of sex. During graduate school, I received little to no training in how to talk with individuals and couples about sex. Instead, I was simply told that once I helped my couple fight less and communicate more effectively, their sexual connection would be restored. This message from our field reinforced my sense that nobody, not even therapists, should be talking about sex. When we cannot talk about sex—in our clinical offices, in our classrooms, with our partners, with our children—shame inevitably fills the void left by our silence.
Explanation: