Sex Therapy — Victoria, BC

Sex therapy is not
what most people picture.

It's a clinical conversation — evidence-based, psychologically grounded, and often one of the most productive conversations people have had about something that affects a significant part of how they experience themselves and their relationships.

I offer sex therapy in Victoria, BC and virtually across British Columbia and Alberta. I work with individuals and couples navigating a broad range of sexual health concerns — from low desire and arousal difficulties to sexual anxiety, dysfunction, identity questions, and the impact of physical health on sexual wellbeing.

Get in Touch

Sex affects a huge part of how people experience themselves and their relationships. Most people wait far too long to address it.

— Tami-Lee Duncan, RPsych

What Sex Therapy Actually Is

A clinical conversation.
Nothing more. Nothing less.

Sex therapy is talk therapy. There is no physical component, no homework involving other people, and nothing that should feel exploitative or inappropriate. It's a structured psychological process that addresses the thoughts, feelings, relationship dynamics, and physiological patterns that affect sexual functioning and satisfaction.

What makes it distinct from general therapy is the specificity of the training and the willingness to go directly into territory that most clinicians avoid. A lot of people have seen therapists for years without ever having a frank conversation about their sexual concerns — not because the topic never came up, but because their therapist didn't know what to do with it.

I do. I've been working in this area for 15 years and I've taught these topics to medical students, physicians, and allied health professionals across Canada. Sexual health is not a sideline — it's the centre of my clinical work. For concerns rooted in trauma, I also offer EMDR and trauma therapy as part of an integrated approach.

Why Specialist Care Matters

01

Most clinicians aren't trained in this

Sexual health receives minimal coverage in most graduate psychology programs. A general therapist may be warm and skilled — and still not have the clinical vocabulary, diagnostic knowledge, or treatment frameworks to actually help. Fifteen years of focused practice in this area is different from a generalist who occasionally sees these concerns.

02

The body and the mind aren't separate

Sexual health concerns almost always involve both. Pelvic pain has psychological components. Low desire has physiological ones. Anxiety around sex lives in the nervous system, not just in thought patterns. I work across all of these dimensions because treating one in isolation rarely produces lasting change.

03

You deserve to be taken seriously

A lot of people arrive having already been dismissed — told their pain isn't real, their concerns are normal, or that there's nothing to be done. That experience of not being believed is its own kind of harm. I take these concerns seriously because I know how common, how disruptive, and how treatable they are with the right support.

How I Work

Evidence-based approaches —
matched to the person and the problem.

I draw on a range of methods depending on what's driving the concern. Most sexual health issues have neurological underpinnings, so the most effective treatment works at the level of how the brain and nervous system have been shaped by experience — not just at the level of conscious thought.

CBT & ACT Targets the thought patterns and anxiety cycles that interfere with arousal, desire, and sexual confidence.
Emotionally Focused Therapy Addresses the attachment dynamics underlying desire discrepancy, emotional distance, and sexual disconnection in couples. Often used alongside couples therapy when relationship dynamics are part of the picture.
Sensate Focus A structured, graduated approach to rebuilding physical intimacy — removing performance pressure and redirecting attention from outcome to sensation.
EMDR & ART For sexual concerns rooted in trauma — works at the neurological level without requiring detailed recounting of difficult experiences. Learn more about EMDR and trauma therapy.
Somatic Approaches Brings awareness to physical sensation and nervous system states — useful where sexual concerns involve pelvic pain, shutdown, or dissociation.
Mindfulness-Based Approaches Interrupts the self-monitoring and cognitive interference that most commonly undermines arousal and sexual satisfaction.

Areas of Focus

Wondering whether your concern
is something I work with?

I work with a broad range of sexual health concerns — low desire and arousal difficulties, sexual anxiety, erectile concerns, orgasm difficulties, sexual pain, compulsive sexual behaviour, identity questions, and the impact of illness, hormonal changes, and medication on sexual wellbeing.

The Sexual Health page has a detailed breakdown of each area, including what's actually happening clinically and how I approach it.

See All Areas of Focus →
Low Desire & Arousal Sexual Anxiety Erectile Concerns Orgasm Difficulties Sexual & Pelvic Pain Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Identity & Orientation Sex & Medical Conditions Hormonal Changes Medication Side Effects Sex After Illness or Injury Intimacy After Relationship Rupture

Why It Matters

Sexual health is health.
It doesn't belong in a separate category.

Sexual wellbeing is consistently one of the strongest predictors of relationship satisfaction, self-esteem, and overall quality of life — and yet it remains one of the most systematically underserved areas in mental health care. Most therapy training programs spend fewer than three hours on sexual health. Most GPs receive no training in it at all.

The result is that people carry sexual concerns silently for years — often decades — and either normalize them or conclude that nothing can be done. Neither of those things is usually true. Most sexual concerns respond well to treatment. Many resolve relatively quickly with the right approach. Almost all of them improve meaningfully when they're actually addressed. For couples navigating these concerns together, couples therapy can be a valuable part of the process.

43% of women report sexual concerns affecting quality of life
31% of men experience sexual dysfunction at some point
Most sexual concerns are treatable — and never discussed with a clinician

What to Expect

Direct, informed, and
easy to talk to.

The first thing most people notice is that I'm not awkward about this. I've been having these conversations clinically for 15 years and I've learned how to make a topic that feels impossibly private feel manageable to talk about. You don't have to arrive with language, a clear narrative, or certainty about what the problem is.

Sessions are 50 minutes. I work with individuals and couples, in person in Victoria, BC and Edmonton, AB, and virtually for clients across British Columbia and Alberta. I also work collaboratively with pelvic floor physiotherapists, physicians, and other specialists where that's part of the picture. Where fertility or perinatal mental health concerns are present alongside sexual health concerns, I address both.

Getting Started

Sex therapy in Victoria, BC.
Accepting new clients.

If you're looking for a sex therapist in Victoria or virtually across BC or Alberta, get in touch. You don't need to know exactly what you're dealing with or have the right words for it. A first conversation is enough to figure out whether this is the right fit.

Book a First Session Read the FAQ