Ways to improve communication

People experiencing sexual difficulties often have a breakdown in communication with one another. For healthy sexual relationships or encounters, we need to feel able to articulate our sexual needs, desires, interests, and dislikes but this can be difficult for some people. Not all people feel comfortable discussing the topic of sex. Some may have grown up in families where sex was never discussed or had friendships where they did not talk about sex. For many of us, sex education at school focused on how to prevent pregnancy and avoid sexually transmitted infections with little discussion on how to please our partners, ourselves or feel comfortable with the topic of sex.

When people experience sexual difficulties they may feel embarrassed and reluctant to talk about how they are feeling. They may withdraw emotionally and physically or develop unhelpful negative communication styles. A sex therapist can explore with people what factors may be impacting on their ability to communicate by discussing ways to communicate that are clear and respectful and help you achieve happier sex lives and relationships.