Couples Counseling and Sexual Dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction rarely lives in one person — it lives in the space between two people, shaped by the attachment patterns, communication styles, cultural scripts, and relational dynamics that define the couple's relationship. This 2-hour continuing education course prepares mental health professionals to assess and treat sexual dysfunction through a relational and systemic lens: the major models of sexual response and dysfunction, conducting individual and dyadic sexual health assessments, understanding how partners co-create and maintain sexual problems, evidence-based couples interventions for the most common sexual dysfunctions, and the clinical decision-making process for referral to specialized sex therapy or medical care. Integrates Gottman-informed relational research, attachment theory, and contemporary sex therapy frameworks in a clinically practical synthesis.
2
CE Hours
4
Modules
16
Quiz Questions
1
Est. Minutes
What you'll learn
- Describe the relational and systemic dimensions of sexual dysfunction and explain how partners co-create and maintain sexual problems.
- Conduct a structured assessment of couples presenting with sexual concerns that distinguishes individual, dyadic, and contextual factors.
- Select and apply evidence-informed couples intervention strategies drawn from systemic sex therapy, the Gottman Method, and Emotionally Focused Therapy.
- Identify indications for referral to specialized sex therapy, medical evaluation, or trauma-focused treatment.
- Recognize common clinical pitfalls in couples-based treatment of sexual problems and apply ethical, scope-of-practice safeguards.
Approval & credit
CounselorReady is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP #7760). This course awards 2 NBCC-approved CE hours; a certificate is issued on completion. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CounselorReady is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.