I have engaged in professional development on sex positive practice.
Sex positivity, to me, means…
…providing clients from diverse sexual backgrounds (e.g., people with varied sexual histories, interests, and relationship values and structures; people in the sexual professions) with a safe therapeutic space, where clients can feel comfortable sharing their backgrounds (whether their backgrounds are related to their therapy goals or not).
…understanding that society often perceives sexual matters in unhelpful ways, and committing to reducing the harmful impacts of this on client wellbeing.
…recognising that sex and sexuality overlap with many other experiences clients may wish to talk about (e.g., childhood memories, psychological wellbeing, social relationships, culture).
…recognising that “non-sexual” problems (e.g., depression, anxiety) can have sexual layers, and creating a safe therapeutic space where clients can feel comfortable exploring the totality of their experience (non-sexual and sexual).
…empowering clients to engage in safe, respectful, and satisfying sexual experiences and relationships with age-appropriate and consenting partners.
…protecting the community from sexual aggression (e.g., by providing support to people at risk of committing sexual offending) and helping the community recover from sexual aggression (e.g., by providing support to people who have been subjected to sexual offending).