Sex, Social Justice, and Intimacy in Mental Health Practice

This book aims to equip mental health professionals to integrate discussions of sexual identity, health, wellness, and intimacy into the scope of their client's mental health, ensuring they are well-prepared to incorporate sexual functioning into core assessment, interventions, and treatment.

Erin Martinez-Gilliard is a certified sex therapist, clinical social worker and lecturer at the University of Michigan, School of Social Work. She is dedicated to increasing access to sex therapy and trauma-informed treatment in mental health services.

1. The Social Injustice of Specialization 2. Make Room for Yourself 3. Introducing the Topic with Teenagers and Families: Boundaries and Ethical Considerations 4. What Could Go Wrong? 5. Collaborative Assessment Strategies 6. Trauma and Sexual Difficulties 7. Diagnosis and Sexual Difficulties 8. Guiding Clients to Good Enough Intimacy: Medical Difficulties/Diagnosis, Disabilities and Sexuality 9. Stigma, Societal Messages and Sexual Difficulty 10. Helping Create a New Normal: Addiction, Substance Use and Sex 11. Biopsychosocial Treatment Approaches 12. Honoring the Diversity of Sexual Expression 13. Aging and Sexual Transition 14. Networking, Resources, Referrals, and Coordination of Care 15. The Road Forward