A private space to explore questions, concerns, and goals related to sexuality and intimacy, at a pace you set. Registered Psychologists and Registered Provisional Psychologists regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). In-person sessions in Edmonton and St. Albert. Virtual sessions available across Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Sex Therapy Is Right for You

You may not be sure whether what is happening in your sex life is a real problem or just how things are now. Maybe you have told yourself it will sort itself out. Maybe it feels too awkward to say out loud to a stranger. You might also be wondering whether the issue is physical, emotional, or about the relationship, and whether a therapist is even the right person to ask.

Often it shows up in small, everyday ways. You might go to bed at a different time so the question of sex does not come up. You might feel a knot of worry before intimacy instead of interest. Or the same conversation with a partner keeps ending in silence or hurt feelings.

These reactions make sense. Sexuality and intimacy are shaped by stress, health, relationships, life changes, upbringing, and past experiences. A change in this part of life does not mean something is broken in you or in your relationship.

If you are trying to decide whether talking with someone could help, the sections below describe what sex therapy involves, what it does not involve, and what to expect. If you are reading this for a partner or someone close to you, it may help you understand what they would be stepping into.

Who We Help

Sex therapy may be a good fit if you:

• have questions or concerns about desire, arousal, orgasm, ejaculation, or pain during sex
• notice that differences in desire, interests, or expectations are creating distance with a partner
• find it hard to talk about sex, consent, boundaries, or preferences, even with someone you trust
• are adjusting to intimacy after a life change such as pregnancy, the postpartum period, illness, a new medication, or getting older (see also intimacy during pregnancy)
• want to understand how stress, body image, past experiences, culture, faith, or values are affecting your sex life
• have questions about sexuality, orientation, gender, sexual expression, or relationship structure and want a non-judgmental place to think them through (see also 2SLGBTQ+ affirming therapy)
• are partners who want to work on intimacy together, depending on the clinician's scope (see also couples counselling)
• are gathering information for a partner and want to know what sessions involve

Sex therapy may not be the right starting point if:

• You are in immediate danger or crisis. Please use the crisis resources below.
• Sex in your relationship feels pressured, forced, or unsafe. Working on intimacy together with that partner may not be safe or appropriate. Individual support may be a better place to start, such as family violence counselling or sexual abuse and assault support.
• You need diagnosis, medical treatment, or medication advice for a physical symptom. A physician or another appropriate regulated health professional is the right place for that. Counselling can run alongside medical care.
• You need a report or opinion for a court, insurer, employer, or other legal process. Forensic and legal needs are outside this counselling service. Psychological assessments, including the sexual functioning assessment, are a separate service.
• You are seeking help with sexual behaviour that has harmed someone or is part of a legal process. The admin team can talk with you about whether another service or an outside referral fits better.
• Your concern is about a child or teen. This page focuses on adults. For worries about a young person, the clinic's child and youth counselling and harmful sexual behaviour in children pages are separate starting points.

If You Need Help Right Now

If you are not safe, or you are thinking about harming yourself or someone else, a therapy appointment is not the fastest way to get help. Please contact one of these services:

• 911 for immediate danger or a medical emergency
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free)
• 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 (24/7)

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What Sex Therapy Is (and What It Is Not)

Sex therapy is talk-based counselling focused on sexuality, intimacy, and sexual well-being. It offers a private space to explore concerns, questions, and goals in this part of your life. Sessions are conversations. There is no physical examination and no physical contact.

Concerns people bring can involve desire, arousal, orgasm, ejaculation, or pain (World Health Organization [WHO], 2026). They can also involve communication, relationships, identity, values, and life changes. Canadian public health guidance encourages a person-centred, non-judgmental approach to conversations about sexual health (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], n.d.). Talking about a concern in therapy is not the same as receiving a diagnosis.

Depending on your goals and the clinician's scope, sessions may involve one person or partners. You set the pace. You decide what to talk about and when, and you can decline any question.

Sex therapy is not:

• medical care, medical diagnosis, or medication advice
• crisis or emergency support
• a legal service, an investigation, or a way to produce reports for court
• a psychological assessment, which is a separate service with its own process and fees

Your therapist will explain confidentiality and its limits at the start, and there is more detail further down this page. Each clinician works within their own training and professional scope. If a concern falls outside that scope, they may suggest another clinician or encourage you to consult an appropriate regulated health professional.

Signs Sexual or Intimacy Concerns May Be Affecting You

There is no checklist that decides whether you "qualify" for sex therapy, and the list below is not a way to diagnose yourself. These are patterns people describe in their own words:

• Desire that feels very different from before, or very different from a partner's
• Dreading or avoiding intimacy, sometimes without knowing exactly why
• Pain, tightness, or discomfort during sex that makes you brace for it
• Worry about arousal, erections, orgasm, or timing that crowds out enjoyment
• Watching and judging yourself during sex instead of feeling present
• Conversations about sex that end in arguments, guilt, or silence
• Lingering shame or confusion from messages you absorbed growing up
• Feeling unsettled by questions about orientation, gender, interests, or what you want from a relationship
• Intimacy that changed after pregnancy, illness, surgery, a new medication, or getting older

These patterns are common human responses to stress, health changes, relationships, and life experience. Having one or several of them does not mean something is permanently wrong with you. Some, such as pain or changes after starting a medication, are also worth raising with a physician. Structured, collaborative support can give you room to understand what is going on and decide what you would like to change.

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. Use the Match with a Therapist tool or browse our therapists' profiles. Not every clinician works with sexual-health concerns, so you can also call the admin team at 780-904-4880 to ask who is currently seeing clients for sex therapy.
• Book your first session. You can book through the online booking system. Early in the first session, your therapist will go over consent and confidentiality and ask what you hope to address. You do not need to share more than you are ready to.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist agree on goals and an approach that fits your values, your relationships, and your comfort level. If partners attend, the therapist explains how joint sessions will work.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes, usually weekly or every two weeks. The schedule can change as your needs change.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist reviews how things are going with you regularly and adjusts the plan when something is not working.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Therapy here is collaborative, and your feedback shapes what happens at every stage. For more on the process, see Getting Started with Therapy.

Evidence and Approaches

The research reviewed for this page is limited. It supports a respectful, person-centred way of talking about sexual health, and it confirms that sexual-health concerns are recognized in international health classification. It does not include treatment studies that would let us describe how well specific sex therapy techniques work, so this section makes no outcome claims. Your therapist can explain the approaches they use and why.

Person-Centred Sexual Health Counselling

What it helps with: Talking about sexual concerns in the context of your relationships, identity, values, health, and stage of life.

Evidence summary: Canadian public health guidance describes a person-centred approach to sexual health (PHAC, n.d.). This framing supports inclusive, non-judgmental conversations where your experience and goals guide the discussion, rather than assumptions about what is "normal."

Limitations: This is public health guidance, not a treatment study, and it does not measure therapy outcomes. The version reviewed for this page was incomplete.

Coordinated Care When Physical Health May Be Involved

What it helps with: Concerns where physical health, medication, or other medical factors may be part of the picture.

Evidence summary: The ICD-11 classification includes a chapter on conditions related to sexual health, with categories for sexual dysfunctions and sexual pain (WHO, 2026). Because some concerns have physical or medication-related parts, a therapist may encourage you to consult an appropriate regulated health professional alongside counselling.

Limitations: A classification system defines terms; it does not show whether any therapy works. Counselling does not replace medical assessment or medication advice.

Virtual Sex Therapy

What it helps with: Access for people who would rather talk from home or who live outside Edmonton and St. Albert.

Evidence summary: Online interventions for sexual difficulties were examined in a 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis (Ghannam Ferreira et al., 2026). This shows that online formats are an active area of sexual-health research.

Limitations: The review's findings were not available for this page, and "online interventions" in research may differ from live video sessions with a therapist. We cannot say whether virtual sessions work as well as in-person sessions for any specific concern.

What Results to Expect

Progress in therapy is rarely a straight line. Some weeks may feel like movement, and others may feel stuck. That is a normal part of the process, not a sign that it is failing.

Some people notice shifts within a few months. Others find that longer-term work suits them better, especially when several things are connected, such as health, stress, and relationship patterns. Outcomes vary, and no therapy can guarantee a particular result.

Things that can influence how therapy goes include:

• the nature of the concern and how long it has been present
• physical health, medications, and whether medical input is also needed
• current circumstances, including stress, safety, and relationship dynamics
• whether one person or partners are taking part
• the fit between you and your therapist

Fit matters. If the therapist or the approach does not feel right, you can say so. Changing therapist or approach is always an option.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in therapy is kept confidential, within limits set by law and professional standards. Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and follow its Standards of Practice. They are also guided by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists.

Two Alberta privacy laws are relevant. The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally governs how private clinics collect, use, and protect personal information. The Health Information Act (HIA) applies to health custodians such as Alberta Health Services and physicians, so it covers health information held by, for example, a family doctor you may also be seeing.

Confidentiality has a few legal exceptions. A therapist may need to share information without your consent when:

• there is a serious and imminent risk of harm to you or to someone else
• a child may be experiencing abuse or neglect, which must be reported under Alberta law (the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act)
• a court order or another legal requirement compels disclosure

Your therapist will explain these limits clearly in your first session. If partners attend together, they will also explain how information shared in individual conversations is handled. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy before you share anything personal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to describe intimate details or past experiences in detail?

No. You decide what to share and when. You can start with what is happening now, such as how intimacy feels, what has changed, or what you would like to be different, without giving explicit or detailed accounts. Your therapist may ask questions to understand the situation, and you can always say you are not ready to answer.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, within legal limits. Your sessions are confidential, and Alberta privacy law, including PIPA and the HIA where it applies, governs how personal and health information is handled. The exceptions involve a serious risk of harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, and court orders. The confidentiality section above has the details, and your therapist will go over them in your first session.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set number. Some people want a few focused sessions to understand a concern and plan next steps. Others prefer longer-term work. Your therapist will review progress with you regularly, and you can change how often you meet or pause when it makes sense.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is reasonable to want a therapist you feel comfortable talking with about sex. If something does not feel right, you can tell your therapist or contact the admin team at 780-904-4880, and they can help you find a different clinician. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I access sex therapy online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available across Alberta, although availability varies by clinician. The same confidentiality standards apply to virtual and in-person sessions. Choosing a spot where you will not be overheard can make it easier to talk openly. You can read more about online counselling.

Does my partner have to come with me?

No. You can attend on your own, even when the concern involves a relationship. Depending on your goals and the clinician's scope, partners may also attend together. If you are unsure which makes more sense, the admin team or your therapist can talk it through with you.

What if part of the problem might be physical?

That is a reasonable thing to wonder. Some sexual-health concerns have physical, medication-related, or other health-related parts. A therapist can help with the emotional and relational side and may encourage you to see a physician or another appropriate regulated health professional as well. Therapy is not a substitute for medical assessment.

Will anything physical happen in a session?

No. Sex therapy is talk-based. There is no physical examination, no physical contact, and no undressing. A session looks like any other counselling appointment: a conversation in an office or over video.

Meet Your Clinicians

The team at Wholesome Psychology includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. All psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist.

Training and experience with sexuality and intimacy vary from clinician to clinician. Individual profiles on the Our Therapists page describe each person's areas of practice, and the Match with a Therapist tool can help narrow your options. The admin team at 780-904-4880 can tell you who is currently seeing clients for sex therapy.

If You Would Like to Talk With Someone

If you would like to learn more, you can take the next step in whichever way feels easiest:

• Book a session online
• Match with a therapist
• Call 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy

You do not need to have the right words ready. Starting the conversation is enough.

New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

References

• Ghannam Ferreira, B., et al. (2026). Online interventions for the treatment of sexual dysfunctions: Systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). A person-centered approach to sexual health. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/person-centered-approach-sexual-health.html
• World Health Organization. (2026). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics.