Individual sex therapy offers room to explore your relationship with desire, pleasure, your body, and intimacy. I offer sex-positive counseling in Santa Barbara and online throughout California. You do not need to be partnered, have a particular level of desire, or know exactly what you want to change before beginning.
Space for your own experience
You may feel anxious about intimacy, disconnected from your desires, or unsure how to talk about what you want. You may carry expectations about how your body should look or how sexuality should feel. In individual sessions, we can explore these concerns without asking you to meet someone else’s standard.
The focus is your experience: what feels difficult, what matters to you, and what choices you want to make with greater confidence.
What we can explore
Sexual shame, guilt, or anxiety.
Changes in desire and your relationship with pleasure.
Body image and comfort with intimacy.
Identity, orientation, and the meaning of attraction.
Boundaries, consent, and expressing preferences.
The influence of past experiences on present relationships.
Understanding desire without pressure
Desire can change across your life. We can consider what you notice about stress, expectations, relationships, and the circumstances in which closeness feels welcome. There is no requirement to become more sexual or to pursue a particular kind of relationship.
We can also distinguish what you want from what you feel expected to want. Your values and freely chosen boundaries guide the conversation.
Making room beyond shame
Messages from family, religion, peers, or culture can shape how you understand sexuality. Therapy offers a place to examine those messages and decide which beliefs fit the life you want now.
We can approach difficult or unwanted experiences at your pace. You do not need to recount details before you are ready. We can begin with what helps you feel grounded and what you need in the present.
How I work
My approach is humanistic and person-centered. I bring careful listening, thoughtful questions, and clinical experience to help you understand the feelings and patterns connected with intimacy.
When helpful, we may include mindfulness, grounding, and attention to bodily sensations. You can decline an exercise or change direction. We will keep checking what feels useful and adjust the work together.
Affirming care and related options
I welcome LGBTQIA+ clients, consensually nonmonogamous relationships, and kink and BDSM communities. We can explore your life with respect for how you understand yourself.
If identity, belonging, or experiences of stigma are central to your concerns, you can also read about LGBTQIA+-affirming sex therapy. If you want to work with a partner on desire differences or the conversations between you, see sex therapy for couples.
Beginning individual sex therapy
You are welcome to ask questions about my approach and explore whether working together feels like a good fit. We can start with what brings you here, even if it feels hard to put into words.
Jamie Fortin, LMFT · California LMFT #136703. In-person therapy in Santa Barbara and online sessions throughout California.
More about individual therapy · What to expect, rates, and payment · Contact Jamie