Understanding Clients with Alternative Expressions of Sexuality Using Music

Abstract

It can be a large undertaking for a therapist to begin treating issues in our clients that relate directly to sex because, as Americans, we live in a society that is uncomfortable with the topic of sex. Think about the way that our social mores and legal ordinances treat nudity and sexual expression (outside of traditional gender roles); consider the “acceptable” portrayals of sex and nudity in film (especially as compared to portrayals of violence); recall recent and ongoing political debates about sex education, contraception, and abstinence. As a culture and as individuals, we are generally not comfortable with sexuality. Our mainstream media uses sex to sell and to feed jokes in sitcoms—but it is a very different thing to sit down and have a frank conversation about how a person expresses his or her sexuality, acknowledging nudity, body fluids, physical pleasure, vulnerability, and everything else that sexuality implies.