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Bottom line up front: While this report is sobering and presents many gaps, we'd like to highlight this Community of Sex & Intimacy OT Champions who are actively addressing sexual health with their clients.  You are trailblazers and change makers and your clients are lucky to be working with you.  

Click here to read the report. 

Read on to learn more…  

After the June 2022 Supreme Court decision “Dobb’s v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization” Alyson Stover, AOTA President, and Micheal Urban, the RA Speaker, requested a Post-Dobbs Task Force to identify the impact of the ruling on OT clients and OT practitioners.  The task force, chaired by Emily Rothman and Rakhi Srivastava, identified areas within OTs scope of practice that are directly impacted by the Dobbs decision and generated a plan to address these areas and maximize OTs impact on those affected by the decision.  

OT practitioners' role in reproductive health promotion and sexual health is squarely and explicitly listed....

As Sexuality and Intimacy Trailblazers, we know that sexuality and intimacy are important parts of our lives, bringing us joy and enhancing our overall well-being. However, when someone experiences a spinal cord injury (SCI), these aspects can be profoundly affected. Today, we'll discuss when to address these topics, the impacts of SCI on sexual health, specific complications that can arise, and the role of occupational therapy in supporting individuals on this journey.

When to Address Sex and Intimacy:

So, the big question is: when should we start talking about sex and intimacy with SCI patients? 

The answer? at every point in their occupational therapy (OT) engagement! 

It's not about when exactly, but more about what to focus on depending on where the individual is in their injury timeline. In the inpatient setting, when people have recently experienced acute trauma, they may benefit from SCI sexuality education. On the other hand, those receiving outpatient care have more exper...

When I first started addressing sexuality with clients and making recommendations for sex toys I went through the steps of printing out a screen shot of a vibrator on a work computer, folding it in half, and slyly giving it to my client in front of their families.  

But now, thanks to the folks at Direct-Rec App, OT clinicians can share sexual wellness products directly and privately with their clients.  Dang… where was this 10 years ago!?   

Ok, so what is Direct-Rec? 

Direct-Rec is a new app that can help clinicians share equipment and product recommendations quickly and securely with patients. The folks at Direct-Rec teamed up with the OT educators at the OT After Dark Podcast to create a category of sexual wellness products with information on how the products can be helpful to specific patients based on their specific challenges, sexual goals, or interests.  This might be a vibrator with an extended reach, slings and supports to aid in positioning when limbs cannot support, an...

What’s an OT to do when Valentine’s Day is approaching, the clinic is covered in hearts and cupids, you're wearing red or pink on every portion of your body, yet your client shows up and says, “I’m dreading Valentine’s Day.”

You dig a little deeper.  

They say, “I’m dreading Valentine’s Day, because I know my partner will want to have sex with me and I have no desire for it.”

Ok, ok, ok, before you freeze up eyes wide open, here’s what you talk about:

Validate them: The hardest part about low desire when “sex is the last thing on your mind” is when it’s met with your partner’s higher desire – among all the things you’re juggling this can feel like a recipe for inadequacy, insecurity, resentment, guilt.

Knowledge is pleasure!  When your clients can understand the changes that happen in their body and how this impacts sexual health, they can also enlighten your partner better about what their experiencing.  

Next, know you can say no.  Reinforce to your client this exact message, h...

One question I often get asked is, how should I address sexuality and intimacy with teens and young adults? And I get it... it sounds like it can be an uncomfortable conversation to have! But, I'm here to tell you it doesn't need to feel that scary. There are a handful of topics that fall within our scope of practice and relate to sexuality and intimacy.  

If you haven't already heard of the podcast OT After Dark, it's another great resource for learning more about this niche world of sex, intimacy and OT. Episode 19, Accessible Sex Education: Addressing the Sexual Needs of Individuals with IDD (Intellectual and Developmental Disability) is a great listen and is available on Spotify and apple podcast!

In this episode Dr. Elizabeth Schmidt, PhD, shares her dissertation research and current recommendations on how to address sexuality and intimacy with teens, young adults and more specifically individuals with IDD. 

Individuals with IDD have greater rates of sexual abuse and assault...