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Photo credited to Disabled and Here.

Kathryn collaborated with Dr. Jess Gagui again for this week's blog as a follow up to their last blog focused on the historical context of hypersexualization and fetishization of BIPOC women and femmes.  Be sure to give that a read if you haven't already.  This week focuses on intervention strategies you can use when working with folks who voice experiences of hypersexualization, fetishization, asexualization, and body criticism for not fitting the standard of beauty: for example, white, thin, able bodied.  While last week's blog centered BIPOC women and femmes, we think you’ll find these intervention strategies helpful for many other populations you work with. 

Clients’ experiences related to identity and culture aren’t off limits to clinicians:

Clinicians can, rightfully so, feel cautions to challenge what clients admit as cultural messages.  For example, "I grew up in a Catholic home and still view sex as 'dirty' and 'sinful,' and I’m havin...

Before you read on, here's a self-assessment to stoke self reflection.  

Take a look at Victoria's Secret's website and Rihanna’s SavagexFenty website.  Ask yourself: “if my sex and intimacy occupational therapy practice was either Victoria’s Secret or SavagexFenty, which one would it be?”

Here are some questions: 

1. If you have patient handouts, who is visually represented in them?
2. What clients do you address sex and intimacy with and which ones do you hesitate to address it with?
3. Do you ask your clients what kind of sex they have or what it typically looks like?  
4. Are you comfortable celebrating the expansive forms of sexuality and ways sexual activity can be engaged in?  Does this acceptance translate when you’re working with your clients?

Last week, I wanted to buy a few new pieces of lingerie. Like an old habit, I typed Victoria’s Secret into my google search bar and went to the website…I didn’t last 7 seconds.  

I quickly visually scanned the pictures and saw the bodies...

If you have a brain, you have a bias. Confronting our own biases is uncomfortable, but it is our ethical responsibility as occupational therapy professionals.  Considering how paramount reconciling our biases are to enhancing the therapeutic relationship and treatment efficacy, and reducing patient harm and health disparities...

Many of us weren't taught this in school.  

Welp, add it to the list of uncomfortable yet essential topics that were and are omitted from OT curriculum !  And it's a double whammy omission-effect when we combine this with sexuality. 

So what does this mean for OT professionals? 

We need to do the work to acknowledge our bias and make sure to include sexuality when doing so.  This is exactly my motivation behind my favorite CEU offering, "Guided Self-Reflection of Sexuality Values, Beliefs, Attitudes, and Biases" (see below section for more info).  We're all sexual beings with our own experiences and beliefs around sexuality that unless explicitly self-analy...