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Four Interventions to Address Hypersexualization, Asexualization, & Fetishization

culture diversity equality feminist perspective inclusive occupational therapy occupationaltherapy positiveaffirmations self-advocacy self-care self-love self-reflection self-talk self-validation sensory features sexual dialogues sexualidentity sexuality Nov 01, 2023

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...

Helping Parents of Teens with Autism Talk about Dating and Sex: 5 Tips for Occupational Therapists

accessible sex education developmental disability inclusive occupational therapy occupationaltherapy sensory features sexual dialogues sexuality teens young adults Mar 17, 2023

The topic of dating and romance can be quite difficult to initiate with parents of adolescent clients, especially those with autism. However, as an occupational therapist (OT), you can help parents create a safe, calm, and judgment-free space for their teens to freely express their desires.

Here are five tips to help you initiate a healthy conversation about dating and sex with parents of teens with autism:

Use open & validating dialogue: Encourage parents to validate their teen's desires and create a safe and non-judgmental environment for open communication. Acknowledge the discomfort and awkwardness that parents might feel, and encourage them to persist through the discussions.
- Examples of things parents can say:“Yes, I know these feelings can be a little confusing or awkward," or “It’s ok, you’re just learning how to date or ask people out.”
Ask questions about your teen's dating interests: Use initial questions to help your teen think through their interest
...

Integrating Pleasure Throughout the Day

educational handouts occupational therapy occupationaltherapy pleasure preferences sensory features sex sexplay sexual activity sexual communication sexual dialogues sexuality Oct 15, 2022

The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework 4th edition define "routines" as:

"Routines For persons, groups, and populations: Patterns of behavior that are observable, regular, and repetitive and that provide structure for daily life. They can be satisfying and promoting or damaging. Routines require momentary time commitment and are embedded in cultural and ecological contexts (Fiese et al., 2002; Segal, 2004; see Table 6)."

Working with clients on their sexual routines is one of my top 5 ways I fall in love with OT again and again - every time. It reminds me how perfectly situated Occupational Therapy Professionals are to discuss sexuality in our clinical practice. We understand the impact of routines and specifically how occupations are sequenced together to facilitate participation, satisfaction, quality of life, and in some cases a great roll in the hay!

Working with your clients to have and enjoy sex needs to involve a conversation about pleasure. ...

The Highs and Lows of Sensory Processing and Sexuality: What OTs need to consider

intimacy occupational therapy sensory features sensory processing sex sexual communication Jul 01, 2021

It's no surprise that as sexual beings we all have our own sexual preferences. Our likes, wants, and needs are unique to each of us and shape our sexual and intimate experiences. But what about our dislikes? Or aversions to certain stimuli? What if the enjoyment and pleasure of sex can quickly turn to pain and kill the mood. For some of us, this might be when our partner lightly touches our skin or grasps too firmly. What is this experience like and how can OT play a role in this??? Many of the clients I have work have sensory preferences and high/low thresholds, and this can be even more so for people with autism or sensory regulation difficulties.

A great research article discussing sensory features and sexuality was recently shared with me by one of the authors, Anne Kirby, so naturally I was excited about it and wanted to share it here with you!

Autistic Narratives of Sensory Features, Sexuality, and Relationships (full article linked here)

Using a qualitative approach, Gray ...

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Author

Kathryn Ellis (she/her)

Hi! I'm an Occupational Therapist, ASSECT Certified Sexuality Counselor, and pleasure enthusiast! Here to write about all things sexuality + OT related. If you're an OT looking to learn more poke around the website. If you think you'd like to work with me for sexuality counseling, check out www.drkathrynellis.com to learn more!

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