Sex Therapy and Relationship Counseling with Dr. Ashley Sweet
Intimacy and sexuality are deeply tied to our physical, emotional, and relational well-being. Whether you are seeking therapy individually or with a partner, I provide specialized, evidence-based care to help you move past shame, heal from discomfort, and cultivate a deeply fulfilling sexual life.
Areas of Focus & Specific Conditions
Many clients reach out when they feel stuck, disconnected, or stumped by physical symptoms that medical exams haven't fully explained. I provide specialized support for:
Desire & Libido Discrepancies: Navigating mismatched sex drives, low desire, or shifting intimacy patterns over time without pressure, guilt, or blame.
Arousal & Performance Anxiety: Working through the anxiety, "spectatoring" (overthinking during intimacy), and stress that lead to erectile difficulties, premature or delayed ejaculation, or arousal blockages.
Unexplained Sexual Pain & Discomfort: Addressing the emotional, psychological, and relational roots of pelvic pain, involuntary muscle tension, dyspareunia, and vaginismus—especially when doctors report that "everything looks normal."
Orgasm Difficulties (Anorgasmia): Helping individuals and partners release performance pressure, learn their body's unique pleasure pathways, and build comfort reaching climax.
Religious, Cultural, & Moral Deconditioning: Processing internalized guilt, shame, or purity-culture messaging to build a pleasure-positive, self-compassionate view of sexuality.
Sexual Trauma & Body-Image Healing: Gently rebuilding somatic trust, body confidence, and physical safety following past trauma, medical stress, or life transitions.
Working with Couples vs. Individuals
Therapy is not one-size-fits-all. Depending on where you are on your journey, we can structure our sessions to best support your personal growth or your relationship dynamic.
Individual Therapy: Focuses on your personal relationship with your body, pleasure, and sexual identity. Individual work offers a private, dedicated space to process past conditioning or trauma, manage performance anxiety, explore fantasies or identity questions, and build self-compassion without worrying about a partner’s immediate reaction.
Couples & Relationship Therapy: Focuses on the dynamic between partners. It offers a structured environment to rebuild the "spark," bridge desire mismatches, repair trust, improve intimate communication, and practice experiential exercises together to break negative relational cycles.
A Flexible, Adaptable Path: Growth is dynamic, and your therapy format can evolve as your needs shift:
From Individual to Couples: Sometimes an individual client realizes that addressing their personal intimacy goals requires bringing their partner into the room to work through shared patterns together.
From Couples to Supplemental Individual Work: Other times, couples realize during relationship therapy that deep-seated individual concerns—such as unresolved personal trauma, anxiety, or unlearned shame—need dedicated individual space to heal alongside their relationship work.
Because I specialize in both modalities, I can accommodate all of these structures—whether you begin as an individual, start as a couple, or need a hybrid approach—ensuring continuity, trust, and care tailored to your evolving journey.
Reconnecting Couples & Finding Your "Spark"
I love helping couples reconnect and find the “spark” in their relationship again. Depending on your unique goals, our work together goes beyond basic conversation. We may explore:
Communication Patterns: Developing honest, non-defensive ways to talk about desires, boundaries, and fantasies.
Emotional Intelligence & Vulnerability: Rebuilding deep emotional intimacy as the foundation for physical closeness.
Pleasure, Desire, & Somatic Focus: Shifting the goal of intimacy away from "performance" and back toward playfulness, sensory connection, and mutual pleasure.
Experiential Exercises & "Homeplay": Practicing practical, non-pressured exercises between sessions to integrate newfound insights into your daily life.
An Inclusive, Affirming Practice
I welcome all relationship styles and sexual orientations—including monogamy, consensual non-monogamy (CNM/polyamory), LGBTQ+ identities, heterosexuality, kink, and alternative lifestyle dynamics—as long as they involve consenting adults. Whatever your background or relationship structure, you will find a safe, non-judgmental, and affirming space here.
Session FAQs
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My session fees are $225 for individual therapy (45–50 minutes) and $265 for couples and relationship therapy (45–50 minutes).
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I operate as an out-of-network provider and do not bill health insurance directly. While this can be disappointing, many specialized sex therapists choose not to panel with insurance companies for two crucial reasons:
Privacy & Confidentiality: Billing insurance directly requires sharing formal clinical diagnoses and session notes with your provider, meaning the details of your intimate life and bedroom dynamic become part of your permanent medical record.
Coverage Restrictions: Many health insurance plans classify sexual health concerns, desire mismatches, or intimacy dynamics as "not medically necessary," refusing to cover them under standard mental health benefits.
Out-of-Network Reimbursement (Superbills):
If your insurance plan includes out-of-network benefits (such as a PPO or POS plan), I am happy to provide you with a monthly superbill (an itemized clinical receipt). You can submit this directly to your insurance company to request partial reimbursement, depending on your out-of-network deductible and coverage.
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Investing in specialized sex therapy is an investment in your personal well-being, bodily autonomy, and long-term relationship health.
While licensed psychotherapists, Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) and traditional couples counselors offer valuable support for general relationship dynamics, they rarely receive formal training in human sexuality. As a result, traditional therapy often bypasses or struggles to directly address sexual dysfunction, pleasure, desire mismatches, and somatic pain.
Sex therapy with my practice is fundamentally different:
Doctoral-Level Expertise & AASECT Certification: I hold a Doctorate in Clinical Sexology and am certified by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT)—a distinction held by a select group of providers nationwide.
Two Decades of Specialized Experience: I have spent nearly 20 years learning about, researching, and practicing directly in the field of sexual health. You are not paying for general advice; you are working with an expert who specializes exclusively in this complex, nuanced work.
Targeted, Accelerated Progress: Instead of spending months talking around intimacy concerns with a generalist, a specialist directly identifies the psychological, physiological, and relational roots of sexual issues—helping you move past shame and achieve meaningful relief faster.
Protecting Your Relationship & Quality of Life: Unaddressed sexual distress, severe pain, or chronic desire mismatches frequently lead to resentment, isolation, or relationship breakdown. Working with a dedicated expert provides the precise tools needed to repair trust, restore connection, and build a fulfilling intimate life.
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No referral is necessary. While physicians, urologists, gynecologists, and pelvic floor physical therapists frequently refer clients to my practice, you can reach out and begin therapy independently at any time. (If you are currently experiencing physical pain, or erectile dysfunction, I often encourage consulting a trusted medical provider alongside our work to rule out underlying physiological conditions.)
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Sex therapy is beneficial anytime your sexual health, intimacy patterns, or relationship dynamic feel a source of stress, shame, or disconnection. You might benefit from sex therapy if you find yourself asking questions like:
"Why don't I feel the same desire or spark for my partner that I used to?"
"Why does sex or physical intimacy feel uncomfortable or painful?"
"Why am I experiencing performance anxiety, loss of erection, or difficulty reaching orgasm?"
"How can my partner and I navigate different sex drives without guilt or rejection?"
"How do I unlearn religious or cultural shame and feel good about my body and pleasure?"
"How can we safely explore new fantasies, kink, or open relationship structures?"
Whether you are navigating a specific physical difficulty, recovering from past conditioning, or simply wanting to improve your communication around intimacy, sex therapy provides a safe, structured space to find answers.
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Item dSessions are typically 45 to 50 minutes long and initially take place on a weekly basis to build momentum, establish safety, and create meaningful progress.
Because therapy is tailored to your unique goals, the total duration varies. As you achieve your initial milestones, we may transition to bi-weekly sessions or monthly maintenance check-ins. We will regularly discuss your progress and outline a flexible timeline that aligns with your therapeutic needs.
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Choosing between individual and couples therapy depends on your primary focus:
Individual Therapy is ideal if you want to focus on your personal relationship with your body, process past guilt or trauma, address individual performance anxiety, or explore your identity and desires privately.
Relationship Therapy is best if your concerns center on the dynamic between you and a partner—such as desire discrepancies, communication roadblocks, rebuilding trust, or reigniting your physical connection together.
During your initial 15-minute consultation, we can discuss your specific concerns and determine which approach (or combination of approaches) will be most effective for you.