Sexual Wellness Therapy

A Safe Place to Find Comfort, Clarity, and Choice Around Intimacy

We care deeply about supporting relationships and sexual experiences that feel safe, connected, and true to who you are. For many people, intimacy can feel stressful, confusing, painful, or distant, and we want to remind you that you’re not alone in that.

If you’re carrying around worries about sex, desire, and closeness, it can seem tougher to know where to bring them. It’s hard to take that leap of faith when a trusting and judgment-free relationship is so critical. We want to be that place where you’re comfortable enough to be yourself fully.

Individual therapy for sexual wellness at Mindful Mental and Behavioral Health PLLC is a supportive environment to talk through what may be getting in the way of the connection you want with yourself and others. Here, your safety, values, identities, and boundaries are always our top priority as we create a level of care that feels like exactly what you need.

Support for What You Don’t Always Talk About

Sexual wellness is a topic we hold with tenderness and all the respect for the many ways you may define it. You could be struggling actively to engage in intimacy, notice yourself disconnected and in your head when you’re around certain people, or be feeling more ready to process a past experience that left an impression.

You may find yourself wondering if your level of desire is “too much” or “not enough”. These are common labels that can be introduced when we’re talking to others or absorbing information in the media that can create expectations around what intimacy “should” feel like. That can leave you either not knowing how to express what you want or questioning yourself when you think about bringing it up.

This may be a moment to focus on releasing some of that pressure, and trusting yourself and that your nervous system has a reason for putting up walls or wanting certain things in the realm of connection and sexuality.

Past experiences, painful moments, or early messages about sex and your body can continue to shape how intimacy feels today, even if you’ve made intentional efforts to move past them. Therapy focused on sexual wellness honors your entire lived experience and never puts a label on things or looks for a quick fix.

We gently explore topics like past and current relationships, your connection to your body, and other factors that influence what you’re walking through now. If you have no idea how to put words to any of this, know that you don’t need to.

We’re here to guide you along the way and help you find language that feels right to you as you build more comfort, clarity, and choice around intimacy.

Sexual wellness therapy can support concerns such as:

Intimacy that feels tense, distant, or like something you have to push through
Differences in desire between you and a partner, or noticing a shift in what works for you (more or less sexual interest)
Navigating harmful messages about sexuality
Shame or confusion around sexuality, identity, or sexual interests
The lasting impact of relational or sexual trauma, coercion, or betrayal on trust and closeness
Feeling disconnected from your body during sexual or intimate moments, or struggling to feel desirable

Sexuality and intimacy can impact our human experience in a lot of different ways. We’d love to open the conversation to help you feel supported in the way that feels most grounding for you. Our specialized sex therapists can make talking about your experiences and goals more approachable at any time you’re ready to reach out.

What is Sexual Wellness Therapy and How Can it Help?

The way we approach sexual wellness therapy is not based on our perception or personal views. This is all about your unique experience. Our promise is to help you define what it looks like to move through anything a little heavier or complex, then guide your path to make it a reality you can feel more and more over time.

We listen for and align to what works for you along the way, not what anyone else expects sexual wellness to look or feel like. You may be looking for more ease or pleasure, while you could also share a desire for more safety and communication around your body and relationships.

Together, we gently notice what your body has been trying to communicate, trust in its innate wisdom, and make space for your needs, boundaries, and desires to feel clearer and easier to trust.

Here are a few outcomes we commit to building alongside you:

Deeper understanding of what feels good, safe, and right for you
More comfort talking about sex and intimacy with honesty and compassion
Ease to be present in your body, on your terms, during touch or arousal
New ways to rebuild or strengthen trust after difficult experiences
A stronger sense that your sexuality belongs to you and not to past partners, painful experiences, or outside expectations

What to Expect in Therapy for Sexual Wellness and Intimacy:

Early on, our time is all about building a trusting relationship that becomes the foundation for meaningful work together. Your therapist spends time asking thoughtful questions and brings genuine curiosity to your story.

You get to share what feels right, and we’ll meet you with respect if you hit a wall or notice you’re starting to shut down around a certain topic. If emotions rise or you notice yourself with a familiar avoidance response, that’s something we slow down with and never shame.

You’ll lean on your therapist to check in on the pace and content of sessions as you go. They may also look for opportunities to introduce you to gentle education about how stress, past experiences, mood, or life changes can influence desire, arousal, and connection.

Over time, sessions may include noticing patterns in relationships, finding new ways to talk about intimacy, working with body responses like disassociation or anxiety, and exploring beliefs about your body or sexuality that may no longer fit who you are today.

You can come to therapy for a focused period around one specific concern, or choose ongoing support as intimacy evolves. This work stays flexible and collaborative, shaped by your comfort and your goals rather than a fixed timeline.

Conversations You’re Welcome to Bring Here

It can feel hard to know what’s okay to talk about in sexual wellness therapy. Many people worry their questions are too personal, too awkward, or not serious enough. That’s why we want to share a look into the conversations we can have, to welcome in anything on your mind and reduce some of that pressure that it has to look one way.

Together with your therapist, you may explore:

Feeling anxious before or during intimacy
Wanting sex more often than your partner, or losing interest
Physical pain, discomfort, or tension during sexual experiences
Difficulty with arousal or getting your needs fully met
Body image and feeling self-conscious about your sexuality
Navigating dating, long-term relationships, or life transitions
Working through past sexual experiences that still affect you today
Religious or cultural messages that shaped how you view sex
Questioning or exploring sexual identity, orientation, or interests
Wanting to communicate your needs more clearly with a partner
Feeling pressure to perform or “get it right”
Pregnancy, postpartum, or hormonal changes affecting intimacy
Wondering how stress, burnout, or mental health may be impacting your sex life
Simply wanting intimacy to feel easier, more natural, or more enjoyable

You don’t need to organize these thoughts before coming in. You can start anywhere, and we’ll figure it out together.

We’re Here to Validate Any Uncertainty

It’s completely okay if part of you is still wondering, “Am I really ready to talk to someone about this?” or “What if they just don’t get it?”

Many people sit with that question for a long time. You might go back and forth, telling yourself it’s been too long, it’s not a good reason to reach out, or you should be able to figure it out on your own. That hesitation is natural, especially if opening up and being vulnerable is not something you’ve been able to do for any number of reasons that all make complete sense.

After all, conversations about sex and intimacy are deeply personal, and reaching out can feel like a big step. If you’ve been living in that pause, you don’t have to rush it. Therapy can begin from a conversation to explore curiosity, just as much as it can begin from an urgent pull inside to feel less alone in this.

Your therapist will not only bring a passion for sexual wellness, but also a natural energy of understanding that comes with experience supporting diverse experiences. We hope that helps you feel more seen, validated, and hopeful that things can shift in the future. Privacy and comfort are at the center of everything we do, always.

We welcome any identity, relationship structure, and way to define intimacy. This includes LGBTQIA+ identities, non-monogamous relationships, kink communities, and diverse ways of expressing sexuality. You won’t have to educate your therapist about who you are to feel understood.

Your values and boundaries lead this process, and your therapist is your steady partner through anything that comes up along the way.

Here are some questions that often come up:

Do I need to be in a relationship to start sexual wellness therapy?

Not at all. You might want to understand your relationship with intimacy, explore desire, work through anxiety, or feel more comfortable in your body before involving a partner. You may also have a partner or several partners who are influencing your experiences, in which case, we can explore from that context. Individual sessions can be a powerful place to start, and if you ever want to invite a partner later, we can make space for that.

Is it normal to struggle with sex or intimacy?

Far more people experience challenges with desire, arousal, pain, performance anxiety, communication, or body image than are talked about. These experiences are often shaped by stress, life transitions, hormones, relationship dynamics, and the pressure to “be normal” or “fit in”. If you’re struggling, we hope you feel the permission to let those concerns be heard, and know that you’re not broken for working through a vulnerable and personal aspect of connection. We’re always here to support you and make this feel far less heavy and confusing.

What kinds of concerns can sexual wellness therapy help with?

Sometimes, it’s helpful to see examples of what sexual wellness therapy supports, like low low or changing libido, pain during intimacy, difficulty with arousal or orgasm, sexual anxiety, body image concerns, mismatched desire in relationships, religious or cultural shame, navigating identity, healing after difficult experiences, or simply wanting to feel more comfortable and connected. At the same time, you don’t have to see yourself in these descriptions to feel the benefit of a place to talk about what intimacy and desire mean for you right now, and what you’d like to see as you move forward into your own path forward.

Will we talk about explicit details?

You lead the way here, always. We’ll only talk about details that feel useful and comfortable to you. We structure conversations to help you feel safer, more confident, and more connected, and never exposed or overwhelmed.

How do I know if sexual wellness therapy is right for me?

If anything you’ve read here made you pause, feel seen, or start to wonder, “what if”, that may be a sign to see what it’s all about, without the pressure to decide until you feel it’s right.

More Support for Mental Health With Medication

Sexual wellness can be influenced by so much, including the way you sleep, manage stress, hormone health, mood fluctuations, relationship dynamics, past experiences, and the pace of everyday living. As we look at the topic of sexuality, intimacy, and desire, all of these factors play a role in shaping how connected you feel.

Therapy looks at every part of your experiences, and can be an incredible resource to bring up things you may never have before, or not in this deep way, that helps you process fully.

Throughout that time, it’s natural to start wondering whether anxiety, low mood, or other mental health changes could be playing a role. If you want to explore medication options to build more mental health resilience, your therapist can help you think things through and connect you with a medication provider who already understands your story.

Our therapists and licensed Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs) can work together to create a care team you can bounce ideas off of and communicate your needs to. PMHNPs are trained to assess and support mental health conditions that may be influencing intimacy and any other life experiences.

Medication is never assumed or required. Many people love their experience in therapy alone, while others explore it as one piece of feeling more like themselves again and reducing barriers along the way.

Whatever direction feels right, you’ll have one coordinated team supporting you in feeling more at ease with yourself, your body, and your relationships.

We’re Here When You’re Ready

If something in you feels ready to look at this more closely, whether that feeling is loud or just a quiet hint, we’d love to get to know you.

At Mindful Mental and Behavioral Health PLLC, you’ll meet dedicated providers who are also human and understand how many layers can shape sexual wellness. We consider the emotional, relational, physical, and, when relevant, medical pieces so your care feels intentionally connected rather than pieced together. Therapy moves at your pace, and if you have questions about medication at any point, those conversations can happen within the same team.

You won’t be navigating this alone or repeating your story in separate places. Your care stays aligned, private, and centered on what feels right for you first and foremost.

You can schedule your first appointment or reach out with questions at any time. Even that first step of sending the message to say hello counts. You can learn more about our team and book directly using our simple self-scheduler below.

More Support for Mental Health With Medication

Therapy looks at every part of your experiences, and can be an incredible resource to bring up things you may never have before, or not in this deep way, that helps you process fully.

Whatever direction feels right, you’ll have one coordinated team supporting you in feeling more at ease with yourself, your body, and your relationships.

We’re Here When You’re Ready

If something in you feels ready to look at this more closely, whether that feeling is loud or just a quiet hint, we’d love to get to know you.

You won’t be navigating this alone or repeating your story in separate places. Your care stays aligned, private, and centered on what feels right for you first and foremost.

Explore More Services Online & In-Person

Sexual wellness is rarely just about one thing. To make sure your support feels complete and truly personalized, we also offer a range of additional therapy services that may intersect with intimacy, connection, and overall well-being, including:

Commonly Asked Questions About Our Practice

Are sessions in-person or online?

Sessions are conducted primarily online through secure telehealth for clients across Oregon, Washington, and Maine. If you are located in the Portland area and interested in meeting with a provider in person, please contact our office at (207) 316-2609 to discuss current availability.

Do you accept insurance?

In general, we accept:
- Aetna
- Blue Cross Blue Shield (Anthem, Premera, Regence, etc.)
- Cigna
- First Choice Health
- Kaiser Access PPO
- PacificSource
- Providence
That said, the insurances our providers work with can vary from provider to provider. To learn what insurances a provider accepts, please visit their About page or contact our office at (207) 316-2609. In addition, we recommend that you check with your insurance company prior to initiating services to ensure we are in-network and to determine your patient responsibility for sessions. If at any time we discover we are not in-network with your insurance, you will be responsible for the full costs of all sessions (past and future).
We do not accept Medicare.
We do not accept Medicaid.
We do not work with EAPs.
In addition to the accepted insurances listed above, our services are available to self-pay clients and those with out-of-network benefits.

What are your rates?

If You Are Using Insurance:
- If you plan to use insurance, the amount you pay for appointments depends on your specific insurance plan. Copays, deductibles, and coinsurance vary between plans.
- Mindful Mental and Behavioral Health PLLC bills in-network insurance plans when applicable. However, your insurance policy is a contract between you and your insurance company. You are responsible for verifying your coverage, confirming that your provider is in network with your specific plan, and understanding any requirements or limitations of your benefits.
- Our office may provide an estimate of expected costs after receiving your insurance information, but this estimate is not a guarantee of coverage or payment. You are ultimately responsible for the cost of services based on how your insurance processes the claim.
If You Are Self-Pay:
- If you are not using insurance, appointment rates vary depending on the type of service (therapy or medication management) and the length of the appointment. Please contact our office if you would like information about current self-pay rates.

What methods of payment do you accept?

Payments are completed through our patient portal. Payments can be made using major credit/debit cards (American Express, Visa, Mastercard, etc.) as well as FSAs and HSAs.

Do I pay before or after my appointment?

Our policy is to collect payments before rendering services. However, we cannot always predict the cost of sessions in advance because services and length of sessions may vary from appointment to appointment. For clients using insurance, you will likely be responsible for either a co-pay or for paying the full costs of sessions until your deductible is met. Please ensure you fully understand your insurance benefits to prevent future billing concerns.

Regardless of your insurance status and payment method, we will always be as up-front with you as possible about the cost of treatment.

How quickly will I be able to meet with a therapist or PMHNP?

We have therapists with immediate availability. To schedule an intake assessment with one of our therapists, please visit our scheduling page.

To inquire about medication management services with our PMHNP, please contact our office at (207) 316-2609.

What is your cancellation and no-show policy?

Clients must cancel or reschedule appointments at least 48 hours before their appointment. If appointments are not canceled or rescheduled with at least 48 hours’ notice, or if clients do not show to their appointment, they will be charged a late cancellation fee of $150. To ensure we treat all clients consistently and ethically and to be respectful of our providers’ time, we must enforce our late cancellation and no-show policy. Fees incurred for late cancellations and no shows are out-of-pockets expenses. They cannot be billed to insurance.