Sexuality Counseling

Christine E. Murray, Ph.D., has over two decades of experience working in the mental health field. Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, Dr. Murray is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in North Carolina, as well as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in her home state of Pennsylvania.Dr. Murray is a Professor of Counseling in the Townsend Institute at Concordia University, as well as the Founder of Start Here Counseling & Consulting, PLLC. She is also a Professor Emerita at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). She retired from UNCG during the summer of 2024 after 19 years of service as a faculty member in the Department of Counseling and Educational Development. From 2019 to 2023, she also served as the Director of the UNCG Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships.Throughout her career, much of Dr. Murray’s work has focused on supporting survivors of domestic violence in the long-term recovery process and strengthening community response systems to better support victims and survivors as they move toward safety and healing. As a survivor of past abuse herself, Dr. Murray brings her own lived experience to this work, including as Founder of The Source for Survivors resource and her most recent book, “Financial Abuse Recovery: Financial Healing and Empowerment After Surviving an Abusive Relationship.” To learn more about Dr. Murray’s work, please visit https://www.starthereandnow.com/christine.html.Amber L. Pope, PhD, LPC, LMHC is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education and the Relationship, Marriage, and Family Counseling Area Lead at William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. She earned her graduate degrees in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Currently, she is the President for the Association of Counseling Sexology and Sexual Wellness and the Supervision Representative for the Virginia Association of Counselor Education and Supervision. She also serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of LGBTQ Issues in Counseling and the Journal of Counseling Sexology and Sexual Wellness. Dr. Pope’s research interests focus on culturally sustaining counselor education and supervision, primarily improving training in LGBTQ+ affirmative counseling and sexuality counseling. She has over 25 peer-reviewed publications, and her previous books include LGBTQ+ Affirmative Counseling: An Evidenced Based Guide for Student and Practitioners and Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Skills: A Popular Culture Casebook Approach (3rd ed.). Dr. Pope’s clinical expertise is in relationship and family counseling, sexuality counseling, and LGBTQ+ affirming counseling. She has received advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy and Emotionally Focused Family Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and trauma-informed counseling approaches. She lives in Williamsburg, Virginia with her husband and dog.Ben T. Willis is a full professor and program director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. He has worked as a counselor educator, supervisor, and program director for over a dozen years. Dr. Willis earned his M.S. with a specialization in Couples and Family Counseling and his Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned his B.S. degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a National Certified Counselor and an Approved Clinical Supervisor. He has completed an externship in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy and utilizes a developmental and wellness approach in his professional work. He has counseled in college counseling center, community agency, and private practice settings. His research focuses on how people develop and change their self-conceptualization of specific identities as well as their general sense of self. He has over 12 publications and 40 presentations.

• Series Editors’ Preface: Introduction to the Series, by Richard Parsons and Naijian ZhangAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorsChapter 1: Addressing Sexuality in Professional CounselingDefining SexualityA Comprehensive, Contextual Framework for Understanding SexualityProfessional Issues in Sexuality CounselingProfessional Competence in Sexuality CounselingEthical Considerations for Sexuality CounselingInterdisciplinary Collaborations for Sexuality CounselingOverview of the Remainder of This BookChapter 2: Assessment in Sexuality CounselingGeneral Assessment StrategiesDimensions of Assessment in Sexuality CounselingPhysiologyAppendix: Directory of Selected Instruments for Assessing SexualityChapter 3: General Interventions and Theoretical Approaches to Sexuality CounselingGeneral Guidelines for Sexuality CounselingReview of Approaches to Sexuality CounselingTreatment for Specific Sexuality Concerns and Using Unique Treatment ModalitiesTreatment Outcomes in Sexuality CounselingChapter 4: Physiology and Sexual HealthOverview of Physiology and Anatomy Related to Sexual FunctioningSafer Sex PracticesPhysical Health IssuesReproductive HealthChapter 5: Lifespan Development and SexualitySexuality Across the Life Cycle: An OverviewSexuality in ChildhoodSexuality in AdolescenceSexuality in AdulthoodChapter 6: Sexuality and Mental HealthSexual Decision MakingSexual Implications of Mental Health DisordersSubstance Abuse and SexualitySexual DysfunctionsSexual TraumaChapter 7: Gender Identity and Affectional/Sexual OrientationDefining Gender Identity and Affectional/Sexual OrientationHistorical, Societal, and Cultural ContextTraditional Sexual IdeologiesGender IdentityLesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Affectional OrientationsEthical Concerns in Working With LGBTIQQA ClientsChapter 8: Sexuality and Intimate RelationshipsThe Dynamics of Couple RelationshipsIntegrating Sexuality Counseling With Couples CounselingSexuality Counseling for Specific Relationship ConcernsChapter 9: Cultural and Contextual Influences on SexualityAn Intersectional Approach to Understanding Culture and SexualityReligion and SexualityRace, Culture, Ethnicity, and SexualitySocioeconomic Status and SexualitySexuality and Geographic and Regional VariationsSexuality and the MediaCounseling Strategies for Addressing Cultural and Contextual Influences on SexualityChapter 10: Positive Sexuality: A New Paradigm for Sexuality CounselingDefining Positive SexualityFactors Supporting Positive Sexuality: Revisiting the Contextualized Sexuality ModelBenefits of Positive SexualityCounseling Strategies to Help Clients Foster Positive SexualityEpilogue: From the Author’s ChairReferencesIndex

"Sexuality Counseling:  Theory, Research, and Practice is an important resource for mental health practitioners.  Sexuality is complex and rather than attempting to simplify, this book works within that complexity in a well-organized and comprehensive way."