In our first session together, here's what you can expect

Your first session is about creating safety, clarity, and a shared understanding of what brings you to therapy. We’ll begin with a conversation about your goals, concerns, and what you’re hoping might be different in your sexual or relational life. You’re always in control of how much you share—there is no pressure to disclose details before you’re ready. Because I work somatically, we won’t only talk. I’ll gently invite you to notice what’s happening in your body as you speak—sensations, breath, emotions, or areas of tension or ease. This isn’t about doing anything “right,” but about beginning to build awareness of how your nervous system responds around intimacy, desire, and connection. By the end of the session, many clients report feeling more grounded, understood, and hopeful—even if nothing feels “resolved” yet. The goal is not to fix everything immediately, but to begin building the conditions for meaningful, sustainable change. Above all, the first session is about establishing trust—with me, with the process, and with your own capacity to listen to your body as we work together.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

What stands out about my therapeutic approach is that I integrate AASECT-certified sex therapy with somatic, body-based practices, rather than working only at the cognitive or behavioral level. Sexual concerns don’t live just in thoughts or beliefs—they live in the nervous system, in patterns of sensation, arousal, protection, and shutdown. My work is designed to meet clients there. Methodologically, I help clients track bodily sensations, emotional states, breath, and impulse in real time, building the capacity to stay present with pleasure, desire, boundaries, and vulnerability. This often includes nervous system regulation, mindful awareness of arousal, and gentle experiential exercises that translate directly into clients’ lived sexual and relational experiences. Because I’m AASECT Certified, all of this is done within clear ethical boundaries, clinical rigor and attuned guidance. What clients often report as most distinctive is the speed and depth of change. Rather than spending months analyzing what’s “wrong,” many clients experience shifts in desire, pleasure, confidence, and connection by learning how to work with their bodies instead of against them. This approach is especially effective for issues like desire discrepancies, shame, performance anxiety, trauma-related sexual challenges, and difficulties with intimacy or embodiment. Ultimately, my work helps people move from knowing about sex to feeling safe, alive, and resourced in their bodies, so sexuality becomes something integrated, relational, and sustainable—not another problem to solve.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

Douglas is best positioned to work with individuals and couples who want to address sexual or intimacy concerns in a way that includes the body, not just conversation or insight. Many of my clients are thoughtful, self-aware people, yet still feel stuck when it comes to sex, desire, or embodied connection. I commonly work with clients who are experiencing: *Low or fluctuating desire, arousal difficulties, or loss of sexual confidence *Out-of Control Sexual Behavior (Sex Addiction) *Performance anxiety, shame, or disconnection during sex *Sexual concerns connected to stress, trauma, aging, or life transitions *Desire discrepancies in relationships *Difficulty feeling present, relaxed, or “in their body” during intimacy *Challenges around boundaries, consent, or communicating needs and wants *A longing for more depth, pleasure, or authenticity in sexual and relational life The clients who tend to benefit most from my work are curious, open to experiential learning, and willing to slow down. You don’t need to be “embodied” already—but you do need to be interested in noticing sensations, emotions, and nervous system responses as part of the therapeutic process. This approach is especially supportive for people who feel that talking alone hasn’t created the change they’re seeking. My work is also well-suited for clients who want a sex-positive, non-pathologizing, and ethically grounded therapeutic space. As an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, I hold clear professional boundaries while helping clients explore desire, pleasure, and intimacy with respect, nuance, and care. Ultimately, I work best with people who are not just trying to “fix” a sexual problem, but who want to develop a more trusting, responsive relationship with their bodies and with intimacy itself—whether they are healing, reconnecting, or expanding what’s possible.