By Rich Simon As therapists, many of us practice in two different worlds. In the first, we see polite, well-behaved, articulate clients with solid values. They engage fully in therapy, talk cogently about their problems, listen attentively to our responses, make reasonably good-faith efforts to follow our suggestions, and sooner or later get better. No wonder we genuinely like these people! 
By Rich Simon A thousand years ago, during the palmy days of generous insurance reimbursement, therapists could maintain the illusion that, since therapy was paid for by an unseen hidden hand, clinical practice was somehow untouched by the tacky subject of money. Even the style of therapy reflected this disjunction: 
CE Credits: 3 • Price: $39But how does the therapist choose from the seemingly endless array of theories and treatments for sexual dysfunction? Does the couple need to improve their technique or communicate more honestly? Should the therapist delve into their psychosexual development or give them homework assignments? This Reading Course brings together some of the leading figures in the field to demonstrate a range of approaches to sexual difficulties. David Schnarch explores how the ways couples behave in bed offers a remarkably authentic expression of their emotional connection-or lack of it. Richard Schwartz describes the soulful adventure of what he calls "Self-to-Self" sex. Michele Weiner-Davis explains why there's no reason that anyone wanting a more robust sex life can't have one. In the age of Viagra, Barry McCarthy demonstrates non-medicinal ways to help middle-aged couples revitalize their sex life.
Course Readings
Passionate Marriage: Helping Couples Decode the Language of Their Sexuality by David Schnarch
Beyond Viagra: Why the Promise of Cure Far Exceeds the Reality by Barry McCarthy
Pathways to Intimacy: Revealing Our Many Selves in the Bedroom by Richard Schwartz
In the Mood: Desire Seldom Comes to Those Who Wait by Michele Weiner-Davis
Modern Sex Therapy by Katy Butler
Learning Objectives
1. Discuss the essence of sexual intimacy in the "sexual crucible" model of therapy.
2. Create interventions aimed at helping couples heighten their vulnerability to one another.
3. Challenge the assumption that desire must precede sex
4. Describe ways to help couples build "bridges to desire"
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