Growing up in the South, sex was a topic that was not talked about a lot and when it was it was done in a very "hush hush" way. I went to a public school in Alabama so sex ed class was very similar to the sex ed scene in Mean Girls. Thankfully I had parents and health care providers who were open to talking about such a taboo topic.
Fast forward to OT school. One of the first things we discussed was activities of daily living (ADLs) and meaningful occupations. We talked about how this could vary from person to person and the range of activities it could include, one of which being sex. For some, sex is a meaningful occupation. This would make it fall within the OT scope of practice. This past week in our older adult class we had a certified sex therapist come talk to us about how our two disciplines can work together. It was a time of learning for both the speaker and my class.
During this lecture we discussed various interventions. For a couple we learned that OT can help with positioning, energy conservation strategies and joint protection techniques. This can be helpful for a couple that wants to be intimate but might be dealing with pain from arthritis, issues with tone from a stroke or TBI, etc. Feedback from the couple would be key to see if the strategies were successful and if other interventions or other disciplines might need to be brought in. Another intervention we discussed was the importance of education. Often OT can be the first discipline to bring up the topic of sex and chances are clients probably have questions but might be too afraid to ask. OT's can educate an individual or a group on the importance of practicing safe sex and identify resources for birth control, condoms, OBGYN's, pregnancy crisis centers, etc. By providing our clients with accurate information about sex and resources at their disposal, we are enabling them to be more independent and making the topic of sex less taboo.
When discussing the topic of sex with a client it is important to remember that for most people this is a sensitive topic and OT might be the first to talk with them about it. It is also important to remember that more often than not, clients will come to us and need help from multiple disciplines, so we need to be prepared to collaborate with various providers.
Fast forward to OT school. One of the first things we discussed was activities of daily living (ADLs) and meaningful occupations. We talked about how this could vary from person to person and the range of activities it could include, one of which being sex. For some, sex is a meaningful occupation. This would make it fall within the OT scope of practice. This past week in our older adult class we had a certified sex therapist come talk to us about how our two disciplines can work together. It was a time of learning for both the speaker and my class.
During this lecture we discussed various interventions. For a couple we learned that OT can help with positioning, energy conservation strategies and joint protection techniques. This can be helpful for a couple that wants to be intimate but might be dealing with pain from arthritis, issues with tone from a stroke or TBI, etc. Feedback from the couple would be key to see if the strategies were successful and if other interventions or other disciplines might need to be brought in. Another intervention we discussed was the importance of education. Often OT can be the first discipline to bring up the topic of sex and chances are clients probably have questions but might be too afraid to ask. OT's can educate an individual or a group on the importance of practicing safe sex and identify resources for birth control, condoms, OBGYN's, pregnancy crisis centers, etc. By providing our clients with accurate information about sex and resources at their disposal, we are enabling them to be more independent and making the topic of sex less taboo.
When discussing the topic of sex with a client it is important to remember that for most people this is a sensitive topic and OT might be the first to talk with them about it. It is also important to remember that more often than not, clients will come to us and need help from multiple disciplines, so we need to be prepared to collaborate with various providers.
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