Talking about sexual concerns is not always easy. Individuals and couples may struggle with differences in desire, sexual functioning, communication, sexual confidence, or changes in intimacy without knowing where to turn for support.
At Harvey Center for Relationships, we offer sex therapy in Santa Monica for individuals and couples seeking a specialized, supportive, and effective approach to sexuality and intimacy. Located in Santa Monica near Venice, we work with clients throughout Venice, West Los Angeles, and the greater Los Angeles area in person, as well as with clients throughout California online.
Our work focuses particularly on couples who have lost their sexual connection, women’s sexual health throughout the lifespan, and men’s sexual wellness. Whether you’re struggling individually or trying to rebuild intimacy with your partner, sex therapy can help you understand what may be getting in the way and begin creating meaningful change.
Every couple brings two different sexual histories into a relationship—different experiences, expectations, desires, boundaries, and ideas about what sex is “supposed” to look like. Couples can find themselves trying to navigate desire, arousal, pleasure, consent, and changes in their sexual relationship without a shared language for understanding what is happening.
Working with a sex therapist in Santa Monica provides an opportunity to discuss these concerns in a setting that is respectful, confidential, and tailored to your relationship.
Couples sex therapy can help partners address:
❇️ Differences in sexual desire
❇️ Difficulty initiating sex
❇️ Communication problems
❇️ Lack of sexual education
❇️ Sexual avoidance
❇️ Rejection and pursuit cycles
❇️ Sexless marriages
❇️ Changes in sexual functioning
❇️ Performance anxiety
❇️ Loss of attraction or erotic connection
❇️ Difficulty discussing fantasies, preferences, or boundaries
❇️ Rebuilding intimacy after conflict or betrayal
❇️Creating a mutually satisfying sexual relationship
Our approach recognizes that sexuality isn’t experienced only in the mind—it’s experienced in the body. Stress, pressure, anxiety, shame, relationship conflict, and past experiences can all influence our ability to feel present, receptive, connected, and aroused.
Rather than focusing only on the sexual problem or assigning blame, we become curious about what is happening between you—and within each of you. When appropriate, therapy may incorporate an understanding of the nervous system, mindfulness, interception, communication practices, and embodied approaches that help you slow down and notice what you’re experiencing.
This can be particularly helpful when sex has become pressured, goal-oriented, disconnected, or anxiety-provoking.
Problems We Commonly Work With:
❇️ Incompatible or low libido.
❇️ Premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction.
❇️ Painful intimacy and Performance anxiety.
❇️ Intimacy after trauma.
❇️ Body image and self-esteem concerns.
❇️ Rebuilding intimacy within relationships.
Women’s sexuality can change considerably throughout adulthood. Hormonal changes, fertility treatments, pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, relationships, stress, body image, aging, and changing roles can all affect desire, arousal, pleasure, and the experience of intimacy.
We work with women navigating sexuality and intimacy through:
❇️ VF and fertility treatment
❇️ Pregnancy
❇️ Postpartum adjustment
❇️ Motherhood and parenting.
❇️ Changes in sexual desire
❇️ Perimenopause
❇️ Menopause
❇️ Post-menopause
❇️ Changes in body image or sexual confidence
❇️ Sexual pain or discomfort
❇️ Changes in arousal and orgasm
❇️ Reconnecting with sexuality after major life transitions
Rather than assuming sexuality should remain the same throughout life, therapy creates space to understand how a woman’s sexual experience is changing and evolving. Sex therapy can offer practical strategies, exercises, and greater understanding to help navigate these transitions and cultivate intimacy, pleasure, and desire.
For individuals searching for sex therapy in Santa Monica, Venice, or Los Angeles, this lifespan approach can be particularly valuable when changes in sexuality are intertwined with relationships, identity, family life, or physical transitions.
Sexual difficulties can affect a man’s confidence, sense of self, and relationship with his partner. They can also create a cycle in which anxiety about sex makes sexual functioning increasingly difficult.
At Harvey Center for Relationships, we work with men experiencing:
❇️ Erectile difficulties and erectile dysfunction
❇️ Premature ejaculation
❇️ Delayed ejaculation
❇️ Low or changing sexual desire
❇️ Performance anxiety
❇️ Difficulty becoming or remaining arouse
❇️ Orgasm concerns
❇️ Sexual confidence concerns
❇️ Changes in sexual functioning with age
❇️ Difficulty communicating sexual needs and desires
Therapy can help men understand the psychological, relational, and situational factors that may be contributing to sexual difficulties while developing greater sexual confidence and healthier ways of relating to sexuality.
When a medical or physiological factor may be involved, sex therapy can complement appropriate medical evaluation and care.
Choosing a qualified professional matters when discussing something as personal as sexuality.
Theodora Harvey, PhD, LMFT, is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist with advanced professional training in sexuality and sexual health through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT). Her work integrates sex therapy, couples therapy, Imago Relationship Therapy, and embodied approaches to intimacy.
For individuals and couples searching for an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist in Los Angeles, this specialized training provides a foundation for addressing sexual concerns with clinical knowledge, sensitivity, and respect.
Sex therapy isn’t about telling you what your sexual relationship should look like. It’s about helping you better understand yourself and your partner and discover what a fulfilling intimate life can look like for you.
Harvey Center for Relationships is located in Santa Monica near Venice, making our office convenient for individuals and couples seeking a sex therapist in Santa Monica or a sex therapist near Venice, CA. We offer in-person sessions at our Santa Monica office and online sex therapy throughout California.
Whether you’re looking for sex therapy in Santa Monica, sex therapy near Venice, CA, or a specialized sex therapist in Los Angeles, finding the right support can be an important first step when sexual concerns begin affecting your relationship, confidence, or well-being.
You don’t have to wait until intimacy has disappeared or sexual concerns have become overwhelming.
We are here to help you understand what’s happening, reconnect with yourself or your partner, and create new possibilities for intimacy, pleasure, and connection.
If you’re ready to explore what’s getting in the way of your sexual or intimate life, we invite you to reach out.
Contact Harvey Center for Relationships to learn whether sex therapy may be right for you or your relationship.