Sex Therapy
Reconnect with your body and reignite your desire.
Sexual intimacy can be one of the most vulnerable and most significant things we do with another person. It can come with conflicting feelings, experiences, and expectations – which can lead to disappointment, fear, uncertainty, or a feeling of not being “normal” – instead of acceptance, empowerment, and pleasure.
You might feel like your body is betraying you at times – like you aren’t having the type of sexual experience you think you “should” have or the type of experience that you want. There may be pain, frustration, sadness, anxiety, fear, or flashbacks to a traumatic experience you thought didn’t affect you. You might worry that you won’t be able to have the type of relationship you would like to have or fear that you’re disappointing your partner. You may have lost desire where it used to be easily found, or feel like you’ve never experienced the type of sexual satisfaction you long for. You might be feeling like you and your partner aren’t on the same page, but you’re not quite sure what language to use to find common ground. If you’re a new parent, you might be experiencing some of these things for the first time and are unsure how to navigate them.
Sexual satisfaction is a complicated recipe that can take a lot of different ingredients to get right. Together we’ll determine what’s causing your symptoms and work together to break through difficult emotional or mental blocks that may be causing them. Through a safe, caring exploration, you can have the sex life you deserve.
Together, we can work through:
Recovering from sexual trauma
Decreased or absent desire
Inability to climax
Vaginal penetration pain or pelvic floor trauma
Recovering intimacy after childbirth
Issues maintaining or achieving an erection
Intimacy issues between you and your partner
Healing from religious trauma
Book your complimentary consultation call today
“The two most important phrases in therapy, as in yoga, are “Notice that” and “What happens next?” Once you start approaching your body with curiosity rather than with fear, everything shifts.”
— Bessel Van Der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
My approach
Once we’ve ruled out any physical reasons for your symptoms, we’ll start to explore where they could be stemming from psychologically. My therapeutic style is caring, non-judgmental, supportive, and practical. I’m a psychodynamic and somatic therapist, which means that I like to work with the unconscious thoughts, feelings and motivations that might be influencing your physiological symptoms. We’ll work with how your feelings and experiences live within your body and process blocks together. I am a certified Yoga teacher and mindfulness practitioner and often use mindfulness, body awareness, and meditation in sessions. I am LGBT-affirmative and support all relationship structures. I identify as an ally of the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities.
Getting started
Get in touch to schedule a free 15-minute consultation call to hear a bit more about why you’re seeking therapy, answer any questions you might have, and schedule our first appointment. If you’re just ready to get going, we can schedule our first appointment on first contact.
My fee is $200/session, which is payable via credit card or HSA/FSA card in your patient portal. Your card will be charged after each appointment.
I offer both virtual and in-person sessions. Let me know if you prefer to meet virtually via secure video conference or in-person at my office in Culver City. My availability varies depending on how you’d like to meet.
FAQs
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My fee for all services is $200/hour. I take FSA/HSA cards and am always happy to discuss ways to make therapy affordable for you.
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The initial consultation is a short conversation to see if we are a good fit to work together. This is your opportunity to ask me questions and get a sense of my style of working. If you have any hesitations about working together, let me know and we can talk about it. We’ll also discuss logistics such as the fee and frequency and location of sessions. If we decide that we would like to move forward, we will schedule a consistent time for us to begin our work together. If not, I am happy to offer referrals to others who may be a better fit.
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In our first session, I’ll hear about what’s bringing you to couples therapy and we’ll identify goals for working together. I’ll ask questions about your relationship and your individual histories. Then, I’ll hold a session with each partner individually so I can get to know each of you better and hear more about your individual goals for therapy. After those sessions, we’ll dive into the work together.
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It really depends on your specific goals for therapy. You can expect to be in therapy anywhere from a couple months to a few years. Initially, I recommend we meet in weekly sessions to make initial progress, and then I often recommend my couples move to a less regular cadence, such as meeting once or twice monthly to process recurring issues.
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I do not participate in any health insurance networks or submit insurance claims. However, I do take FSA/HSA cards or am happy to offer you a super bill. A super bill is a summary of services, including a clinical diagnosis, which you can submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement. If your plan provides out-of-network provider coverage, you can get reimbursed for a portion of your service costs – the reimbursement rate depends on your specific plan and provider.
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My sessions are 50 minutes long
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I am an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist (Alexandra “Lexi” Berard, AMFT #137342) which means I have a provisional license to practice under supervision. I meet with my clinical supervisor weekly with to discuss my cases. As an AMFT, I have a master’s degree and advanced clinical training, however I am still in the process of completing the 3,000 clinical hours the California Board of Behavioral Sciences requires for full MFT licensure. The benefits to you are that you are able to get a therapist at a lower cost than market rate and you also get the benefit of my supervisor’s experience and insight.