Director of Center for Love and Sex
Therapist
Coach
Clinical Supervisor
Speaker

Founder and Director of Center for Love and Sex, Sari Eckler Cooper, LCSW is a licensed individual, couples and AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist, sex coach, writer, trainer, supervisor and media expert. She specializes in working on issues such as sexual disorders, sexual avoidance, couples communication, affairs, separation, depression, anxiety, and alternative sexual interests.

Sari works in person at her private practice office on NYC’s upper west side and via telehealth. She is also a relationship and sex coach for clients who live in other states and countries and for professionals who travel frequently who want to focus on present and future goals. Sari is licensed to see clients based in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and as a Telehealth therapist for clients living in Florida.

Sari is recognized as a relationship and sexuality expert and has been a regular commentator on television shows like CBS This Morning, The Better Show and Dr. Oz to discuss relationship issues. Sari is continually called upon to discuss issues in modern relationships in the press including The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Greatest, Vice, Bustle, Cosmo, Men’s Health, Shape, Brides Magazine, Barron’s, New York Post, and Marie Claire.

Qualifications and Areas of Practice

Sari holds a Masters Degree in Social Work. Her post-graduate work was completed at The Ackerman Institute for the Family and the Human Sexuality Program at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Sari graduated with a BFA in dance from The Juilliard School. She has been in private practice for 20+ years in New York City. In addition to her therapy and sex coach practice, Ms. Cooper is a clinical supervisor for general and sex therapists.

While a specialist in the area of sexual issues, Sari has years of training and experience treating many psychological issues including: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, panic attacks, trauma, divorce, pre-marriage counseling, assertiveness issues, anger management, career adjustment or guidance and other diagnoses in the DSM 5 of the American Psychiatric Association.

Theoretical Orientation

Sari has been committed in her career to helping people connect more authentically in their emotional and sexual relationships. She utilizes a combination of techniques in her practice including: psychodynamic, family systems, CBT, meditation, as well as exercises she has reconfigured from her background as a professional choreographer and dancer to help individuals and couples re-start and re-create a new erotic connection.
She views the therapeutic process as an active collaborative process in which she and her clients can work towards meaningful behavioral and mood related shifts which are meaningful in their intimate, professional and communal relationships. While she view herself as an active therapist with a lot of expertise, she also values the active insights and assignments her clients bring into the therapeutic and coaching process.

Her understanding of body/mind integration, her many years of experience and continued education profoundly informs her practice. She has a direct, warm style of engagement and is an active type of therapist willing to give feedback, assignments to do at home and give advice on other professional referrals if appropriate. She has deep respect for her clients’ strengths and views therapy and coaching as a means for them to re-connect them to their best selves and to revitalize their primary relationships.

Professional Associations and Media

She is an active member of Society for Sexual Therapy and Research, Association of American Sexual Educators, Counselors and Therapists, the Ackerman Institute Alumni Association, the American Family Therapy Academy, New York State Society for Clinical Social Work, Occupational Clinical Practitioners Group as well as a founding member of the Manhattan Sex Therapy Peer Group.

She writes about sexuality on her blog Sex Esteem® on this website, as well as on Psychology Today. She is a featured blogger for Huffington Post on Divorce and Sexuality. Her published paper, Issues in Psychoanalytic Psychology is titled: Some Like It Not (about couples who struggle the problem of sexual avoidance).
Sari has given many talks, seminars and workshops for professionals at conferences on many topics including: Sexual Avoidance, Compulsivity, Affairs, Discrepant Desire, ADHD and Sexuality in long-term relationships. She also presents to the general public on how to explore new sexual avenues in long-term relationships and how to talk to children about sex, as well as how a healthy sex life improves ones work life. She was a featured speaker in “Project Respect”, an educational program of the Sex Crimes Unit at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office on the topic of compulsivity.

Qualifications and Areas of Practice

April is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) with many years of experience helping individuals and couples resolve their relational and sex therapy challenges. April has unique expertise having worked extensively with clients and partners from diverse cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. She is passionate about helping individuals and couples to grow in their intimate relationships at all stages of their relationships. She’s aware that folks need help in the early phase of establishing their relational boundaries and expectations regarding monogamy and communication skills. She’s also sensitive to the fact that many couples run into periods of sexual stagnation in their life together whether it’s around marriage, birth of a child, or after many years into a committed relationship. April uses the Sex Esteem® method to help each partner bolster and gain more nuanced communication skills to express their erotic needs in a way that their partner can hear them less defensively. She is helps her clients grow towards the goals they’ve set for themselves.

April specializes in treating a variety of sexual disorders, along with intimacy and relationship challenges including:

• low/absent desire
• sexuality throughout the lifespan
• infidelity/affairs
• modern dating and coupling
• erectile disorder (ED)
• performance anxiety
• discrepant desire (each partner has very different needs for the other)
• premature (rapid) and delayed ejaculation (DE)
• compulsive sexual behaviors
• self-esteem and body image related concerns
• orgasmic disorders
• relational concerns (communication and boundary issues)
• sexual health assessment
• performance anxiety
• sensuous spirituality
• sexual pain or Genito Pelvic Penetrative Pain Disorder (GPPPD)
• past emotional trauma
• past sexual assault, childhood abuse and/or boundary crossings that interferes with current sex life

Communities:

• Traditional Coupling
• Folks from religious and or strict backgrounds (Orthodox Jewish, Mormon, Evangelical Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Hinduism, and those that may have been raised in a unique community)
• Vanilla Interests
• Polyamory
• Consensual Non-Monogamy
• LGBTQIA+
• Kink/BDSM (Lifestyle) interests

In addition to sexual and intimacy related issues, April has many years of clinical expertise treating clients with a range of general psychotherapy issues, including:

• Anxiety and Panic Disorders
• Depression
• ADHD, Executive Functioning Issues
• Anger and Stress Management
• Pre-marital Counseling
• Family of Origin Relational Trauma
• Navigation through Family Life Cycle
• Foster Care and Adoption Support
• Contemporary Issues in Gender and Ethnicity
• post-separation & divorce co-parenting
• loss and bereavement

Academic Background

April earned her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Seton Hall University. After working with individuals and couples for several years, April witnessed how significant growth in her clients’ sexual lives improved their individual mental health and their relationship vitality. She expanded her sex therapy expertise graduating from The Post-Graduate Systemic Sex Therapy Program at The Council for Relationships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Theoretical Orientation

April’s goal is to create a safe, accepting and comfortable environment for her clients, which sets the table for growth, self-awareness and self-acceptance within the individual. She utilizes the CLS Sex Esteem® therapeutic approach which is bio-psychosocial model looking through multi-lenses affecting one’s sexual development and beliefs. Included in the Sex Esteem® treatment are the specific techniques of:

• Couples Systemic Therapy
• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
• Hakomi techniques

She is dedicated to working with clients from a holistic perspective exploring the different systems which have affected her clients, while also considering the client’s personal make-up (family of origin, gender, race/ethnicity, religion, etc.) when collaborating on their personal and relational goals.
April’s therapeutic stance is one of collaboration and integration as she utilizes evidence-based techniques and interventions that are associated with a wide menu of systemic perspectives. This approach allows her to be culturally competent and thorough in her biopsychosocial assessment of her client and will ultimately help to ensure that the interventions, home assignments and questions asked are curated to the specific needs and interests of her client. She respects the daily complexities that each of her clients face as they make conscious choices to strengthen themselves and their relationships. April believes that supporting and encouraging clients’ innate strengths, they can jointly collaborate to set goals to not only gain insight but to also make meaningful changes to transform their lives.

Professional and Community Associations

April is an active member of The American Association for the Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT).

Qualifications and Areas of Practice

Heather is an independently licensed clinical social worker with over a decade of experience helping individual clients and couples work towards personalized goals to improve and enhance their sexual communication and pleasure. She brings honed expertise in dealing with specific issues like addiction, trauma, and PTSD caused by sexual assault and abuse. Heather has helped those folks who are dating navigate the challenging discussions around STIs, types of sexual play they are into, and monogamy and consensual non-monogamy. She uses the Sex Esteem® biopsychosocial model to assess how a couple’s stage of development impacts the issue they want to address. Whether it’s a time when a couple are discussing moving in together, have become engaged, adjusting to a new child or have been together for years and are struggling with low libido or lack of sexual connection.

This model also draws on specific experiences from a client’s racial, religious, cultural, economic and familial history to better understand the impact on how they feel about their own sexuality and sexual identity. Heather’s style is warm, connected and she creates a calm but purposeful space in her sessions. At times when she feels it’s helpful and healing she brings humor into a session in order to help a client feel less self-conscious or frustrated with the challenge they’re working on. She prides herself on creating a safe therapeutic environment for clients to realize personal strengths. She is passionate about collaborating with clients in dealing with sexual challenges such as:

• Hyper/compulsive sexual behaviors (Out of Control Sexual Behaviors)
• Low or Absent Desire
• Discrepant Desire (partners wanted different frequency or type of sexuality)
• Recovery from Infidelity, Cheating and Affairs
• Erectile Disorder (ED)
• Sober sex and sexuality
• How to discuss safer sex practices
• Sexual Pain (vaginal, pelvic pain disorders)
• Post labor recovery and adjustment
• Sexual Trauma Recovery (from childhood abuse, sexual assault, rape)
• Premature or Uncontrolled Ejaculation (PE)
• Delayed Ejaculation (DE)
• Stress of Infertility on sexuality
• Social anxiety
• Family of Origin Stressors
• Performance anxiety
• Phobias
• Peri-menopausal, menopausal and post-menopausal challenges (pain, absent desire, sense of loss)

Communities:

• heterosexual individuals and couples
• LGBTQIA identified
• Consensual Non-Monogamous
• Polyamorous
• Kink/BDSM/Lifestyle
• Folks from religious backgrounds (Hinduism, Evangelical Christian, Orthodox Jewish, Mormon, Muslim and Catholic)
• clients raised in unique strict upbringings

In addition to these sexual related challenges, Heather treats clients with a wide range of general psychotherapy issues including:

• Addiction/Recovery
• Depression
• Panic Disorder
• Trauma
• Anxiety (Generalized and Social)
• Bipolar Disorder
• Co-dependency
• Grief, Loss and Bereavement
• PTSD
• HIV/AIDS
• COVID-19 related anxiety and/or health concerns

Academic Background

Heather earned her Master’s Degree in an accelerated social work program at NYU with a concentration in substance abuse. She has worked with individuals, couples and families for many years helping them achieve a more fulfilling life. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a minor in Statistics from Boston University.

Theoretical Orientation

Heather values Cognitive Behavioral Techniques to help address and change attitudes and actions by focusing on crippling thoughts.  She uses Sex Esteem® Sex Therapy interventions in sessions and homework assignments between sessions to help couples continue the progress made in sessions. She values Cognitive Behavioral Techniques to help address and change attitudes and actions by focusing on crippling thoughts.

Heather is an experienced practitioner of the harm reduction model where clients are encouraged to work towards decreasing negative consequences of behaviors like compulsive behaviors, over-drinking, etc. Additionally, she follows a strength based and solution- focused model to assist clients working towards meaningful goals.

Heather is a culturally competent therapist with an interactive, dynamic style ensuring that clients are recognized and understood in the context of the many systems of which they are part. This includes the skills, strengths and insights garnered through their lifetimes in addition to the challenges, inequities and stereotypes faced. She has a collaborative approach to therapy and jointly sets goals for treatment with her clients.

Professional and Community Associations

Heather is an active member of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists.

Qualifications and Areas of Practice

Kelly is a psychotherapist with several years of experience helping individuals, couples and groups with various challenges to reach their goals through individually tailored psychotherapy. She is a sex-positive sex therapist who strives to help clients bring sexual and erotic pleasure back into their lives through a collaborative therapeutic approach. Her areas of expertise include sexual disorders, LGBTQAI issues, addiction, trauma, and psychiatric disorders. She has helped many individuals and couples through treatment using an intersectional lenses including familial, community, racial, cultural, religious, medical and societal contributions to a person’s sexual script. She helps clients navigate difficult conversations with partners regarding physical touch, emotional intimacy, compulsivity, substance addiction, sexual disorders, and erotic desires. Kelly’s priority is to create a safe, comfortable, and intentional space for clients in her sessions. She aims to achieve this through compassion, connection, and authenticity. Kelly believes that the therapeutic relationship is the foundation to client(s)’ growth. 

Kelly treats clients with a wide range of sexual disorders and general psychotherapy issues including:

• low desire
• Sexual Pain, Vulvodynia, GPPPD (Genito-Pelvic-Penetrative-Pain Disorder)
• Discrepant Desire (partners having differing sexual needs)
• Erectile Disorder
• Rapid or Premature Ejaculation
• Compulsive Sexual Behaviors 
• Infidelity Recovery (long-term affairs, hook-ups, escorts)
• Couples counseling
• Emotional intimacy
• Sexual Trauma (Childhood Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, Boundary Crossings)
• Sexuality throughout the lifespan
• Sober sexuality
• how to discuss safer sex practices
• dating concerns
• HIV/AIDS
• Self-esteem and body image related concerns
• Addiction/Recovery
• Family of Origin Stressors

Communities:

• LGBTQIA identified
• Heterosexual individuals and couples
• Clients raised in strict religious (Muslim, Christian, Orthodox Judaism, or unique communities (cults)
• Consensual Non-Monogamous Clients
• Polyamorous
• Kink/BDSM/Lifestyle

In addition to these sexual related challenges, Kelly treats clients with a wide range of general psychotherapy issues including:

• Addiction/Recovery
• Depression
• Panic Disorder
• Trauma
• Anxiety (Generalized and Social)
• Bipolar Disorder
• Co-dependency
• Grief, Loss and Bereavement
• PTSD
• HIV/AIDS
• COVID-19 related anxiety and/or health concerns

Academic Background

Kelly earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work with a focus on trauma informed care and human rights at the University at Buffalo. She has worked with individuals, families, and children for many years to help them heal, transform, and live fulfilling lives. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from D’Youville College.

Theoretical Orientation

Kelly values a holistic and collaborative approach to treatment and has a warm, connected, and direct style of therapy. She uses an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy framework through a trauma informed lens to help clients align their attitudes, thoughts and actions with their core values leading to a fulfilling life rooted in authenticity. Kelly also uses attachment interventions to help clients become more aware of their relationship styles and to heal their relationships. She is a culturally aware and curious clinician who strives to learn more about each client’s experience of the world and how their racial, religious and/or sexual identity contributes to their resilience, strengths and/or challenges in their life.

She is experienced in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Mindfulness, and Motivational Interviewing. 

Professional and Community Associations

Kelly is an active member of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists.

Qualifications and Areas of Practice

Alyson is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) who combines strong clinical skills, compassionate engagement and a passion for helping individuals, couples, and families from a wide variety of racial, religious and cultural backgrounds live more authentic, fulfilling lives in their personal and sexual relationships. She has more than a decade of professional experience working with clients in private practice and agency settings, Alyson uses a Systemic framework when helping clients, partners and couples gain new patterns of relating to improve intimacy while offering tools to increase their sexual self esteem.

Alyson treats clients with a wide range of sexual disorders and challenges including:

• low/absent desire
• Erectile Disorder
• Performance Anxiety
• Premature, Rapid or Uncontrolled Ejaculation
• Anorgasmia
• sexuality throughout the lifespan
• infidelity/affairs/cheating/broken monogamy agreements
• modern dating and coupling
• Pelvic, Vaginal and Penetrative pain (GPPPD)
• Out of Control Sexual Behavior (OCSB), Compulsive, Hypersexual Behavior, self-diagnosed porn or sex addiction
• self-esteem and body image related concerns
• communication
• boundary issues
• past emotional trauma
• past sexual assault, coercion, childhood abuse and boundary crossings that interferes with current sex life (PTSD)
• Delayed Ejaculation
• coming out
• Kink related issues
• navigating non monogamy and Poly relationships

Communities:

• Traditional Couples
• Clients from religious backgrounds (Orthodox Jewish, Mormon, Evangelical Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Hinduism)
• clients who may have been raised in a unique family unit (cult, sexually non-monogamous community)
• Vanilla Interests
• Polyamory
• Consensual Non-Monogamy
• LGBTQIA+
• Kink/BDSM (Lifestyle) interests

Alyson also is highly experienced in assessing and treating general psychotherapy diagnoses and concerns with individuals and couples including:

• Anxiety and Panic Disorders
• Depression
• ADHD, Executive Functioning Issues
• Interracial Relationship Couples Counseling
• Anger and Stress Management
• Pre-marital Counseling
• Family of Origin Relational Trauma
• Navigation through Family Life Cycle
• Foster Care and Adoption Support
• Contemporary Issues in Gender and Ethnicity
• post-separation & divorce co-parenting
• loss and bereavement

Academic Background

Alyson earned both her Masters (Psychological Studies) and her Education Specialist (Marriage and Family Therapy) degrees from Seton Hall University. Following several years of working in and creating programs for non-profit organizations, Alyson completed a post-graduate certificate in fundraising from New York University. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Counseling and Human Services from the University of Scranton.

Theoretical Orientation

Alyson’s warm and empathetic approach coupled with her keen ability to join with clients creates a space in which clients feel seen and supported. Alyson’s collaborates and encourages clients to use the strengths they already have as foundations to incorporate new techniques in their communication and sexual skills. She incorporates couples system therapy with sex therapy interventions, psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Mindfulness skills.

Alyson uses the Sex Esteem approach which believes that every person and partner comes from a subculture all its own and to truly grow one needs to approach your relationships with the compassion and curiosity about how your history impacts your beliefs and values. Through detailed sexual histories clients can learn how their relationships and previous sexual relationships have influenced the way partners approach conflict, erotic desire, romance and sexual behavior. By using a variety of visual tools including genograms (a kind of family map), Alyson is able to help clients with past or current emotional, physical and sexual traumas recover and heal in order to develop pleasurable intimacy.

Helping client understand their own bodies, including their brain, and encouraging the growth of mindfulness tools is woven throughout the therapeutic process. Alyson often provides additional readings, resources and Sex Esteem exercise in between session to help clients further their growth.

Professional and Community Associations

Alyson is an active member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT) and the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, & Therapists (AASECT).

Qualifications and Areas of Practice

Inviting change is the hardest yet most important part of this journey you are on. With over 25 years of coaching experience, Alyson thrives on supporting clients to work and more effectively thrive through their specific challenges and stressors to achieve the goals they’ve set for themselves.

Alyson is a highly experienced Life and Wellness Educator/Coach and Certified Yoga Therapist who has been able to effectively bring focus and vitality to the work she does with individuals, couples, parents and groups. For over 25 years, Alyson has continued to combine her extensive training, expertise and practice to guide people on program building increased confidence and mastery over their lives.

Alyson works with adults and specializes in behavioral techniques as well as a variety of Mindfulness-Based Models, including:

• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
• Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
• Mindfulness-Based Eating (MB-Eat)
• Mindfulness-Based Parenting (MB-Parenting)
• Yoga Therapy (combining mindful movement and MBCT)

Alyson has developed the expertise over her long coaching career utilizing these evidence-based models to help both individuals and groups learn techniques that can effectively alter their thoughts and behavioral patterns. She understands that people become stuck within their own “mind traps”, internal critical voices and repeated daily routines. Alyson coaches each client to take positive steps to shift the way they think about their past and guide them towards the future goals they’ve always dreamt of. Alyson guides clients through the blocks that most clients have when learning the practice of mindfulness breathing, grounding techniques and focus exercises on their path to becoming less anxious and more able to remain in the present.

Alyson has witnessed the amazing transformation in clients’ lives even over an 8-week period, as they gain greater life balance and decreased worry, anxiety and distress. In order to ensure success for positive change, she assigns homework/home practice at the end individual or group session.

Alyson fully understands the joys and the challenges of parenting since she’s a mom who has raised two children to adulthood. She offers guidance and parenting techniques for parents who need support as they feels confident that these lived experiences strengthen her coaching skills with the individuals with whom she coaches and groups she leads.

Communities:

• Adults going through a separation or divorce process
• Parent(s) challenged by life stage transitions, crises
• Parents with young children
• Individuals from a variety of religious backgrounds
• Traditional couples
• LBGTQ+ individuals and couples
• Vegetarian and Vegan allied

Alyson is also highly experienced in providing life and wellness coaching to individuals, couples, parents and groups who experience a variety of challenges including:

• Anger and Stress Management
• Body Image Issues
• Career Coaching
• Child and Adolescent Support
• Chronic Illness and Pain Management
• Depression
• Disordered Eating
• Family Conflict
• Grief and Bereavement
• Job loss
• Life Transitions
• Mind Racing
• Parenting
• Peer Relationships
• Relationship Issues
• School Issues
• Self Esteem
• Sleep or Insomnia
• Weight Concerns
• Women’s Issues

Academic Background

Alyson earned both her Masters of Social Work from University of Toronto and Bachelors of Social Work from York University, where she is a Registered Therapist. Alyson also earned her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology. In addition to these degrees, Alyson earned her diploma where she specializes in working with Assaulted Women and Children. Alyson is a Certified Yoga Teacher/Therapist (CYT) as well as a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist (CHyp). Alyson now integrates all her training and experience in her International Life and Wellness Coaching practice.

Theoretical Orientation

Life is a delicate balancing act – sometimes we need a little guidance and support to maintain it. Alyson understands that so many folx feel they are alone in achieving a sustainable work/life/love balance. Alyson completely honors the uniqueness of each client and hence curates an individualized program to encourage growth, increased empowerment and sustained resilience within their coaching program.

Alyson embraces positive change through evidence-based practices, including:

• Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
• Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
• Mindfulness-Based Eating
• Mindfulness-Based Parenting
• Mindful Yoga Therapy
• Clinical Hypnotherapy

“Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.” -Brene Brown

Other Professional Training

• Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Advanced professional trainings with pioneering masters in MBSR & MBCT MB-Eat, MB-Parenting:
• Jon Kabat Zinn
• Zindel Segal
• Thich Nhat Hanh
• Certified Yoga Teacher (CYT): Alyson has created an integrative Yoga therapy group and individual model utilizing evidence-based practices of yoga, pranayama, MBSR and Mindful Movement.
• Certified in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for children/teens, adults and groups (supervised practice over 4 years)
• Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist (CHyp) with individuals of all ages
• Has also had extensive experience coaching individuals, children/teens, families, and groups
• Extensive training and experience with evidence-based practice of Mindful Eating 
• Coordinated large group programs for women and children exposed to domestic violence 

Qualifications and Areas of Practice

Catherine is a Mental Health Clinician, sex therapy and sex coach with over 20 years of counseling experience in higher education. She brings cognitive behavioral interventions, mindfulness and systemic approaches to help couples and individuals learn to approach their desires for intimacy without shame, but rather with accurate research-based information and evidence-based techniques. Catherine helps clients explore the challenges which are preventing them from expressing their needs in ways prospective and current partners can hear in a non-defensive space.

Catherine’s practice is strength-based, and she creates a collaborative, safe, client-centered practice for clients who may have never been in therapy before or for clients who are currently looking for a more specialized treatment around their presenting sexuality-focused problem(s). She is highly attuned to the racial, religious and culturally informed backgrounds each of her clients come from and utilizes a multi-lens approach in her sex therapy and sex coaching assessments.

Catherine sees individual and couples for sex therapy and sex coaching with a wide array of presenting sexuality problems including:

• Discrepant Desire in Couples (partners/spouses who have different desire levels/interests)
• Erectile Disorder (ED)
• Premature or Uncontrolled Ejaculation (PE, UE)
• Anorgasmia
• Sexual Trauma Recovery (from childhood abuse, sexual assault, rape)
• Repair after Infidelity, Cheating, and Affair Discovery
• Sexual Pain (vaginal, pelvic pain penetrative disorders, GPPPD, Vulvodynia)
• Out of Control Sexual Behavior, Hypersexual or Compulsive Sexual Behavior (Sex Described Pornography, Sexually Explicit Media, or Sex Addiction)
• Sexuality Challenges due to Infertility/IUI/IVF/Hormone Treatment
• Low or Absent Desire
• Performance Anxiety (for folks who are dating and those in existing relationships)
• Peri-menopausal, menopausal and post-menopausal challenges
• Negative Body-image, Body Dysmorphia (BDD)
• Navigating Ethical/Consensual Non-Monogamy, Polyamorous Singles and Couples
• Kink/BDSM (Lifestyle) interest
• Single lifestyle issues
• Coming Out
• Recovery and Emerging from Separation and/or Divorce
• Pre-marital Counseling
• Communities

Communities:

• Clients raised in highly religious backgrounds: (Muslim, Orthodox Judaism, Evangelical Christian, Catholic, Morman, Hinduism)
• LGBTQIA identified individuals and couples
• Kink/BDSM/Lifestyle
• Sex workers
• Polyamory
• Ethical Non-Monogamous (ENM) and Consensual Non-Monogamous (CNM) couples, throuples and polycules

In addition to these sexually related challenges, Catherine also sees clients who wish to work on these general therapy and coaching concerns:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Couples counseling
• Issues in Emerging Adulthood (“adulting”, job challenges, relationships)
• Dating Anxiety and Social Anxiety
• Break Up Recovery
• Pre-marital/Commitment Counseling
• Family of Origin Relational Trauma
• Life Cycle/Milestone Transitions and Stressors
• Grief, Loss, and Bereavement
• Body Image Issues
• Disordered Eating
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Job loss
• Life Transitions
• Women’s Issues
• Men’s Challenges in the workplace and in relationships
• Cross-cultural/Religious relationships

Academic Background

Catherine holds a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Lesley University where she specialized in working with athletes around embodiment, performance anxiety, teaching them skills to stay present and grounded using mindfulness and CBT techniques. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Theoretical Orientation

Catherine has a warm and relational therapeutic style and meets clients/couples where they are in each session. She utilizes behavioral and psychodynamic approaches to individual and couples counseling and offers education, advice and exercises in both therapy and coaching modalities. She offers guidance to clients who need it when creating boundaries with partners and in work situations.

Professional and Community Associations

Catherine is a member of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT) and the New York Mental Health Counselors Association (NYMHCA).

Qualifications and Areas of Practice

Nanaho is a licensed clinical social worker and sex therapist experienced in working with people from a range of professional, socioeconomic, religious and cultural backgrounds. In addition to one’s familial/communal history, Nanaho has expertise in working with clients who identify themselves as either curious, practicing or identifying themselves in a wide spectrum of sexual lifestyles. She works with heterosexual and LGBTQ+ monogamous couples/singles as well as those folks who are exploring or in Ethical Non-Monogamous, Polyamorous, BDSM and/or kinky relationships. Nanaho is committed to creating therapeutic space for clients who are exploring or have identified in a gender identify different from their natal sex, so that they feel more comfortable within their skin. She understands how a person’s attitude towards sex can be central to their conception of themselves, and their self-esteem. She focuses on creating safe therapeutic relationships for clients and couples to express and develop their sexual selves to increase their enjoyment of life and relationships.

• Discrepant Desire in Couples (partners/spouses who have different desire levels/interests)
• Erectile Disorder (ED)
• Premature or Uncontrolled Ejaculation (PE, UE)
• Delayed Ejaculation
• Anorgasmia
• Sexual Trauma Recovery (from childhood abuse, sexual assault, rape, boundary crossings)
• Repair after Infidelity, Cheating, and Affair Discovery
• Sexual Pain (GPPPD, Chronic Pain, etc.)
• Out of Control Sexual Behavior, Hypersexual or Compulsive Sexual Behavior
• Low or Absent Desire
• Performance Anxiety
• Negative Body-image, Body Dysmorphia (BDD)
• Navigating Ethical/Consensual Non-Monogamy, Polyamorous Singles and Couples
• Kink/BDSM (Lifestyle) interest
• Single lifestyle issues
• Coming Out
• Recovery and Emerging from Separation and/or Divorce
• Performance anxiety
• Communities

Communities:

• GBTQIA identified individuals and couples
• Kink/BDSM/Lifestyle
• Sex workers
• Polyamory
• Ethical Non-Monogamous (ENM) and Consensual Non-Monogamous (CNM) couples, throuples and polycules

In addition, Nanaho has an extensive background in helping clients grapple with issues such as:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Dating Anxiety and Social Anxiety
• Family of Origin Relational Trauma
• Life Cycle/Milestone Transitions and Stressors
• Grief, Loss, and Bereavement
• Body Image Issues
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Life Transitions
• Cross-cultural/interracial relationships
• Medical issues and sexuality

Academic Background

Nanaho received her Masters in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work. Following her Masters, Nanaho ccontinued with post-graduate studies at the well-regarded Ackerman Institute for the Family studying Systemic Couples and Family Therapy in which a therapist regards how a problem is enacted and sustained in a couple/family system and how to create interventions to dislodge these patterns. She is currently completing the post-graduate program at ICP Sex Therapy Program. She has worked for over seven years with clients individually, as couples and families for several different agencies as well as being a highly respected Team Leader in her former agency position. Prior to becoming a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), Nanaho spent years in journalism and academia. She has lived, studied and worked in a number of countries, including Cambodia, Uganda, France, and Tajikistan. She has traveled extensively in the Middle East and East Asia. Nanaho received her BA in government from Harvard College, and a joint masters in international affairs/diplôme from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs /Institut d’études politiques de Paris, (Sciences Po).

Theoretical Orientation

Nanaho’s approach is client-centered, strengths-based, compassionate, and nonjudgmental. She understands that clients come to therapy with complex family/relational/sexual histories/identities. She focuses on helping clients explore such histories such that they can create empowering narratives of their lives and sexuality.

Professional and Community Associations

Nanaho is a member of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).