What is intimacy coaching?

An intimacy coach or sex coach (I have no preference between the two) is a trained professional whose coaching focuses on personal or couple/relationship growth around sex, intimacy, and relationships. I am a Certified Sex and Relationship Coach through the Sex Therapy University Pleasure Psych™ program), and I help my clients build experience pleasure, and build healthy relationships. See my Services page to explore more of my focal areas.

Is a sex coach a sex therapist?

Nope - similar purviews and we both strive to create a non-judgmental space for clients to grow and explore, but we are not the same! Coaching can be similar to talk therapy, but coaches and therapists have different scopes. The key differences come down to licensure, location, and flexibility.

• Licensure: A coach may be certified (as I am, via the Pleasure Psych™ program), while licensed clinicians and therapists must obtain a higher degree in psychotherapy, theology, social work, or medicine as well as licensing through state boards. Therapy is also a space where clients can explore deeper traumas or diagnoses than coaches are trained to handle. As a coach I do not hesitate to refer clients to a therapist if their needs are outside my scope. I recommend LA Sex Therapy Collective as a clinic with multiple licensed sex therapists if that is more in line with your needs.

• Location: Coaches can work with anyone anywhere, regardless of location, whereas licensed clinicians may only practice in regions where they are licensed.

• Flexibility: Coaches are also able to provide services that therapists do not, for example, accompanying and guiding a client to explore and get comfortable in an adult store, or a kink environment if that is something a client wants to explore but isn’t comfortable doing so on their own.

Both coaches and therapists have many pros and cons - the Somatica Institute has a great breakdown of the differences and commonalities between the two if you’d like to learn more.

Why work with a sex and intimacy coach?

Sex can be complicated and hard to talk about, and is often very taboo. There’s an implicit, unspoken expectation that we should naturally know how to have sex, yet many people struggle with sexual dysfunction, shame around sex and exploration, or just with talking about sex, even with their close partners. Intimacy coaches provide a safe space to bring your whole self, no matter what struggles you may be facing - I promise we have seen it before. We probably won’t be shocked, and we definitely won’t judge. Sex, intimacy, and relationship skills are all learnable and teachable! Intimacy coaches understand both the physiology and psychology of sex and are able to guide clients to get more in touch with themselves, or relate to partners on a deeper level both emotionally and physically.

How do sessions work?

I conduct 50-minute coaching sessions over Zoom or Google Meet.

What are your rates?

My rates are on my Services page, starting at $150/session for individuals.

I offer sliding scale for those in financial need - please reach out via my Contact form if this describes you.

What is your cancellation policy?

Cancellations more than 24 hours ahead of the booked appointment time have no penalty. Cancellations less than 24 hours before an appointment carry a cancellation fee of half the cost of the booked session.

Do you take insurance?

Unfortunately, no, I can only accept cash. Only licensed therapists contracted with insurance providers can bill insurance or provide superbill documentation for insurance reimbursement. However, working outside the insurance system (as many private pay therapists do) actually gives coaches and our clients the flexibility to work together exactly as we want and need to without being beholden to the insurance system.

What is your privacy policy?

As a professional coach, the client-coaching relationship is built on transparency and trust, and I am committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information, including the content of our sessions.