Systemic concepts eg: multiple context levels, self reflexivity, gender and cultural sensitivity, were combined with a range of ideas from sexology, eg definitions of sex / myths, sexual response cycle. Specific interventions also combined the two approaches. The presenting problems were succesfully resolved thus adding to the weight of practice evidence for the potential application of such a combined approach.
Whilst the therapeutic approach exhibits some similarities with the Intersystems Model (Weeks 2005) it adds new dimensions particularly by including the concepts of the Self of the Professional and the Social Construction of truth, thus comprising an alternative therapeutic approach for working systemically with sexual issues. The wider political themes of diagnostic categories, medical pathologising and issues of (female) sexual rights are also discussed within the proposed model.
References: Dallos & Dallos (1997) Couples, Sex and Power. The Politics of Desire. OU Press; Hof & Berman (1986) The Sexual Genogram. JMFT; Kantor & Okun (1989) Intimate Environments. Sex, Intimacy and Gender in Families. The Guilford Press; Leiblum & Rosen (2000) Prinicples and Practice of Sex Therapy. The Guilford Press; Weeks (2005) The emergence of a new paradigm in sex therapy: integration. BASRT.Routledge.
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