Marisol G. Westberg, Ph.D. LMFT - Expert Sex Therapist Offering Online Counseling
Marisol G. Westberg, Ph.D. LMFT
If you are reading this, you probably want better sexual experiences and relationships. I will help you find out what is getting in the way of you having that. Barriers are typically conflict/trauma in the relationship, psychological wounding in the relationship or in the individual, and negative dynamics in the relationship.
A Little Background
People often ask how I became a sex therapist. Becoming a sex therapist wasn’t my goal. It more or less chose me rather than the other way around. I was having trouble coming up with a topic for my dissertation when I recalled a conversation with my best friend about a sexual encounter. She excitedly told me that the guy she had met that night didn’t want to use a condom. I asked her why she was so happy about it, and she responded that perhaps it indicated that the guy wanted a serious relationship with her and/or that he thought she was pure or clean.
I found this conversation to be fascinating and I chose it as my dissertation topic. After spending years researching sexuality, I finished my dissertation entitled, “The Colonization of Sexuality.”
Up until I got my Ph.D. I had been a practicing therapist that worked with general topics such as depression, anxiety, trauma but when I was given the opportunity to join the faculty at Lewis and Clark College, I began to focus my practice on sex therapy.
I went on to get AASECT accredited so that I could teach people online what I do as a sex therapist. Now I spend my time with sex therapy clients and provide online education to sex therapists.
How I can Help
- Healing relationship ruptures that lead to sexual dissatisfaction
- Healing previous individual wounding that determine sexual disatisfaction
- Providing structures and techniques to overcome sexual disatisfaction
- Providing new ways of thinking about sex and sexuality
Who I can Help
Individuals struggling with their sexual relationships to others and with themselves
Relationships struggling with their sexual relationships
Who I Can't Help
- People experiencing domestic violence. Many times couple’s therapy is used as a weapon for more abuse.
- People looking for a coaching type of treatment.
Techniques/Theories I Use
Emotionally Focused Couple’s Therapy: Successful in boosting attachment and resolving disputes to improve dynamics and communication.
Imago Couple’s Therapy: Helpful in reducing conflict that often arises as a result of an underlying emotional discontent felt within the context of the relationship. Outwardly it is expressed through criticism, anger, and dissatisfaction. Imago relationship therapy helps a couple explore the root of the emotional hurt or need and determines what elements causes those issues to manifest as negative comments, feelings, and behaviors.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Able to successfully alter our relationship with difficult concepts and feelings such that we stop seeing them as “symptoms.” Instead, we teach ourselves to view them as unimportant, transient psychological phenomena that are innocuous yet unpleasant. Ironically, ACT really accomplishes symptom reduction through this process—but as a consequence, not as the intended result.
Trauma Informed Couple’s Therapy: Makes it easier to comprehend and deal with the distress that these coping mechanisms have on the relationship. It also helps to raise awareness of what has happened to each other in the past.
Fuck Sex Model for Sex Therapy: After working as a sex therapist for many years, I created this paradigm. Below is a video that explains it.