Dena Abbott Ph.D., LP, AASECT CSE

I approach working with people with problems in their sexual lives from a sex-positive perspective, acknowledging that all consensual sex can be healthy and that each of us make personal decisions about what feels healthy. Therefore, I hope to tailor treatment to help people determine if their distress is related to their sexual behavior and/or to the societal and cultural expectations for sex they have learned from their families and communities. Then, we can design a pleasure-centered plan.

I work with intimate partners in a variety of romantic and/or sexual relationships (e.g., couples, polyamorous relationships, and ethically/consensually non-monogamous relationships). In general, I hope to help partners explore their sexual and relationship values and where they learned them, improve communication skills, and negotiate values- and pleasure-driven plans to enhance sexual and relationship satisfaction.

I use a relational-cultural framework. This means I think people are healthiest when they are in connection with other people. Feeling disconnected from ourselves, others, and the world can create distress and unhappiness. One source of disconnection is oppression (e.g., racism, heteronormativity, sexism, and cissexism). Therefore, I hope to build a relationship with clients in therapy, foster relationship-building outside of therapy, and address the role of oppression in clients' distress.

In the interest of understanding their own experience and enhancing communication with others, I help clients find language to describe their feelings, identify how their body responds to different feelings, and determine how and when to share their feelings with others. Importantly, I invite clients to bring difficult emotions (e.g., anger, sadness, fear), that might not feel welcome elsewhere or that they feel uncomfortable sharing in other spaces, to therapy

In the interest of understanding their own experience and enhancing communication with others, I help clients find language to describe their feelings, identify how their body responds to different feelings, and determine how and when to share their feelings with others. Importantly, I invite clients to bring difficult emotions (e.g., anger, sadness, fear), that might not feel welcome elsewhere or that they feel uncomfortable sharing in other spaces, to therapy which may feel emotionally safer.

I help romantic and/or sexual intimate partners in all kinds of relationships (e.g., couples, polyamory) strengthen their connection and enhance their sexual and relationship satisfaction. We often explore the development of sexual values, work on improving communication, and experiment with ways to promote pleasure, sexual and otherwise. I often work with partners hoping to improve their sex life, resolve a mismatch in sexual desire, or explore new ways of being in relationship together.