“All things are bound together. All things connect.”
– Chief Seattle
The Stuff You're Most Curious About
Sex Therapy focuses on human sexuality and the way our sexuality influences our relationships and our mental health. Sex Therapy helps people sort out their thoughts and feelings around gender identity, sexual expression, romantic & erotic relationships, and our own physical bodies. Sex Therapy can occur individually or with your partner(s).
"Sex Therapy" itself is not a protected term. In theory, ANYONE can call themselves a Sex Therapist. That's why it's important to look for Mental Health Providers who:
- Have completed advanced training in Sex Therapy
- Are members in good standing of AASECT, the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists
- Who are either Certified by AASECT as Sex Therapists or are actively pursuing AASECT Certification.
I am proud to say I meet this standard.
If You Are In the United States:
The law requires that I be licensed wherever I am physically located and wherever my client's are physically located. I am currently licensed to provide mental health services in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Florida, and Arizona. If you are not a resident of these states, but are confident that I am the therapist for you, I am happy to consider obtaining licensure in your home state. This is a complicated process that requires a considerable time and financial investment to achieve.
Because of this fact, a request for licensure in your home state must be submitted in writing, along with payment of $450. This fee covers the cost of the licensing process and will be applied as a credit towards future sessions once licensure is obtained. Should you decide not to pursue counseling, this fee is non-refundable.
If You Are Located Outside of the United States:
Unfortunately, I am unable to provide psychotherapy and mental health counseling across international lines. If you are interested in interpersonal communications, conflict resolution, or engagement coaching, please consider reaching out to Stefani (at) TzefiraConsulting (dot) com for more information about non-therapeutic consulting services. Tzefira Consulting. LLC is not affiliated with Bound Together Counseling, PLLC.
Never! Or at least…not during our sessions together. Sex Therapy is a form of talk therapy. Depending upon your specific needs, we may discuss topics such as:
- Masturbation
- Sexual Intercourse
- Porn/Erotica Use
- Your Physical Anatomy
- Erectile or Arousal Difficulties
- Sex Toys
- Sexual Techniques & Positions
- Religious/Cultural Messages about Sex
I strive to model enthusiastic, compassionate, and direct conversations around subjects that many people find difficult. It’s okay to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable! I will gently follow your lead and allow you to set the pace as we move towards a greater understanding of the role that sexuality, gender, and intimacy place in your life. And then after we talk? I’ll offer tools, strategies, and exercises that you can utilize in the comfort of your home, by yourself or with your chosen partner.
Kink Aware Practice, or KAP, means that I am comfortable discussing all forms of relationship styles and sexual expression, including BDSM, fetishes, polyamory, and more. I pride myself on going beyond mere “awareness” of the kink community. I call myself a Kink Affirming therapist. I understand the needs of AltSex community members. In fact? I literally wrote the book on therapy with kinky clients! Your unique relationship and the ways you express love and affection contains tremendous strength that we can build on in our work together.
My faith influences my clinical practice in two key ways: I believe deeply that sexuality and intimacy are a divine gift, and I believe that each of us is born exactly as we are meant to be. These are the guiding principles of my practice.
For clients who come from religious backgrounds, I want leverage the strength and purpose that their religious tradition offers in order to help them experience the full potential for love and connection that I believe we are meant to have. And for those who have had religion weaponized against them, who have been told that they were evil, sinful, or somehow born “wrong”, I am here to help them reconnect with their authentic selves in a way that allows them to experience their connection to the sacred however they define it and in whatever capacity that they wish to do so.
My religion and culture have influenced my career path and inform my perspective on gender, sexuality, and relationships; but I do not offer Religious Therapy. I meet you where you are and help you find the good, the uplifting, the awe-inspiring, and the holy in your life and in your love…whatever form that takes for you.
I would never say I was famous... but I do have a name you might recognize! I've written several books, including the multi-award winning titles The Leather Couch: Clinical Practice with Kinky Clients and With Sprinkles On Top: Everything Vanilla People and Their Kinky Partners Need to Know to Communicate, Explore, and Connect. I also speak at conferences and events around the country on topics related to relationships, communication, and sexuality.
I am a frequent expert on sexuality and relationships for a variety of popular media outlets, including The New Yorker, Cosmopolitan, PornHub, The New York Post, Marie Claire, Teen Vogue, and more.
I'm also a faculty member at both the University of Minnesota's Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health and the University of Michigan's Sexual Health Certificate Program, as well as several sex therapy training programs around the country. So it's quite possible you've heard my voice before!
The Practical Stuff You Need To Know:
I provide therapy to people who are living in Arizona, Idaho, Michigan, Ohio, and Virgina; but I offer non-therapeutic educational consulting and coaching to folks all around the world. Many of my clients feel embarrassed, ashamed, or scared about the concerns they are bringing to therapy. They’ve been told that polite people don’t discuss sex, or sexuality, or gender. Some of them are afraid that speaking their truth will only make things worse. Others are 100% confident in who they are and what they like… and they’re sick to death of therapists who try to make their sexual identity an issue when it simply isn’t.
I understand both of these perspectives and I work to ensure that never you feel judged, shamed or out of place. My focus is on helping folks struggling with their relationships, their sexuality, their gender, or their own sense of self to clarify their feelings, communicate their desires, and set and enforce the boundaries that they need to lead happy, healthy, connected lives.
One of the only good things to come out of the Covid pandemic was telehealth. For the first time, we could avoid traffic, bad weather, and complicated childcare arrangements in favor of staying home... but staying connected. Since 2020, Bound Together Counseling has offered HIPAA-compliant telehealth services to both our therapy and coaching clients.
Short answer: No, we do not work directly with insurance companies.
Here’s the thing about insurance companies: they require a formal diagnosis, using the DSM-5: the official guide to mental health conditions published by the American Psychological Association, for any claim you ask them to pay. For some folks, this is comforting- you finally have a word for that thing you’ve been dealing with for years! You know it’s real! For others, it can feel like a profound violation of privacy- even trust- to have a clinical label applied to them. This can be especially true when what I’m diagnosing is a significant part of who you are or how you love. Most of my clients? Don't really want their employer-provided insurance company deciding if their orgasm struggles, their balloon fetish, or their swinging lifestyle qualify for reimbursement!
On top of the privacy concerns, the simple fact is that many insurance plans do not cover sexual health diagnoses and/or couples counseling. This can result in some pretty nasty surprises when your insurer says 'yeah- they're an in-network provider' but tells you six months later that your actual claim is still being denied because the work we're doing together isn't a covered service. I am a passionate advocate for informed consent and I want you to have a full understanding of what it means to ask your insurance to pay for your sex therapy.
Generally,we have found that clients prefer the privacy and autonomy that comes with a private pay model. But we also recognize that paying out of pocket can be daunting. That's why Bound Together Counseling offers a competitive session fee ($175 per 50-minute hour), package pricing, reimbursement assistance through Reimbursify, as well as a sliding scale option for those who qualify. You deserve the best-fit care for your unique life and relationship. Let’s talk about what works best for you.
We have partnered with Reimbursify to help you easily submit your claims for out-of-network health insurance reimbursement at no cost to you. Once you've downloaded the Reimbursify app, you simply take a quick snapshot of your Super Bill and upload it into your account. Reimbursify will handle submitting your claim and ensuring that you get a check back from your insurance company for everything your policy allows.
As a Licensed Master Social Worker, I do not prescribe medication. However, I am happy to answer questions about the medical interventions that are available to those struggling with sexual or emotional concerns. Should you decide that you want to explore these options further, I will refer you to a qualified medical provider. Needing medication does not disqualify you from continuing therapy- it just expands the team.
You can use the pink Request Appointment button on our homepage to get started. From there, you can schedule a brief 15-20 minute telehealth consultation. If we decide that I’m a good fit to meet your needs, we will schedule your first appointment. You’ll receive a follow-up email with a variety of forms to complete ahead of our first session. Once those have been returned? You’re all set and our work together can begin!
