PSYCHOSEXUAL PROBLEMS IN THE CONTRACEPTIVE CONSULTATION – FURTHER TREATMENT OR REFERRAL? (BEFORE REFERRAL)
Before referral it is important for patients to know and to be able to have some say in the sort of therapist that they would like to see. It is pointless referring a man with impotence to a marital therapist if he wants to see a urologist for physical investigations. The referring doctor needs to be aware of the specific skills which are available, and to keep a balance between the physical and emotional needs of the patient, so that the whole patient can be treated.
Individual therapy may be available from doctors accredited as members of the Institute of Psychosexual Medicine. The aim of this psychosomatic approach is to promote understanding of the unique nature of each doctor/patient interaction and the help it gives in unravelling the patient’s sexual problems. Patients who are referred should be clear that they are to see a doctor who will examine not just their sexual problem but also their physical body.
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