ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the sexual and relationship therapist still has a major role to play in understanding and supporting a client with a terminal illness to express their sexual needs. Following a telephone enquiry from Steve, Paul, a psychosexual therapist, agreed to see Steve and his partner Jenny for an assessment session, as they wanted to talk about their sex life. The fact that someone’s sexuality is deeply affected by terminal illness is still unrecognised, and the problems of not addressing these issues are also still unrecognised: This is an area that is impinged upon by a terminal diagnosis or high symptom burden. Addressing the patient’s sexual needs is also enshrined in the World Health Organization’s definition of palliative care. The therapist must consider in advance their response to their own mortality and to the loss of their own sexual functioning in order to be prepared for what the client might talk about and how they might respond.
