ABSTRACT
This chapter contains details of the further issues to be kept in mind when focusing on the sexual aspect of the couple relationship. It covers the most important aspects of assessment and will be of use to the therapist who is beginning to work with couples. The demands of work, children, and friends take over and it seems as if a chasm has opened between the couple. A discussion about the kind of relationship this couple want for themselves can often be very constructive. A referral for psychosexual therapy should be considered where there is a dysfunction present and where the couple might benefit from paying particular attention to the sexual interaction with the possible inclusion of some cognitive behavioural exercises. An absence of foreplay is common as the focus of the sexual encounter narrows down to genital functioning at the expense of any sensuality or eroticism.
