ABSTRACT

Masters and Johnson (1970), founders of modern-day sex therapy, understood the significance of treating sexual problems within a couple’s relationship . The resolution of sexual issues, regardless of cause, required the participation of a supportive, cooperative partner in the treatment process . In an era where mechanistic, genital-focused behavioral and medical interventions were heralded as a panacea for sexual problems, this integrated approach to couple and sex therapy fell by the wayside . Recently, however, scholars in the field of sex therapy have again begun to call for a return to a more integrated approach to couple and sex therapy (Leiblum, 2007) . In this chapter, we return to an integrative framework, describing an attachment-based approach to couples’ sexual functioning that locates sexual problems and their remedies within the context of the couple relationship .