Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - (Page 5) CT scan of a person with subdural hematoma, a type of traumatic brain injury. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. inappropriate touching and masturbation, hospital staff often interprets that as an inability to control sexual impulses. That’s not so. “It isn’t a sexual behavior problem, it’s an inhibition problem,” Mona says. “Talking about [inhibition control] won’t increase it.” Stanley Ducharme, PhD, a psychologist at Boston University Medical Center’s Institute for Sexual Medicine, agrees. “There’s this myth that people with brain injuries are hypersexual, but the reality is most people [with brain injuries] have diminished libido after these injuries,” says Ducharme, who is also an AASECT-certified diplomate in sex therapy. “It takes years to recover from relatively minor brain injuries,” Ducharme adds. Changing the system While therapists are busy treating veterans, Mitch Tepper, who is also an AASECT member and certified sexuality educator and counselor, is approaching the problem from a public health perspective. For the past couple of years, he’s been busy organizing panel discussions on the topic, including presentations at the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes conference and the AASECT conference in New Orleans. Last year, Tepper told About.com that “current military sexual health initiatives routinely fail to meaningfully address sexual health and intimate relationship concerns related to deployment, disability, hospitalization and rehabilitation.” That’s why he’s urging the federal government to make sexual health rehabilitation services available at Veteran’s Administration (VA) hospitals, including its four polytrauma centers in Tampa, Florida; Richmond, Virginia; Palo Alto, California and Minneapolis, Minnesota. “We’re looking at connecting the dots between psychological health, physical health and intimate sexual relations,” Tepper said. Eventually, Tepper would like to see the VA conduct sexual health screenings before soldiers are deployed to war zones and after they return, increase the number of sex therapists working at VA hospital and clinics and other measures. In coming months, the Center of Excellence for Sexual Health will apply for federal grants and foundation support to fund its ideas for improving the sexual health of veterans. Tepper expects to succeed, but he cautions that it won’t happen overnight. “We’re talking about big problems, long-term problems,” Tepper said. “In public health, it takes years to implement systemic change.” — Todd Melby “Current military sexual health initiatives routinely fail to meaningfully address sexual health and intimate relationship concerns related to deployment, disability, hospitalization and rehabilitation.” — Mitch Tepper AASECT Winter Institute T he AASECT Winter Institute will feature Sallie Foley, LMSW and Barry McCarthy, PhD. Sign up today for this integrative, comprehensive, psychobiosocial approach to sex therapy scheduled for Jan. 911 at Hilton Deerfield Beach/Boca Raton, Florida. For more information and to register, contact Tayloe Moore at tmoore@aasect.org. This institute will address: • Current issues in couple sex therapy • Dealing with controversial issues of sex and aging • Females and males without partners • Secret sexual lives • Sexual trauma • Gay and lesbian couples • Dealing with extra-dyadic involvements • Fatally flawed relationships • Use and misuse of medical interventions October 2008 Vol. 42, No. 10 | www.aasect.org Contemporary Sexuality 5 http://www.About.com http://www.aasect.org
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 Contents President's Column Member Profile Quick Hits: Sex in the News News of Members Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - Contents (Page 1) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - Contents (Page 2) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - President's Column (Page 3) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - President's Column (Page 4) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - President's Column (Page 5) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - Member Profile (Page 6) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - Member Profile (Page 7) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - Quick Hits: Sex in the News (Page 8) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - Quick Hits: Sex in the News (Page 9) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - News of Members (Page 10) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - News of Members (Page 11) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - News of Members (Page 12)
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