Sex therapy: an adjunct in the treatment of marital discord

This is a pilot project where sex therapy format was used in a group setting for the treatment of six married couples who had severe marital discord. None of the patients had a diagnosable sexual dysfunction, but sexual dissatisfaction was one of the common universal complaints. The article describes the treatment format and the clinical progress of the couples. In spite of the fact that the couples' marital discord has been refractory to prior therapy, there has been an overall improvement in their marriage as their sexuality improved. Possible therapeutic factors which led to this improvement are addressed. Despite limitations in patients' sampling and size, the results have been promising enough to encourage others to explore this modality as an alternative or adjunctive treatment for couples with severe marital discord and sexual dissatisfaction who have been refractory to unstructured traditional therapy.