KNOWLEDGE LIBRARY · 11
Sexuality and disability
in therapy.
Disabled people are frequently assumed to be asexual, or to have sexuality that isn’t worth discussing in therapy. Neither is true, and the silence itself does harm.
Themes that belong in the room
- Desirability and body image
- Sexual agency and consent
- Assumptions of asexuality
- Privacy, especially where carers are involved
- Dating and intimacy
- Sexual function and adaptation
- Gender identity and embodiment
- Cultural infantilisation of disabled adults
Why this needs its own space
Disability, gender, sexuality and identity are often discussed as though they belong in separate silos — a disability conversation here, a sexuality conversation there. In practice they show up together, in the same session, in the same person. A therapist who avoids the topic because it feels outside their competence leaves a client managing that avoidance alone.