(Trauma-Informed) Sex Therapy

Sexuality is deeply personal—and it can also be deeply impacted by trauma.

Maybe you find yourself shutting down during sex, feeling disconnected from your body, or struggling with intimacy even in relationships where you feel safe. Do you avoid sex altogether, or feel anxiety or shame about your desires? Has a past experience left you feeling like touch is overwhelming or hard to tolerate?

Why is this Hard?

Sex isn’t just about mechanics—it’s about trust, vulnerability, and connection. Trauma can leave the body feeling unsafe, even in situations that the mind knows are okay. For many people, especially those who’ve experienced relational trauma, sex can bring up fear, tension, or even grief. We live in a culture that often tells us to "just get over it," but healing isn’t a mindset—it’s a process. When you add in layers like identity, gender, orientation, or relationship structure, the shame and misunderstanding can multiply. No wonder so many people feel alone in this.

How Can Sex Therapy Help?

Trauma-informed sex therapy offers a compassionate and non-pathologizing space to explore what’s happening—at your pace, in your way. It’s not about fixing you (because you’re not broken), but about gently supporting your nervous system, boundaries, and desires. Our approach is collaborative and body-aware. We don’t push goals or pressure performance. Instead, we make space to understand what your parts are trying to protect, and how your story has shaped your relationship with sex and safety. This isn’t traditional sex therapy—it’s deeper, more attuned, and led by curiosity and care.

What is Possible?

For Survivors of Trauma

Safe – feeling more at home in your body and in control of your boundaries
Whole – reconnecting with lost or fragmented parts of yourself
Grounded – more in touch with the present moment and less overwhelmed by the past

For Couples

Reconnected – emotionally and physically closer to each other
Understood – finally feeling seen and heard in needs and desires
Playful – rediscovering joy, spontaneity, and shared intimacy

For Anyone who got the message they are Wrong

Affirmed – fully validated in identity and desires
Liberated – free from shame and societal expectations
Aligned – in harmony with body, self, and relationships

With the right support, it’s absolutely possible to experience sex in a way that feels safe, pleasurable, and fully your own. Whether you’re in a long-term relationship, exploring new connections, navigating kink, or discovering your identity, therapy can help you feel more grounded in your body and more connected in your relationships. You might find yourself enjoying touch again, setting clearer boundaries, communicating your needs, or simply feeling more present. Healing doesn’t always look like what we expect—but it’s real, and it’s possible..

Is This the Right Place for Me? Or Us?

Our sex therapy services are grounded in a trauma-informed lens and welcome the full range of human experience. This includes working with LGBTQ2+ individuals and couples, survivors of sexual trauma, people navigating complicated relationship structures like consensual non-monogamy, and those who simply feel lost or uncertain about their sexuality or desires. We understand that no two people have the same story—and that sex and intimacy look different for everyone. That’s why we take time to get to know you, not just the issue you're coming in with.

For survivors of trauma, sex therapy can be an important part of reclaiming your body, your voice, and your sense of agency. Many survivors experience dissociation, hypervigilance, or a loss of interest in sex altogether. You might feel like something was taken from you—or like you're going through the motions without really feeling connected. We offer a space where those experiences can be named without shame. Through a blend of talk therapy and somatic awareness, you’ll be invited to notice what feels safe, what doesn’t, and what might feel good again in the future.

For couples, sex therapy offers a chance to pause and reconnect—not just physically, but emotionally. Maybe one of you wants more sex and the other less. Maybe you’re dealing with the aftereffects of betrayal, chronic pain, medical changes, or past trauma. Or maybe sex has just… faded away, and you miss the closeness you once had. A sex therapist near you can help create a space where both partners feel seen and heard, and where honest conversations about desire, pleasure, and intimacy can happen without blame or pressure. We believe that relational repair is possible when safety, consent, and mutual care are prioritized.

For our LGBTQ2+ clients, sex therapy is affirming, inclusive, and responsive to the unique challenges and joys of queer relationships and identities. We understand that sexuality and gender are not binary, and that pleasure and connection take many different forms. You deserve a sex therapist who affirms your identity, understands queer culture and trauma, and doesn't make assumptions about your body, relationships, or desires. Whether you’re navigating intimacy after coming out, exploring gender-affirming care and its impact on sex, or building intimacy in same-gender or multi-gender relationships, we’re here to walk alongside you.

Looking for a sex therapist near me can feel overwhelming—especially when you’re already struggling. But you don’t have to figure it all out alone. At Making Space Psychotherapy, our team is made up of warm, skilled therapists who approach sex therapy with compassion, curiosity, and respect. We don’t use cookie-cutter approaches or rush your process. Instead, we co-create a space where your story matters, where healing can happen at your pace, and where the goal isn’t to be “fixed”—but to feel more connected to yourself and those you love.

More about Sex Therapy

Sex therapy isn’t just about fixing a “problem”—it’s about understanding what’s really going on beneath the surface. At Making Space Psychotherapy, we see sex and intimacy as reflections of our nervous systems, our past experiences, and our most tender needs for connection. When trauma, disconnection, or shame have gotten in the way, we offer a gentle, collaborative, and non-blaming approach to help you reconnect with your body and the people you love. Whether you're looking for a sex therapist near me in Hamilton or Burlington because you're feeling stuck in your relationship or healing after past harm, our team is here to help you explore this part of your life with care and respect.

Our sex therapy services are grounded in a trauma-informed and inclusive lens, welcoming the full range of human experience. We specialize in supporting LGBTQ2+ clients, individuals recovering from sexual trauma, couples in distress, and those exploring polyamory, kink, or consensual non-monogamy. Whether you're just beginning to explore your sexuality or navigating long-term issues with intimacy, we provide a safe and affirming space to unpack what’s going on. Each therapist on our team approaches this work with warmth, openness, and a deep understanding of how trauma can shape sexual expression and relational safety.

If you’re in Hamilton and looking for sex therapy, know that you’re not alone. Many people come to us feeling unsure, ashamed, or overwhelmed. Maybe sex has become a source of anxiety instead of joy. Maybe trauma has made it hard to feel safe in your own body. Or maybe you and your partner have grown apart and don’t know how to bridge the gap. At our Hamilton location, we help individuals and couples explore intimacy in a way that honours your nervous system, your history, and your hopes for connection. We're not here to prescribe or pathologize...we're here to listen, support, and gently guide your healing.

In Burlington, our sex therapy services are just as welcoming, trauma-responsive, and modern. Our Burlington clients often come to us looking for a sex therapist near me who truly gets it -- someone who understands that sex and intimacy are complex, deeply personal, and influenced by everything from culture and upbringing to gender, identity, and past relationships. We take time to understand what matters most to you, and we are proud to serve clients from all walks of life, including those in same-gender relationships, those healing from sexual harm, and those seeking more intimacy in polyamorous or open relationships.

Searching for sex therapy in Hamilton or Burlington shouldn’t feel clinical or cold. That’s why our practice is built around making therapy feel human, compassionate, and real. We don’t follow rigid protocols or outdated approaches. Instead, we lean into the depth of trauma-informed care, drawing on modalities like IFS, somatic work, and relational therapy to help you make sense of what’s happening in your body and your relationships. Healing your sexual self is absolutely possible, and it can lead to more joy, pleasure, communication, and confidence than you thought was available.

If you're in Hamilton or in Burlington and you're ready to reconnect with your body, your partner, or your sense of self, we would love to support you. At Making Space Psychotherapy, our sex therapists are here to offer care that is inclusive, modern, and deeply respectful of your journey.

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