This summer, I’m teaching Sexual and Gender Health Development for the second time to graduate therapy students. Preparing for the course gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in a wide range of newer publications—something I genuinely love doing as both a clinician and educator.
The field of sex and gender therapy moves quickly. New research, evolving language, and emerging clinical frameworks are constantly reshaping how we understand identity, relationships, power, and care.
The photo of my stack of book shows a sampling of readings that reflect a diversity of author identities and perspectives, and topics. I am also assigning articles on the cutting edge. Check out these 6 titles that I am especially excited about sharing this term:
Cowart, L. (2021). From the top. In Hurts so good: The science and culture of pain on purpose (pp. 18-46). essay, Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Dynamite Garden (2021) Sensory Sex Hacks for Autistics by https://neuroclastic.com/sensory-sex-hacks-for-autistics/
Stein, M.T., Davis, D.L. (2024). Abortion, Trauma, and Post-traumatic Growth. In: Bindeman, J. (eds) The Mental Health Clinician’s Handbook for Abortion Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61453-8_1
van Anders, S. M., Herbenick, D., Brotto, L. A., Harris, E. A., & Chadwick, S. B. (2022). The Heteronormativity Theory of Low Sexual Desire in Women Partnered with Men. Archives of sexual behavior, 51(1), 391–415.
Watter, D. N. (2017) Existential Issues in Sexual Medicine: The Relation Between Death Anxiety and Hypersexuality. Sexual Medicine Reviews.
Wetzel, G. M., Svensson, H., Cole, S., & Sanchez, D. T. (2026). Devaluing Women’s Orgasm: An Experimental Investigation of Whether, When, and to What Effect Women and Men Reduce the Importance of Women’s Orgasm. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 0(0).