For physical therapists, rehab, and pain clinicians
When pain or a changing body gets in the way of intimacy
I’m Joseph Maron, MS, LPC, a sex therapist seeing Pennsylvania adults by telehealth. While you continue the rehab and pain care, I work alongside you on the worry, avoidance, and relationship changes.
Immediate openings
Telehealth only · Adults in Pennsylvania · $195 per 50-minute session · Private pay, superbills provided
The consult is for your patient. The call button is for you. More practice details
Consider a referral when your patient…
Mentions that pain has changed their sex life.
Sexual difficulties often go along with pain and low mood.
Worries sex will cause a flare or an injury.
Beliefs that sex will make things worse can quietly limit desire.
Has stopped sex or touch since an injury or diagnosis.
Illness can change intimacy, roles, and communication.
Describes guilt, role strain, or distance with a partner.
Partners often struggle to talk about sexual needs and limits.
Is adapting sex to a disability, MS, or spinal cord injury.
Adults with MS or spinal cord injury say they want sexual health support that fits how their body works now.
Is recovering from cancer treatment or major surgery.
After breast cancer, psychological care improved sexual function.
Common reasons to refer
- Sexual concerns with chronic pain
- Changes after injury, surgery, or illness
- Adapting to disability or mobility change
- MS, spinal cord injury, and other neurologic conditions
- Fear of pain or a flare during sex
- Fatigue and low desire
- Body image after physical change
- Communication and role changes
Tandem care, not a hand-off
Your care
The rehab and pain care stays with you: treating pain and function, exercise and mobility, and guidance on safe movement.
Sex therapy
I work with your patient on fears about sex and pain, rebuilding touch, widening what sex includes, and body image.
A first conversation can simply be about whether a referral might fit. Please wait to send records or identifying details until we’ve set up a secure way to share them.
To refer
Your patient requests a free 15-minute consult at JosephMaronLPC.com. Or call 215-804-9315. Want to talk a referral through first? Call me at the same number.
Telehealth only · Adults in Pennsylvania · Private pay, superbills provided
Tell your patient: sex therapy is talk therapy. No touch, no exam.
Doctoral student in human sexuality, Widener University · Certificate in Affirmative Therapy for Transgender Communities · ADHD-CCSP · LGBTQ+ affirming
A referral does not confirm availability or establish a treatment relationship. This practice is not an emergency or crisis service. Call or text 988, or call 911 for an emergency.
Handouts to print or share
One page for you and a two-sided handout for your patient. The patient handout is also a web page, so you can send a link instead of printing.
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For people in physical therapy, rehab, or pain care
When your body has changed, and so has sex
Pain, injury, illness, and recovery can change how sex and closeness feel. Sex therapy can work alongside your rehab and pain care.
Why it fits
In a review of chronic musculoskeletal pain, sexual difficulties were consistent and tracked pain and distress.1 After breast cancer, psychological interventions improved sexual function.2 Psychological treatments, including CBT and mindfulness-based approaches, improve sexual function and sexual distress compared with no treatment in controlled trials.3 No trial has tested sex therapy in chronic pain; MS and spinal cord injury evidence is early.
1 Katz et al., Pain Med 2021. 2 Xu et al., J Clin Nurs 2023. 3 Frühauf et al., Arch Sex Behav 2013; Liu et al., J Sex Med 2026.
What I tell your patient about sex therapy
Sex therapy is talk therapy about sexuality, intimacy, and relationships. There is no touch, no exam, and nothing physical happens in sessions.
Sex therapy does not replace medical care or the care you provide. New or sudden changes deserve a medical check. If a medication seems to be affecting someone’s sex life, I ask them to talk with their prescriber before making changes.