France lacks sexologists. While the need for sexology consultations is increasing, the number of practitioners is not keeping pace. Sexual health professionals made this observation during the ninth French meetings of sexology and sexual health which were held in Reims from 7 to 10 April 2016.
“Social Security does not reimburse”
Sexology has existed as a medical discipline for 35 years. The main association of sexologists, the Postgraduate Interdisciplinary Association of Sexology (AIUS) lists only 800 professionals in France. Currently, a sexologist must above all be part of a medical discipline (general practitioner, psychiatrist, gynecologist…) or paramedical (psychologist, midwives…) to be recognized by his peers. Even if 11 universities in France train in the discipline, the number of sexologists remains low, “in particular because Social Security does not reimburse [les consultations]“, explains Marie-Hélène Colson, coordinating doctor of the Assises de sexologie, to the magazine Legeneraliste.fr. Result: professionals are overloaded. “I have a very large clientele, nearly 180 patients and I find it difficult to follow“, explains on this same site Olivia Bachet, a psychologist by training and a sexologist for five years. “The people concerned are in a hurry, in crisis, they are not well and I cannot see them for a month and a half or see them very regularly. It’s frustrating and it goes against the desired harmony“, she adds.
Why consult a sex therapist?
The reasons for making an appointment with a sexologist are quite numerous. premature ejaculationerectile dysfunction, pain during intercourse, vaginismus, dyspareunia but also low libido. Otherwise, “the reasons for consultation evolve with the arrival of new drugs, because the fact of knowing that there are solutions de-dramatizes the situations“recalls Marie-Hélène Colson.
For find a sex therapist recognized and trained by a university, go to the website of the French Federation of Sexology and Sexual Health (FF3S).
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