006: Female Genital Pain 101

Podcast Description:

Natasha Helfer Parker interviews Kristin Bennion, CST, LCSW – an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist – on the important topic of understanding and treating female genital pain. What types of genital pain do women generally deal with and why? How do you go about making sure you are getting an accurate diagnosis? What assumptions and myths prevail when it comes to dealing with these types of issues? What role can a spouse play to be part of the solution instead of the problem? How can anatomy education play a role? What role does physiology play vs. psychology when it comes to genital pain (i.e. it’s not “all in your head”)? What messages do we have within Mormonism that can both help or hinder the ways we deal with and navigate issues such as these? What types of treatment exist to help with genital pain?

Kristin Bennion runs a private practice in Orem, Utah called Intimate Connections Counseling. Areas she specializes in include: women’s sexuality, desire discrepancies in couples, intimacy enhancement, intersection of faith and sexuality, out-of-control behavior, body image issues and eating disorder treatment. She has appeared on KSL television and local radio stations, has written a variety of articles for local media sources and has offered many community presentations. She is a graduate from BYU and works primarily with an LDS population.

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Thank you to Jeff Meyers for the intro and Peter & Mary Danzig of Otter Creek Duo for the concluding bumper music.

Natasha Helfer Parker, LCMFT, CST, CSTS can be reached at natashaparker.organd runs an online practice, Symmetry Solutions, which focuses on helping families and individuals with faith concerns, sexuality and mental health. She hosts the Mormon Mental Health and Mormon Sex Info Podcasts, is the current past president of the Mormon Mental Health Association and runs a sex education program, Sex Talk with Natasha. She has over 20 years of experience working with primarily an LDS/Mormon clientele