Sexual Health Alliance

Is S//x-Positivity Enough To Be Clinically Competent? 🧠

Being open, accepting, and nonjudgmental about s//xuality matters. It can help create a space where clients feel safer discussing parts of their lives that are often surrounded by shame.

But openness and clinical competence aren’t the same thing.

Research on s//xual health education has treated attitudes, knowledge, and skills as separate areas. Studies have found that specialized training can improve s//xual health knowledge and communication skills even when participants’ personal attitudes change very little.

That distinction matters.

A professional can be deeply s//x-positive and still not have been taught how to take a comprehensive s//xual history, assess a concern, communicate about s//xual health clinically, understand scope of practice, or recognize when a referral is appropriate.

And general clinical experience may not automatically close those gaps. Research examining psychology training has found that comprehensive preparation in s//xuality is not always part of traditional professional education.

S//x-positivity can help open the door. Specialized education helps professionals know what to do once the conversation begins.

If you want to build the knowledge and skills to work with s//xuality professionally, take our 30-second “QUIZ” to find the SHA Certification that fits your professional goals.

**Casual Vs Compulsive Adult Media Viewers: Who Is More Likely To S//xt? 📱**

A 2026 meta-analysis combined findings from 40 studies involving 103,452 people to examine the relationship between explicit media use and interactive online s//xual behaviors, including s//xting, cybers//x, exchanging explicit images, we**am interactions, and seeking partners online.

The surprising finding? Recreational explicit media use showed a stronger association with interactive online s//xual activity than compulsive use.

That doesn’t mean casual viewing causes someone to s//xt. Most of the studies measured behaviors at a single point in time, meaning researchers can identify associations but can’t determine that one behavior causes another.

It also highlights why frequency alone doesn’t tell us whether explicit media use is compulsive or problematic.

For one person, viewing may be connected to curiosity, novelty, aro//sal, or s//xual expression. For another, compulsive use may function as a more solitary way of coping with difficult emotions.

Instead of only asking, “How often are they watching?” it may be more useful to ask what role the behavior is playing in their life. Is it causing distress? Is it interfering with relationships, responsibilities, or wellbeing?

Digital s//xuality is part of modern s//xual health. Understanding it requires moving beyond assumptions and looking at behavior with context, evidence, and nuance.

Take our 30-second “QUIZ” to find the SHA Certification that fits your professional goals.

Is The Bedroom Getting Boring? 🛏️

The bedroom isn’t necessarily the problem. Sometimes, changing the setting simply changes the experience.

Surveys suggest plenty of people are already taking s//x beyond the bedroom, with the shower, car, kitchen, and even the office appearing as alternative locations. A different environment can introduce novelty, anticipation, new sensations, and a break from routine.

But where something happens also changes the context around it. The excitement of potentially getting caught may be part of the fantasy for some people, but fantasy and involving people who didn’t consent are two very different things. Privacy, boundaries, safety, and who else could be affected still matter.

And novelty doesn’t have to mean doing something completely different. Sometimes, the same partner and a familiar activity can feel different simply because the setting has changed.

Thinking about exploring something new with a partner? Our FREE “CHECK” Yes/No/Maybe checklist can help you talk through fantasies, boundaries, k//nks, and what you might be open to trying together.

Does Training Really Make Professionals Better At Talking About S//x? 🎓

Talking about s//xual health professionally isn’t just about being willing to bring it up. It requires knowledge, communication skills, and the ability to navigate conversations that many clients and patients may already find difficult.

Research suggests that specialized training can make a measurable difference.
Among clinical psychology doctoral trainees, prior s//xuality-specific training was associated with greater comfort discussing s//xual concerns, while general clinical experience wasn’t associated with comfort in the same way.

And the impact may go beyond confidence. In a randomized controlled trial of more than 400 medical, nursing, and midwifery students, a four-day s//xual health curriculum led to significant improvements in knowledge, communication, history-taking, confidence addressing concerns, and the ability to discuss s//xual health.
Researchers also evaluated participants through standardized-patient interviews. The trained group demonstrated significantly better s//xual health discussion and clinical communication skills.

That distinction matters. Specialized education isn’t simply about feeling more comfortable saying the words. It can help professionals develop the skills to actually have these conversations with greater competence and care.

And if four days of focused education can make a measurable difference, imagine what deeper, sustained professional training can build.

Take our 30-second “QUIZ” to find the SHA Certification that fits your professional goals.

Is There Really A “Perfect” Pair Of Bo***es? 👀

Researchers have tried to measure what people find attractive about breasts, but the answer changes depending on who you ask, and how you ask.

In one study of 239 medical students in Brazil, 61.1% preferred an even 50/50 distribution of fullness above and below the n/pple. Nearly 60% preferred a centrally positioned n/pple-ar**la complex, while approximately 84% selected the smaller n/pple and ar**la option.

But other studies have landed on different proportions. A 2014 study involving more than 1,300 participants favored slightly more fullness below the n/pple, while a 2022 U.S. study found greater preference for more fullness above it.

A 2025 systematic review of 36 studies found symmetry was more consistently associated with perceived attractiveness. Still, that doesn’t give us a universal formula for what breasts are “supposed” to look like.

These studies tell us about preferences within particular samples, not what every person finds attractive or how anybody should look.

Attraction can have patterns without having one universal ideal. Preference ≠ perfection.

Curious to explore human s//xuality more deeply? Take our 30-second “QUIZ” to discover which SHA Certification path fits your interests.

Why Are People Still Afraid To Talk About S//x With Their Doctor? 🩺

S//xual health can be directly relevant to someone’s care, yet many patients still hesitate to bring it up.

Research suggests embarrassment, nervousness, privacy concerns, and fear of how a healthcare provider might respond can all make these conversations harder to start. And sometimes, patients may simply be waiting for their provider to open the door.

In one study, 70% of patients said they would want their doctor to ask about s//xual concerns, while 43% said physician initiation would make the conversation easier.

That matters because silence doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t a concern. People may be experiencing pain, distress, dissatisfaction, or other s//xual health issues without ever discussing them during an appointment.

Creating space for these conversations is part of providing better care. It means helping patients understand that s//xual health is appropriate to discuss, approaching questions without judgment, and having the knowledge to respond when someone does open up.

For professionals, becoming more prepared for these conversations can make a meaningful difference.

Take our 30-second “QUIZ” to find the SHA Certification that fits your professional goals.

Wheel Of Consent 🎡

Consent isn’t only about whether someone says “yes” or “no.” It can also involve understanding who is doing and who the action is for.

That distinction sits at the center of Dr. Betty Martin’s Wheel of Consent. The model maps four dynamics (Serve, Take, Accept, and Allow) based on who is doing an action and who benefits from it.

Consider touch: “I touch you the way you want” is different from “I touch you the way I want.” The physical action may look similar, but the intention, benefit, and consent agreement are different.

That clarity can help people recognize what they actually want, what they’re willing to do, where their boundaries are, and when it might be time to check in again. And the Wheel extends beyond touch, it can be applied to everyday interactions and relationships, too.

Want to learn directly from the creator of the Wheel of Consent?

Join Betty Martin, DC, at the 2026 SHA Annual S//xological Conference for Serving or Taking? An Introduction to the Wheel of Consent and What It Can Do for Your People.