Talking Sexuality

Abstract

Every day more midwives and other healthcare practitioners (HCPs) realise that good care has to consider their clients’ sexual well-being. Still, many find it challenging to breach the topic during a consultation by talking to their clients about sexuality. This chapter explores the thresholds midwives and other healthcare practitioners experience when it comes down to talking about sex with their clients. Drawing on existing models of health and well-being, such as the biopsychosocial model of health, and existing models for communication in clinical settings, such as the ICE model, the chapter offers a simple and easy to use four-step communication model—starting with raising the issue of sexuality pro-actively and ending by making the client an offer. This approach can help healthcare practitioners to integrate sexuality into their daily practice. “Talking sexuality” is a part of the more extensive publication “Sexuality & Midwifery”, an open access textbook published by Springer Nature, geared at midwives and related healthcare professionals, providing an overview of the current scientific knowledge on sexuality and midwifery, presented in a practice-oriented way.