In this episode of Modern Intimacy, Dr. Kate Balestrieri talks with Dr. Lee Phillips, a certified sex therapist who often works with people with disabilities and chronic illness. Dr. Lee Phillips is in private practice in Reston, VA where he specializes in couples sex therapy. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida. Dr. Phillips is a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) in the state of Virginia. He is a Certified Sex Therapist (CST) by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT). In addition, he is a Certified Sex and Couples Therapist (CSCT) by the Integrative Sex Therapy Institute. He has been in private practice for more than a decade, working with individuals and couples on sexuality after chronic illness.

He lectures on topics including sexuality, chronic pain, anxiety and stress management, caregiving stress, depression in the elderly, mindfulness and cognitive strategies for chronic pain, reclaiming sexuality for couples with chronic illness, ethical decision making, the assessment of mental disorders, and exploring sexual communication, freedom, and pleasure for gender minorities with chronic illness, pain, and other disabilities. He has published in the Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, conducting a research study on LGBTQ-Affirmative Teaching at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Understanding Program Directors Views.

He has been a featured expert in Teen Vogue, Healthline, and The Lily Newspaper. He writes for Psychology Today. Dr. Phillips is writing his first book, Sex and Love When You’re in Pain, which helps couples overcome shame and the sexual limitations caused by illness and gives strategies to create and reclaim a sex life that works. He is the host of the Sex & Chronic Illness Podcast. His podcast features stories from individuals, couples, and other experts in the field on overcoming shame and the sexual limitations caused by illness and disability. He holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Behavioral Health from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ. In addition, Dr. Phillips is an adjunct professor in the Master of Social Work Program with the School of Social Work at Western New Mexico University and he is an instructor for The Integrative Sex Therapy Institute and with Modern Sex Therapy Institutes. He can be found at www.drleephillips.com.

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