Counseling and Therapy

The therapists at ZISS offer you a safe and confidential setting for all sexual concerns, allowing you to explore personal challenges, recognise underlying connections, and develop new patterns of behaviour—at your own pace and without predefined expectations. The focus is equally on the body, lived experience, and relationships. Therapy is available in individual or couple settings. We also offer therapy groups and weekend seminars

When is an initial assessment useful and how does it work?

If you have a question or concern related to sexuality, an initial assessment may be appropriate. During this assessment, we develop an understanding of the connections within your sexual experience. The evaluation of your sexuality may take between 1 and 4 sessions. If you wish to make changes, we explore possible ways forward together. You can then decide whether you would like to pursue sexual therapy and in what form this should take place.

The initial assessment is available for individuals as well as couples.

What happens in sex therapy?

Sexuality and sexual abilities can be learned, and sexual problems are often related to an individual’s sexual learning history. Sex therapy supports and facilitates these learning processes.

The duration of therapy is difficult to predict. As with learning a sport, a language, or a musical instrument, it depends among other things on your goals, how much time you want to invest in the learning process, and your starting point.

Individual therapy or couples therapy?: In individual sessions, the focus can be entirely on you and your learning experiences. If you are in a relationship, couples sessions are often useful later in the process. These sessions focus on jointly shaping sexuality and the shared learning experiences as a couple. If you are unsure whether to come alone or with a partner, feel free to contact us.

Groups and seminars

The therapy group "With Pleasure to Orgasm" for women is playful and enjoyable, while also being clearly goal-oriented: we assume that achieving orgasm and a fulfilling sex life requires learning steps that are accessible to every woman. Building on the sexual abilities you already have, you will learn to enrich your erotic experience and increase pleasure. Learn more about this program.

In the four weekend seminars "Vivre en Amour- Sex and Love" for individuals and couples, we explore topics related to sex and love. These themes can sometimes become stumbling blocks in relationships and lead to complications. We view them as starting points for development and show pathways for change.

Learn more about the groups and seminars

When is sex therapy useful?

Below are topics we frequently encounter in our practice (with common terms you may have come across in parentheses):

Erectile dysfunction (ED, "impotence")
Premature, delayed, or absent ejaculation (ejaculatio praecox, delayed ejaculation, retrograde ejaculation)
Difficulties with sexual arousal and orgasm (anorgasmia, absent or low-pleasure orgasm)
Pain and discomfort in the genital area or during sexual activity (dyspareunia)
Vaginismus (involuntary vaginal muscle tension or inability to have vaginal intercourse)
Reduced sexual desire (low libido, sexual aversion, asexuality, "frigidity")
Communication and intimacy/sexual expression difficulties
Self-esteem, body image, and sexual confidence
Compulsive sexual behavior ("sex addiction")
Difficulties with sexual preferences and fantasies (sexual preference disorders, paraphilias, fetishism)
Issues related to sexual orientation
Sexual difficulties in people with homo- or bisexual orientation
Gender-related concerns (gender dysphoria, transgender identities)
Sexual issues in non-binary and trans* individuals
Sexuality after traumatic experiences
Sexuality in later life
Sexuality after surgery, illness, or physical impairment
Sexual development in children and how to respond to it

Is your topic not listed? That’s fine—please contact us anyway. The list is not exhaustive.

Which therapists can I contact?

You can contact members of ZISS or externally certified therapists for consultations or therapy.

The therapists listed below meet ZISS quality standards for sex therapy based on the Sexocorporel approach. They have completed full training in Sexocorporel and hold the title of Clinical Sexologist iSi. They also have broad therapeutic training and regularly participate in supervision and continuing education. They work in various locations across Switzerland.

ZISS institute members

External therapists

Tais Michelle Mundo | +41 76 335 24 72 | www.myvaginaandme.love

Dania Schiftan | +41 75 400 44 22 | www.daniaschiftan.ch

Lea von Mühlenen | +41 77 460 25 95 | www.sexualtherapeutinzuerich.ch

Franziska Ziegler | +41 79 786 29 27 | www.franziskaziegler.ch