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The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework 4th edition define "routines" as:
"Routines For persons, groups, and populations: Patterns of behavior that are observable, regular, and repetitive and that provide structure for daily life. They can be satisfying and promoting or damaging. Routines require momentary time commitment and are embedded in cultural and ecological contexts (Fiese et al., 2002; Segal, 2004; see Table 6)."
Working with clients on their sexual routines is one of my top 5 ways I fall in love with OT again and again - every time. It reminds me how perfectly situated Occupational Therapy Professionals are to discuss sexuality in our clinical practice. We understand the impact of routines and specifically how occupations are sequenced together to facilitate participation, satisfaction, quality of life, and in some cases a great roll in the hay!
Working with your clients to have and enjoy sex needs to involve a conversation about pleasure. Talk to your clients about whether it feels easy or difficult to transition into an erotic space. What are the routines they have in place that help them get to that space?
Often times those routines aren't actually that supportive of the transition required. Prioritizing pleasure in our lives isn't just having more sex or saying "yes" to sex more. When sex is the only time we experience pleasure, it can often make it more difficult to transition into a sexual and erotic space. It's like saying, "ok, ready, go! Feel pleasure - now!"
Living a pleasure-centric life is about strengthening our relationship with pleasure and infusing it into our daily routines.
This week, I want to share my handout I use to guide clients through sexual routines and how to plan and schedule for sex. Use this handout with clients to discuss energy conservation, integrating pleasure throughout their daily routines, and specifically crafting sexual routines that work for them.
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