A Holistic Social Work Approach to Providing Sexuality Education and Counseling for Persons with Severe Disabilities

Abstract

Spinal cord injuries and other acquired severe neurological disabilities of the spinal cord and peripheral nervous systems can be devastating to people who experience them. People experience changes in mobility and in bowel and bladder function. Sensory, tactile losses are common and physical independence may be compromised. Protracted hospitalizations and rehabilitation may be necessary to develop or regain physical skills and maximize independence. An extremely important, but often neglected, aspect of any comprehensive approach in the rehabilitation of persons affected by severe neurological disabilities is sexual education and counseling. As with any rehabilitation concern, a sexuality program should be approached in a systematic and comprehensive manner. This paper describes one such approach. Originally developed for persons with spinal cord injuries, this approach has been expanded to serve persons with other severe non-cognitive physical disabilities.