What's the evidence for psychosexual counselling?

We found two good-quality studies (randomised controlled trials) that looked at men who had psychosexual counselling. They included 90 men in total.[1] [2]

One study found that psychosexual counselling helped men feel better about themselves and about sex, but they were not more likely to be able to have sex.[1] The other study found that men were more likely to be able to have sex after psychosexual counselling.[2]

The second study compared having psychosexual counselling with having another type of counselling called interpersonal therapy and having both therapies together. Interpersonal therapy seemed to help more men than psychosexual counselling. And having both treatments worked better than having either on its own.[2]

References

Price SC, Reynolds BS, Cohen BD, et al. Group treatment of erectile dysfunction for men without partners: a controlled evaluation. Archives of Sexual Behaviour. 1981; 10: 253-268.

Stravynski A, Gaudette G, Lesage A, et al. The treatment of sexually dysfunctional men without partners: a controlled study of three behavioural group approaches. British Journal of Psychiatry. 1997; 170: 338-344.

Glossary

randomised controlled trials

Randomised controlled trials are medical studies designed to test whether a treatment works. Patients are split into groups. One group is given the treatment being tested (for example, an antidepressant drug) while another group (called the comparison or control group) is given an alternative treatment. This could be a different type of drug or a dummy treatment (a placebo). Researchers then compare the effects of the different treatments.