The Sexual Health and Integrative Pleasure (SHIP) Model can be applied to sex therapy treatment planning through five main components—sexual adaptation and resilience, sexual literacy, relational intimacy, multidisciplinary care, and pleasure-oriented positive sexuality—to address often overlooked considerations in clinical care.
Treatment plans as commonly structured are often inconsistent with the aims of sex therapy, representing a gap in clinical care.
The SHIP Model comprises five main components applicable to sex therapy treatment planning.
Two detailed case studies were used to demonstrate how the SHIP model can be applied in clinical practice.
Effective sex therapy treatment planning requires incorporation of systemic, intersectional, empirical, lifespan, and biopsychosociocultural approaches.
The SHIP model's pleasure-oriented positive sexuality component represents a distinct orientation in sex therapy treatment planning compared to problem-focused approaches.
Multidisciplinary care is identified as a core component of the SHIP model for sex therapy treatment planning.
This research suggests that standard mental health treatment planning often does not fit well with the goals of sex therapy, leaving many clinicians without good guidance on how to structure care for sexual health concerns. The authors propose using the Sexual Health and Integrative Pleasure (SHIP) Model as a framework to fill this gap, organizing treatment planning around five areas: helping clients adapt and build resilience around sexual concerns, improving knowledge about sexuality, addressing relationship intimacy, coordinating care across multiple providers, and focusing on pleasure and positive aspects of sexuality rather than only problems. The paper uses two detailed case studies to show how therapists can actually apply this framework in practice. It also emphasizes that good sex therapy treatment planning needs to account for the whole person — including social systems, cultural background, life stage, and the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors. The authors note that many clinicians have received little training specifically on treatment planning for sex therapy, making this a practical resource. This research suggests that shifting sex therapy treatment planning toward a pleasure-positive, integrative, and culturally informed approach — rather than focusing narrowly on dysfunction or problems — may better serve clients' sexual health needs. For practicing therapists, the SHIP model offers a concrete structure for developing treatment plans that are more aligned with the actual goals of sex therapy, including promoting wellbeing and not just reducing symptoms.
Connor J, Arenella K, de Oliveira L, Evenson L, Mark K, Newstrom N, et al.. (2025). Therapeutic Treatment Planning for Sex Therapy Using the Sexual Health and Integrative Pleasure (SHIP) Model.. Journal of sex & marital therapy. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2025.2531161