Healthy Sexual Practices: Counseling Approaches for Differentiating Typical and Atypical Sexual Behavior in Adults

Historically, sexual health has been primarily considered with respect to physiological well-being and from the aspect of adverse health outcomes (e.g., HIV/AIDs, sexual abuse; Anderson, 2013; Burnes, Singh, & Witherspoon, 2017). Since the early 2000s, there has been an increased focus on sexual health from the holistic frameworks of positive sexuality and sex-positivity, which emphasize sexual satisfaction, pleasure, self-efficacy, and the integration of physical, emotional, relational, intellectual, developmental, cultural, and contextual aspects of sexuality and sexual practices (Anderson, 2013; Burnes et al., 2017; Murray, Pope & Willis, 2017).