Counseling Asexual Clients

Asexual persons experience little to no sexual attraction to others, although they may still experience romantic attraction and a desire to bond with others. Asexual people often experience bias and marginalization from allosexuals (persons who experience sexual attraction) within heterosexual and queer communities. Asexuals may also face bias from well-intentioned therapists who assume their lack of sexual attraction is due to trauma or a disorder. Although little research has been performed on counseling asexual persons, the authors review appropriate diagnostic counseling criteria for arousal and sexual disorders versus an asexual identity, and affirmative and strength-based techniques appropriate for work with this population. © 2017 by the American Counseling Association. All rights reserved.

Journal Abbreviation: Affirm. Couns. With LGBTQI+ People