Sex Therapy in Virginia: What to Expect at Cushing Counseling
If you are looking for a sex therapist in Virginia — in Fairfax, Alexandria, Arlington, or anywhere in the Northern Virginia and DMV area — you have likely discovered that finding a qualified specialist takes more than a quick Google search.
Sex therapy is a specialized field. Not every therapist who lists it as a service has received formal training in it. And in a specialty this personal — one where you are being asked to discuss the most private aspects of your life — the qualifications, approach, and culture of the practice you choose matter enormously.
This post is for anyone in Virginia who is considering sex therapy and wants to know what Cushing Counseling offers, what to expect in sessions, and whether we might be the right fit.
About Cushing Counseling
Cushing Counseling is a sex and couples therapy practice founded by Vanessa Cushing, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and a sex therapy certification from the University of Michigan. Vanessa is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist — a credential that requires extensive supervised clinical training and represents one of the highest standards of competency in the field.
Our practice has therapists based in Fairfax, Virginia and Miami, Florida, with telehealth services available across Virginia and in Louisiana, Utah, South Carolina, and Alaska.
We are not a general therapy practice that happens to list sex therapy as one of many services. Sexual health is our specialty — and it is the lens through which our entire practice is built.
Who we work with
Our clients in Virginia come from across the Northern Virginia and DMV area: Fairfax, Alexandria, Arlington, McLean, Reston, Herndon, Tysons, Falls Church, Manassas, Woodbridge, and beyond. We also serve clients throughout Virginia via telehealth — Richmond, Virginia Beach, Charlottesville, and statewide.
We work with:
Individuals experiencing low sexual desire, difficulty with arousal or orgasm, sexual pain, or sexual anxiety
Couples navigating desire mismatches, intimacy disconnection, communication breakdowns around sex, or the aftermath of infidelity
People processing sexual trauma or abuse and its effects on current relationships and sexuality
Men experiencing erectile dysfunction or delayed ejaculation with a psychological component
People dealing with sexual side effects from medication, health conditions, or medical treatment
Couples going through fertility treatment and the intimacy strain that often accompanies it
LGBTQ+ individuals and couples seeking affirming, knowledgeable care
People exploring questions about their sexual identity, orientation, or desires
Our practice is fully inclusive and affirming across all relationship structures, gender identities, orientations, and backgrounds.
What makes Cushing Counseling different
AASECT certification
AASECT — the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists — is the gold standard credentialing body in sex therapy. Becoming an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist requires completing a graduate degree in a mental health field, completing specific coursework in human sexuality, accumulating supervised clinical hours in sex therapy, and passing a rigorous review process.
Many therapists in Virginia and the DMV area list sex therapy as a service. Far fewer hold AASECT certification. When you work with Cushing Counseling, you are working with a practice led by a therapist who has met the highest standard in the field.
Specialized, not generalist
General therapists are trained to address a wide range of concerns. Sex therapists are trained to go deep in a specific domain. That depth matters when you are dealing with a concern as nuanced, personal, and often complex as sexual health.
At Cushing Counseling, every therapist has received training in sex therapy. This is not a service we offer alongside unrelated specialties. It is what we do.
Warm, non-judgmental, and direct
The most common thing people say after their first session at Cushing Counseling is some variation of: “I can’t believe how easy it was to talk about this.”
That is by design. Our therapists are specifically trained to hold conversations about sex with comfort, clinical skill, and complete absence of judgment. Nothing you bring to a session will shock us, embarrass us, or change how we see you. We have heard it all — and we are here to help, not to evaluate.
AASECT Certified Sex Therapist
Telehealth available across Virginia
All of our services are available via secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth video sessions. This means that wherever you are in Virginia — whether you are in Northern Virginia, Richmond, Virginia Beach, or a more rural area — you can access the same quality of specialized care as someone sitting in our Fairfax office.
For many clients, telehealth is actually preferable for sex therapy: the privacy of your own space, no commute, and no risk of running into someone you know in a waiting room.
What to expect in your first session
Your first session at Cushing Counseling is an intake: a conversation, not an assessment. Your therapist will ask about what brings you in, your goals, some relevant background, and any questions you have about the process. You share only what you are comfortable sharing, and the pace is entirely yours.
There is no homework at the end of the first session and no expectation that you will have everything figured out. The first session is about making sure you feel comfortable and that we understand what you need.
Most clients leave their first session feeling a combination of relief and surprise — relief that they finally said the thing they have been carrying, and surprise at how straightforward and non-strange it was.
How to get started
The first step is a free 15-minute phone or video consultation. This is a chance for you to ask questions, share what you are dealing with, and get a sense of whether Cushing Counseling is the right fit — with no obligation and no pressure.
You can book your free consultation directly at cushingcounseling.com, or call our office at (703) 544-7081. We are currently accepting new clients in Virginia and our telehealth states.
If you have been searching for a sex therapist in Virginia and wondering whether this is really something that could help — we would encourage you to find out. The first conversation costs nothing. The relief of finally talking to someone who specializes in exactly this is significant.
We look forward to hearing from you.
— Vanessa Cushing, LPC, AASECT Certified Sex Therapist | Founder, Cushing Counseling
