The role of sex therapy in marial therapy.

Marital and sex therapy are clinically interrelated in most cases because they deal with different symptoms of overlapping aspects of the couple's total relationship. The connection between marital discord and sexual dysfunction determines the emphasis and course of treatment. For example, sex therapy is the immediate treatment of choice when sexual dysfunction produces secondary marital discord but not when severe discord precludes the possibility of good sexual functioning. The author presents case reports to illustrate the relationship of remote and immediate causes of marital and sexual problems and to emphasize the value of a multimodality approach to treatment.