Who can I talk to and/or where can I get help if I'm worried about a sexual or relationship problem?
It sometimes helps to talk through a problem with a nurse or health professional that you already know or receive care from. She/he will be able to listen to how you feel, this can help in itself and it is often a good way of beginning to understand the nature of your concerns and the type of help or information you may need.
It may be helpful to consider discussing the issue with your General Practitioner (GP) or Practice Nurse based in your surgery or Health Centre.
Specialist organisations and clinics that provide help, advice and/or treatment in relation to sexual health and/or relationship difficulties include :
Family Planning Clinics (Reproductive and Sexual Health Services). To
find out where your local service is based visit the
Family Planning Association's main web-site at www.fpa.org.uk
. This site has a lot of useful information on various aspects of sexual health
including contraception, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The site
also suggests some further useful link sites.
GUM
clinics (Genito-Urinary Medicine) - these clinics often have a drop-in facility
where you can go without an appointment or GP referral. GUM clinics provide help, treatment and advice in relation to any aspect of sexual health,
specialising in sexually transmitted infections and sexual health, HIV and AIDS related problems. It
is not unusual for GUM clinics to be based within a main hospital- clinic
details can be usually be obtained by ringing the main hospital switchboard..
Sexual and Relationship Problem Clinics. The British Association of Sexual
and Relationship Therapy (BASRT) can be contacted for a list of accredited therapists and
clinics in your area. www.basrt.org.uk
. This site contains some useful information about
psychosexual therapy and what it involves.
Relate. Relate is the largest relationship counselling organisation in
the UK. It has over 2,500 counsellors working in nearly 100 centres in England,
Wales and Northern Ireland. Check their web site ( www.relate.org.uk
) for information about available services in your area, on-line advice and also
see their informative page of helpful links.