Introducing Denver Couples and Sex Therapy: CZTG’s New Partner in Trauma-Informed Sex and Couples Therapy

 

By Jordan Kurtz, MA, LPCC; featuring Angelica Jackson, MA, LPC

CZ Therapy Group has new neighbors, and we want to tell you all about them. The Denver Couples and Sex Therapy team - original sites located in Arvada and Lakewood - have opened up new therapy offices within CZTG’s building in the Observatory Park neighborhood. Myself and fellow CZTG therapists Lindsey and Chadley are not only excited about more office mates, but by the wealth of knowledge, humility, compassion, and intention this team offers to all of their clients. So: who are they, what do they do, and what makes their services unique? Read on to learn more. 

Is Denver Couples and Sex Therapy the Place for Me?

Both CZTG and Denver Couples and Sex Therapy (DCST) believe the therapeutic relationship itself is a vehicle for change. Therapy is a vulnerable space, and can feel particularly so when topics such as intimacy are on the table. Therefore, both teams commit to offering a person-centered, non-shaming and collaborative approach to therapy- we can only talk about the “yuck” when we feel safe and connected to the person we are side by side with. 

Denver Couples and Sex Therapy is inclusive of all sexual, gender, and racial identities, as well as sex positive. “Sex positive” largely means validation of and acceptance towards all aspects of intimacy, including body types, attitudes about play and desire, and various relational types underneath the monogamous and non-monogamous umbrellas. This also entails centering of unconditional consent and emotional, physical and mental wellbeing for all partners. 

A Lens Into Denver Couples and Sex Therapy from The Founder, Angelica Jackson

Who is your "typical client" and what are they coming in with?

We work with both couples and individuals for relational or sex therapy. Our clients seeking sex therapy may be navigating their gender identity or sexual orientation, sexual exploration or discovery, or sexual dissatisfaction or dysfunction.

How do I know if couples or sex therapy is right for me? 

If you are in need of support in your sexual or relational experience, we're your team! Talking about sex, intimacy, and relationship is incredibly vulnerable and can be very nerve-racking. Our team provides a gentle, supportive, non-judgmental space for you to explore, heal, and expand.

What makes your approach to therapy unique? 

Our therapists are highly trained and educated in relationships and human sexuality. Our approach is eclectic- building off and taking from a number of evidence-based modalities and practices. We treat each individual or relationship uniquely as there is no one-size-fits-all in life, relationship, or sex!

Services Offered at Denver Couples and Sex Therapy (DCST)

The Denver Couples and Sex Therapy Website offers a deeply thorough explanation of FAQs, value systems, and benefits to therapy on their website, which can be accessed here. Below I offer a summary of common concerns held by prospective clients and how various therapy types offered by the team can support you.

Sex Therapy:

Themes of Exploration:

  • Pain during sex

  • Kink or BDSM

  • Performance Anxiety

  • Difficulty Orgasming

  • Intimacy post infidelity

  • Ethical non-monogamy

  • Sexual trauma

  • Sex and Porn Addiction

  • Aging and Sexuality

  • Body Image and Sex

Common Gains:

  • Capacity to enjoy sex without guilt and shame

  • Healing from sexual abuse

  • Rekindling desire, arousal and pleasure

  • Creating a compassionate relationship with your body and pleasurable sensation

  • Understanding and facilitating management of pain during sex or erectile dysfunction and ejaculation related issues

Individual Therapy:

Themes of Exploration:

  • Creation and maintenance of better interpersonal relationships

  • Increasing intimacy

  • Understanding and healing childhood wounds

  • Writing an internal narrative of self-acceptance

  • Fulfilling personal needs and relationship needs with a mood or personality disorder

  • Exploration of new relationship patterns or desires

Common Gains:

  • Experience of relief, present mindedness and compassion as a result of releasing shame and anxiety

  • Deepening of relationships with yourself and others

  • Development of proactive and productive ways to communicate needs, desires, and boundary crossings

  • Processing of past traumas

  • Increasing stress tolerance and resilience 

Couples Therapy:

Themes of Exploration:

  • Difficult communication

  • Recurring conflict

  • Issues related to intimacy

  • Emotional disconnect

  • Infidelity

  • Blended family or family of origin concerns

  • Satisfaction/desire discrepancies

  • Approaching or navigating polyamory

Common Gains:

  • Adopting communication tools that resolve unfulfilled needs

  • Developing empathy for your own emotions and your partner’s

  • Ability to conflict resolve under stress

  • Increased trust, commitment and vulnerability 

  • Increasing pleasure, play, intimacy and desire

LGBTQIA+ Affirming Therapy:

Themes of Exploration:

  • Be curious about identities without judgement or discrimination 

  • Navigate:

    • Sexual orientation

    • Gender identity

    • Gender transition

    • Intersexuality

    • Asexuality

  • Gender affirmation 

Common Gains:

  • Create rootedness and positivity in sense of self

  • Bring understanding to experiences that have previously been covered in shame or isolation

  • Increase self-acceptance

  • Experience of self-flourishing in safe conditions 

  • Increasing stress tolerance and resilience 

DCST Therapists at the Denver Location As of April 2024

To note: all DCST therapists are worthy of acknowledgement! However, Bella Spognardi and Madline Davis are located at Arvada and Lakewood offices. Angelica and Paige are featured below as they are accepting clients in person at the Denver location shared with CZTG,

Angelica Jackson, MA, LPC: Founder and Owner 

Therapeutic approaches/orientation: 

  • Sex positive

  • Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)

  • Compassion & insight

  • Use of the therapeutic relationship to develop understanding of your current, past and future life chapters

Education/trainings:

  • Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

    • Bachelor of Business Administration

  • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

  • In completion of Holistic Sex Therapy/Counseling Training Program at the Institute for Sex Education and Enlightenment

  • Pursuing certification in Emotion Focused Therapy 

Paige Darnell, MS, LPC

Therapeutic Approaches/Orientation

  • Relational & attachment focus

  • Experiential

  • Somatic based therapy

  • Psychoeducation 

  • Discovery and destigmatization of one’s authentic individual, relational, and sexual self/selves 

Education/Trainings

  • Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling

  • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology 

  • Licensed Professional Counselor

  • Pursuing certification in Emotionally Focused Therapy

Why The DCST Therapists Are Special

Denver Couples and Sex Therapy recognizes that healing and human wellness are dependent upon secure connection. If we feel a lack of safety, acceptance, understanding or satisfaction in our intimate relationships, the world can feel disorienting. To bear with aloneness, we often adopt ways of survival that minimize, neutralize or suppress our emotions in the process. The Denver Couple and Sex Therapy Team operates with an emotion focused lens, and helps you and/or your partner create meaningful change by allowing hidden emotions to be seen, heard, and communicated. 

Connect with a DCST Therapist Today!

Text 720-336-0240 or submit a new client inquiry to schedule your consultation with a Denver Couples and Sex Therapy therapist today!

 
Chadley Zobolas