Caitlin Bovard | Sex Therapy & Pleasure-Focused Healing | Virtual
In our Women in Wellness series, we spotlight inspiring women who are making waves in the wellness community. Today, we're excited to introduce you to Caitlin Bovard, a Licensed Professional Counselor and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist who's helping clients embrace pleasure and navigate intimate relationships through her virtual practice, Colorado Sex Therapy.
Meeting Caitlin Bovard
As a dual-certified sex therapist and certified couples therapist, Caitlin brings extensive expertise to her work with individuals and partners. With subspecialties in working with ADHD and LGBTQ+ populations, particularly bisexual clients, she has created a practice that honors the complexity of human sexuality and relationships.
"I truly believe pleasure is foundational to a satisfying life," Caitlin explains. "I'm honored to witness my clients befriend pleasure and make more time and space for it, which can itself be a radical act."
Beyond the Taboo: The True Power of Sex Therapy
While many people might think sexual issues require purely medical intervention, Caitlin's approach recognizes the complex interplay between physical, emotional, and relational factors. Contrary to the misconception that sexual concerns always need a doctor's help or medication, many physicians actually refer patients to sex therapists.
"Even when there is a medical underpinning, anxiety, avoidance, negative impacts on confidence, and relationship issues are common side effects," she shares. "Sex therapy addresses these dimensions that medication alone often can't reach."
Practical Tips for Embracing Pleasure
Caitlin offers these practical suggestions for anyone looking to develop a healthier relationship with pleasure and sexuality:
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Recognize fantasy vs. reality>: Understanding that fantasies don't always relate to real life or indicate something about your character. What's underneath a sexual interest is more important than what's at face value.
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Create space for conversation: Have discussions about sex with a partner outside the bedroom or sexual experience, when possible. This creates a pressure-free environment to explore desires and boundaries.
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Engage your senses: Compile a sexy or sensual playlist that feels good to you, or find one others have created on platforms like YouTube or Spotify. Music can help set the mood and connect you to your sensual self.
Try This at Home: Body Mapping Exercise
Ready to explore sensation and pleasure in a mindful way? Caitlin recommends this simple practice:
Notice throughout the day what sensations feel good and where—light touch, heavy pressure, certain textures like a soft sweater. Then, create a body map by drawing an outline of a person (or finding one online) and adding these sensation cues to it. You can color-code areas (green for "love it," yellow for "neutral," red for "don't touch here") or add names you prefer for certain areas or body parts. If it feels right for your relationship, you can share this map with a partner.
Note: The tips and exercise above may not be appropriate if you've experienced trauma or are dissociated from your body and sensations, nor are a substitute for therapy.
Finding Liberation Through Self-Discovery
Caitlin's passion for sex therapy stems from her own experience with limited and often confusing information about sex and pleasure growing up. "Like most people, I wasn't given much helpful information about sex or pleasure," she reflects. "What I was told was usually more harmful or confusing than helpful."
This realization shapes her therapeutic approach and resonates with her clients. She regularly witnesses powerful transformations as clients "let go of guilt that doesn't serve them, feel more confident, trust themselves more, and make time for pleasure or sex with greater comfort and ease."
What might surprise you about Caitlin's journey? Despite thousands of hours of training in sex therapy, including anatomy and physiology, she's constantly learning new information. "For example," she shares, "that soap shouldn't be used directly on the vulva and water is sufficient to clean it. There are always new things to discover!"
The Power of Collaborative Therapy
Beyond her expertise in sex therapy, Caitlin describes herself as an "engaged, conversational therapist that is human and real during therapy." Her collaborative approach views successful therapy as "the unity between the client's expert knowledge of their life/self and my expert knowledge in sex and relationship therapy."
She particularly enjoys working with "overwhelmed people pleasers who don't know where to start on the path toward more pleasure and self-discovery," as well as late-diagnosed ADHDers and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
"While my main focus is sex therapy, I am a 'classically trained' therapist," Caitlin notes, "so clients can bring whatever is most pressing to session, even if it's not specifically sex therapy."
Connect with Caitlin
Ready to explore Caitlin's approach to sex therapy and pleasure-focused healing?
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Website: coloradosextherapy.com
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Instagram: @coloradosextherapy
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Email: caitlin@coloradosextherapy.com
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Phone: 720-593-0253
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Free 15-minute phone consultation: Schedule Here
Caitlin is currently accepting new virtual clients for individual or couples therapy throughout Colorado. Sessions are available in both 50-minute and 80-minute formats.
This post is part of PeachyYogi's Women in Wellness directory, where we spotlight inspiring women in the wellness community. Stay tuned for more features highlighting women who are making a difference through their unique approaches to health and wellbeing.
