Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, a weekly conversation about mental health,

personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible

versions of ourselves.

I'm your host, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia.

For more information or to find a therapist in your area, visit our website at therapyforBlackGirls.com.

While I hope you love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is not meant to be a substitute

for a relationship with a licensed mental health professional.

Hey y'all, thanks so much for joining me for session 101 of the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast.

In today's episode, we're chatting about how you can increase your confidence related to

sexuality and how a lack of confidence sometimes leads us to feeling less aroused.

For this conversation, I was joined by Dr. Pia Haalik. Dr. Haalik is a psychotherapist at

resilience psychological services in Chicago, Illinois, where she specializes in working

with minority populations in the areas of sexual dysfunction, relationship concerns, and trauma.

Dr. Haalik received her doctorate of clinical psychology from the Chicago School of

Professional Psychology. During this time, she trained at Rush University Medical Center's

Merido and Sex Therapy Department, where she gained specialized training in working with couples

and treating sexual dysfunction. She completed her clinical internship at Mount Sinai St. Luke's

and Roosevelt hospitals in New York, New York. Dr. Haalik and I discussed some of the issues that

can chip away at our confidence related to sexuality, some of the concerns that lead to sex being

less pleasurable or even painful, how you can talk with your partner about getting your needs met,

and she shared how she uses sense aid focus therapy with couples in her practice.

If you hear something that resonates with you while listening, be sure to share it with us on

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