Sexual experience and expression is of fundamental importance to most people. However, most people

do not communicate effectively about sexuality even when it is important to do so. For example, many

parents see it as their responsibility to talk to their children about sexuality and yet do not engage in

in depth discussions with their children about sexual topics. Most romantic partners have difficulty

communicating about what pleases and displeases them sexually. Many health care professionals

do not meet their clients’/patients’ needs for information about the sexual changes they are or may

experience. Many psychologists also are not doing a good job of addressing sexuality in the classroom,

in practicum and internship settings, and/or with clients. These instances of poor sexual communica-

tion are unfortunate as effective sexual communication can have a range of positive outcomes such as

more satisfying relationships and positive sexual health and well-being over the life span. This talk re-

views sexual communication in all of these contexts, focusing on findings from my program of research

spanning more than 35 years.