Sex and Sexuality Handbook for the Helping Professional
(First Edition)
©2026, 202 pages
Paperback list price: $59.95
Cognella Direct Ebook: $52.95
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Sex and Sexuality Handbook for the Helping Professional is designed to serve as a comprehensive guide to facilitate conversations around sex and sexuality. Targeted primarily at helping professionals, the book equips readers with the knowledge and skills to discuss these often-challenging topics in a variety of contexts. It weaves together stories, research, and practical activities to enhance understanding and comfort concerning sexual health.
The text examines themes such as the development of sexuality across the lifespan, the intersection of sexual health with various forms of discrimination, and how to broach the subject of sex in advocacy, educational, mental, and physical health settings. It also covers specific considerations for people with disabilities and discussions around sexual and gender identities. Reflective activities included throughout the text encourage engagement with the material, fostering personal and professional growth.
Sex and Sexuality Handbook for the Helping Professional is recommended for use in courses such as human sexuality, counseling, social work, and healthcare. Additionally, its usefulness extends to professionals in education, counseling, and healthcare who seek to enhance their practice as well as those entrusted with imparting sexual education or parenting guidance.
A Statement from the Author in Celebration and Recognition of Pride Month 2025
"Pride month is a celebration, but it is also a call to action. People in the LGBTQIA+ community have been excluded from the sexual health education conversation, one that is already rife with exclusion and marginalization. My Sex and Sexuality Handbook for Helping Professionals is for anyone working in service of others who wants to talk about sexual health, but it also includes chapters on social justice and advocacy within the intersection of LGBTQ discrimination and sexual health, as well as talking about sex in the context of sexual and gender identity."
The text examines themes such as the development of sexuality across the lifespan, the intersection of sexual health with various forms of discrimination, and how to broach the subject of sex in advocacy, educational, mental, and physical health settings. It also covers specific considerations for people with disabilities and discussions around sexual and gender identities. Reflective activities included throughout the text encourage engagement with the material, fostering personal and professional growth.
Sex and Sexuality Handbook for the Helping Professional is recommended for use in courses such as human sexuality, counseling, social work, and healthcare. Additionally, its usefulness extends to professionals in education, counseling, and healthcare who seek to enhance their practice as well as those entrusted with imparting sexual education or parenting guidance.
A Statement from the Author in Celebration and Recognition of Pride Month 2025
"Pride month is a celebration, but it is also a call to action. People in the LGBTQIA+ community have been excluded from the sexual health education conversation, one that is already rife with exclusion and marginalization. My Sex and Sexuality Handbook for Helping Professionals is for anyone working in service of others who wants to talk about sexual health, but it also includes chapters on social justice and advocacy within the intersection of LGBTQ discrimination and sexual health, as well as talking about sex in the context of sexual and gender identity."
Alexandra Kriofske Mainella, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of counselor education and counseling psychology at Marquette University. Her research explores the impact of sexual health education and information on the mental well-being for people with disabilities and without. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.A. from Marquette University, and is a certified rehabilitation counselor.
Formats and Bulk Order Pricing for Confirmed Adoptions
Publisher Direct Versions — Available through the Cognella Student Store for confirmed adoptions |
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$52.95
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Publisher Direct Ebook | Publisher Direct ebooks are available in your Cognella account immediately after purchase and provide access for 180 days. Our ebooks run on VitalSource and RedShelf with perpetual/annual options available. |
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$59.95
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Publisher Direct Paperback | These special, discounted paperback editions are sold exclusively through the Cognella Student Store (store.cognella.com) for confirmed adoptions. They are not available through other retailers. The books are printed on demand, do not have an ISBN, and are not intended for resale, which results in savings we pass along to students. Most Publisher Direct Paperbacks also come with free, immediate access to the first 30% of the ebook and shipping included. |
Higher Education Bookstore Pricing — These suggested retail prices include a total projected mark-up of 25% |
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| $59.95 | Paperback 979-8-8233-5022-8 |
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"The focus on intersectionality and social justice is unique to this textbook and should be the reason for adoption consideration. Through these chapters, along with the journal and reflective activities, Kriofske highlights the importance of addressing sexuality, first as individuals and then as clinicians, with all clients and students in a candid and relatable manner."
Michelle E. Wade, Ed.D., University of New Orleans
“In Sex and Sexuality Handbook for the Helping Professional, Dr. Alexandra Kriofske Mainella has provided counselor educators with the materials they need to incorporate valuable skills related to sexual wellness into the courses they teach to counseling trainees. Preservice school counselors as well as clinical mental health counselors will find important guidance on developing the necessary self-awareness, knowledge, skills, and appropriate attitudes to engage in meaningful discussions with the individuals and communities they serve on issues related to sexual wellness."
Laurie Bonio, Southern Connecticut State University
"This handbook is exceptionally engaging and easy to follow, with thoughtfully designed discussion questions and reflection activities that actively invite readers to examine their own biases and assumptions about sex and sexuality. Even for helping professionals with prior experience in sexual wellbeing, Kriofske Mainella makes an often-taboo topic feel approachable, relevant, and empowering, offering tools that can be meaningfully integrated at any stage of professional development."
Zori A. Paul, University of Missouri – St. Louis
Michelle E. Wade, Ed.D., University of New Orleans
“In Sex and Sexuality Handbook for the Helping Professional, Dr. Alexandra Kriofske Mainella has provided counselor educators with the materials they need to incorporate valuable skills related to sexual wellness into the courses they teach to counseling trainees. Preservice school counselors as well as clinical mental health counselors will find important guidance on developing the necessary self-awareness, knowledge, skills, and appropriate attitudes to engage in meaningful discussions with the individuals and communities they serve on issues related to sexual wellness."
Laurie Bonio, Southern Connecticut State University
"This handbook is exceptionally engaging and easy to follow, with thoughtfully designed discussion questions and reflection activities that actively invite readers to examine their own biases and assumptions about sex and sexuality. Even for helping professionals with prior experience in sexual wellbeing, Kriofske Mainella makes an often-taboo topic feel approachable, relevant, and empowering, offering tools that can be meaningfully integrated at any stage of professional development."
Zori A. Paul, University of Missouri – St. Louis
