Shikma Center for Sexual Health

Dr. Tal Peleg Sagy- Director, Shikma Center for Sexual Health

Sexuality is an inner energy that drives us to seek love, touch, warmth, and intimacy, and it influences both physical and mental health. Sexuality is affected by external factors (such as war, economic conditions, the birth of children, and more) as well as internal factors (hormonal changes, disability, or even mood).
Shikma, the Center for Sexual Health at Reuth Rehabilitation Hospital Tel Aviv, led by a professional multidisciplinary team of experts, provides comprehensive care addressing all aspects of sexual health – physical, emotional, psychological, relational, and social.
The center is the largest in Israel in the field of sexual therapy and provides assistance to hundreds of patients each year.
The center is directed by Dr. Tal Peleg-Sagi, a clinical psychologist and certified supervisor in sex therapy. She lectures at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and in numerous sex therapy training programs in Israel and worldwide. She is a certified EMDR therapist and specializes in integrative treatment using a wide range of approaches, including Schema Therapy, Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy (EFT), hypnosis, biofeedback, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She is a former board member of the Israeli Association for Sex Therapy (ITAM) and a current board member of the European Federation of Sexology (EFS).
The center’s staff includes experienced therapists specializing in a wide and diverse range of areas related to sexuality.

Patients

Individuals and couples from across the full social spectrum in Israel who experience difficulties in sexual functioning and wish to improve their sexual health.

Care for a Wide Range of Difficulties

Sexual desire disorders (lack of desire, avoidance, excessive desire up to sex addiction), and desire discrepancies within couples.
Arousal disorders (difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection due to physical causes or performance anxiety) and lubrication disorders in women.
Orgasm disorders (difficulty reaching orgasm, premature ejaculation, delayed ejaculation), and lack of sexual satisfaction.
Pain disorders during sexual intercourse that hinder or prevent sexual activity (such as vaginismus and vestibulodynia).
Sexual orientation and gender identity.
Sexual paraphilias (“deviations”).
Addictions to sex or pornography.
Difficulties in forming intimate relationships.
Couple-related difficulties that affect sexual functioning.
Sexual incompatibility.
A desire to refresh and enhance the quality of one’s sex life.
Rare syndromes related to sexual functioning, such as POIS, PSSD, and PGAD.
Physical illnesses and pain syndromes that affect sexuality (such as fibromyalgia).
The impact of trauma of any kind on sexuality.

The Unique Treatment at the Shikma Center for Sexual Health

Initial assessment – Individual or couple-based evaluation for tailoring a personalized treatment plan, including medical assessment when needed.

Individual or couple psycho-sexual therapy – Therapy focused on intimate and sexual functioning difficulties, tailored behavioral exercises, focused treatment for anxiety reduction, and sexual rehabilitation following disability, injury, surgery, or oncological treatment.

Additional treatments: Psychotherapy, pelvic floor physiotherapy, penile Doppler ultrasound (blood flow examination and diagnosis of physical causes of erectile dysfunction), and erectile dysfunction treatment using shockwave therapy.

Sexual rehabilitation for people with disabilities: The center’s team has extensive professional experience in sexual therapy for people with disabilities, including spinal cord and brain injuries, orthopedic injuries, cerebral palsy, post-traumatic stress disorder (combat trauma), chronic pain syndromes, and more.

Patients insured by all health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and the Ministry of Defense are accepted. An agreement based on a commitment form exists with the Ministry of Defense and Leumit Health Services. Patients insured by all other HMOs are treated privately at a cost of 250 NIS per session.

Research and academic activity

The Shikma Center for Sexual Health is recognized as an internship site by the Israeli Association for Sex Therapy (ITAM). The professional team is actively involved in research and academic activities.

Improving Quality of Life Led by Top Experts

Patients have access to a diverse therapeutic team representing various populations and sectors of society, with the goal of providing accessible, personalized care tailored to different population needs, including via video consultations.

The team includes physicians from a range of specialties, including rehabilitation medicine, gynecology, urology, psychiatry, and family medicine; psychologists; pelvic floor physiotherapists; clinical social workers; therapists in art, movement, and psychodrama; complementary medicine practitioners; and nursing staff.