Latest news with #Christophers
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Channel 4's Virgin Island pushes boundaries – but what is sex therapy?
Leave it to Channel 4 to broadcast a TV show that will get everyone talking — and Virgin Island is no different. The new sex therapy show follows 12 adult virgins as they embark on a two-week stay at a luxurious Mediterranean retreat. Across six episodes, they work with therapists Dr Danielle Harel and Celeste Hirschman, founders of US sex coaching centre Somatica Institute. Together with their team of specialists, Dr Harel and Hirschman aim to help participants confront and overcome their fears and challenges around intimacy. Their methods include a wide range of therapeutic techniques, from group sessions to more controversial practices such as surrogate partner therapy, where naked sex coaches may encourage participants to engage in physical touch and mutual pleasure as part of the process. The ultimate goal for each participant is to have had sex by the end of their stay. While some viewers have praised the show's boldness, others have criticised its methods, questioning the ethics and boundaries of the therapists' approaches. To better understand what sex therapy actually entails, Yahoo UK spoke with College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT) accredited psychosexual and relationship therapist Miranda Christophers. Christophers explains that sex therapy is a talk therapy that covers a broad range of issues and concerns around sex and intimacy. "It can be around things like desire, arousal and sexual function in general," Christophers says. "So we would commonly be working with things like discrepancies in desire. In a relationship, for example, somebody might have lower or higher desire than their partner and that may be being problematic or their desire may not be what they want it to be." The therapist also sees clients who may be having issues with sexual function. This may be due to erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation, as well as conditions like vaginismus, where the vaginal muscles involuntarily tighten, and dyspareunia, which is genital pain during or after sexual intercourse. Christophers also helps people understand their sexuality, which might include conversations around kinks, fetishes and preferences. She continues: "Some people might be working with things like deciding on their relationship styles or consensual monogamy may come into it. "They would also be working with things like changes around sex, in terms of like life changes. So it could be parenthood, menopause, illness and things like compulsive sexual behaviours." At The Therapy Yard, where Christophers is founder and clinical director, your first session starts with an assessment so that the therapist can have an understanding of your history and what it is that's bringing you to therapy. According to Christophers, people don't just attend sex therapy because they have an issue in their life — some clients simply want to enhance their sex life. "We go through the assessment, we would set some goals, and then we start to really work on whatever it is that somebody's looking to bring to therapy," she explains. Christophers use a variety of tools and programs to help provide clients with an understanding of how their bodies and desires work. They also explore what might be holding them back. She continues: "Generally speaking, you'd be given exercises, tools and things to go away and work on. A lot of sex therapists generally use a pluralistic approach, which means that we we draw on a number of different therapeutic models and approaches and tools in our work to really try and tailor it to each individual that we're working with." Some of the experts in Virgin Island refer to themselves as sex surrogates, which is someone who works with a client physically to help them with their issues surrounding sex and sexual intimacy. Surrogates guide clients through various exercises, such as relaxation, communication, and sensual and sexual contact, to help them build confidence and skills in intimacy. Christophers says this is something that is less common in the UK. "For registered and accredited sex therapists in the UK, sex therapy is a talking therapy. But it's worth nothing that in the UK, therapy is not a protected title in the same way people simply can't call themselves a doctor or a psychologist unless they actually are. "It's one of the reasons that there's quite a lot of work going on with professional bodies at the moment in terms of bringing in a streamlining in terms of training and qualifications." As per a press release from COSRT, psychosexual and relationship therapy is a specialised form of talking therapy that "never involves touch." It also states that no COSRT registered psychosexual and relationship therapist would be allowed to engage in physical activities with clients. COSRT's chair, Steve Johnson says: "Please let everyone be clear. Touch does not form any part of proper therapy to help with sexual or relationship issues. Boundaries and professional standards are vital so only use a therapist registered with a body such as COSRT. And if a psychotherapist or counsellor tries to touch you as part of therapy, walk away and report them." If you're wanting to look for a sex therapist, Christophers tells Yahoo UK that there are specific accreditations you should look out for: A postgraduate diploma in sex and relationship therapy (two-year specialised training) A level four casual psychotherapy training Potentially a master's degree or advanced diploma Key qualifications to look for include: Registration or accreditation with professional bodies like COSRT Ongoing professional development and continuing education "Therapy and generally, counselling, it's such a huge subject area. So really, if you're working specifically with things like sexual function, you really need to know what you're talking about and have had the specific training in it," she says. Read more about sex therapy: 13 Sex Tips From Actual Sex Therapists And Professionals That Just Might Spice Up Your (Sex) Life (Buzzfeed, 8-min read) Virgin Island stars defend sex therapists in controversial reality show (Yahoo Entertainment, 4-min read) Virgin Island: What is a 'surrogate partner' sex therapist and is it legal? (Independent, 3-min read)
BBC News
22-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Antiques dealer in Canterbury to close shop after 55 years
An antiques dealer from Canterbury is preparing to retire 55 years after buying his shop for just £2, Christophers worked night shifts in the Kingsman's Bakery in Sturry to save money to purchase the Saracens Lantern .His customers included Desmond Tutu and television presenter Paula Yates, and he had seen famous faces including Pope John Paul II, and the then Prince Charles and Diana driving past his 79-year-old said when he saw the Royal Family, he put up a flag which he still has today. He said: "It had 'God Save the King' on it for George V. I then added a sheet to the bottom of the flag and used a felt tip pen and added 'to be', as Charles was the future king."As the car came passed, Diana saw it and pointed upwards."He recalled he saw former French president President Mitterrand and the then UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher walking past the shop when they were on their way to sign the Channel Tunnel agreement in Christophers' love of antiques began when he received a Queen Victoria Jubilee shilling in his change at the age of six after his mother had sent him to buy oranges at a shop in Headcorn. Mr Christophers says he is now selling as much stock as possible, but there were some items which might not included a mummified pigeon with its racing rings still intact."It's grotesque. We have an old house in France and I found it behind an old chimney while I was repairing it," he said. Mr Christophers said his plans to retire a few years ago were interrupted by the Covid, he would place his items on a tray on the doormat outside and people would look at them from a distance. "If they wanted to buy it, they put money in an envelop and put it on the tray," he said."There were a lot of sales like that."
Telegraph
16-03-2025
- General
- Telegraph
How healthy is your sex life? Do our quiz to find out
Sex and intimacy are often seen as the glue in a relationship, but what happens when things start feeling a little… unstuck? Whether you're in a decades-long partnership or navigating a newer connection, sex is rarely just about sex. It's about desire, communication, emotional connection, and – let's be honest – whether or not you're still actually paying attention to each other. A recent survey confirms that sex is on the decline. Among 35-to-39-year-olds, nearly two in five (38 per cent) hadn't had sex in the past week, despite considering themselves sexually active – the highest percentage of any age group. As the years go by, more people step away from intimacy altogether. Nearly one in five 40- to 44-year-olds report being completely celibate, and by the time they reach 74, that figure jumps to 57 per cent. So, how's your sex life doing? Is it thriving, just about hanging in there, or has it packed a suitcase and left the building? We asked sex therapists Miranda Christophers, Cate Mackenzie and Susan Quilliam to share their insights into what makes or breaks bedroom chemistry and help us design a quiz to ascertain the health of your sex life and what to do to reignite the flame. What's ruining your sex life? From desire discrepancies to hidden resentments, from changing hormones to simply forgetting to pay attention to each other, these are many elements that can either fan the flames – or put them out entirely, says Quilliam, a relationship expert, author of 22 books on sex and relationships including a recently revised version of The Joy of Sex. 'If you're struggling, start rebuilding the foundations of the relationship,' says Quilliam. 'Most of our interactions in long-term relationships are either transactional, functional, or critical. We need to bring back unconditional giving, small acts of praise, and real attention if we are to start to build a good foundation for our sex life to thrive,' she says. 'One of the most common presentations I see, regardless of age, is a desire discrepancy – a mismatch in sexual desire,' says Christophers, a sex and relationship psychotherapist, co-founder and clinical director of The Therapy Yard. That doesn't mean that a relationship has to fail though says Mackenzie, an accredited sex and relationship therapist. 'Most relationships have a high-desire and a low-desire partner and it's about acknowledging that. It's not about making them equal, but about meeting each other's needs enough so resentment doesn't build,' she says. But it's not just about mis-matched libidos, says Christophers. 'Bodies change, confidence changes, and while some people become more self-assured, others struggle with self-image and intimacy.' Add in perimenopause, menopause, hormones changes, career stress, and emotional baggage from the past, and suddenly, sex can start feeling like a distant memory, she says Quilliam warns that emotional undercurrents and resentment can be one of the biggest passion-killers: 'If you're over 50 and you've been in a relationship for more than two years, there's going to be some anxiety and anger.' Maybe it's the small betrayals (being ignored, feeling underappreciated) or the big ones (infidelity, unresolved resentment). Either way, she says, 'Sex is one of the first things to disappear when there are underlying resentments at play and it can leave your relationship in need of a serious MOT. The good news is that there is so much you can do to tune up your relationship,' she says.
Jordan Times
26-01-2025
- Business
- Jordan Times
Decommodify electricity
NEW DELHI – The international community has long recognised the urgent need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and shift to renewable energy, and in recent years many governments have pledged to reach net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions, albeit over extremely long timeframes. But they will never get there so long as they treat electricity, which is central to the clean-energy transition, like any other market good. The green transition is driven by several factors, such as energy intensity, investment flows, consumption patterns, and distribution systems. But its success hinges on humanity's ability to move away from 'dirty' fossil fuels toward clean, renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind. And that requires a profound transformation in how electricity is generated, distributed, and consumed. Economists and policymakers have long framed the energy transition as a question of relative prices. In recent decades, wind and solar costs have plummeted, driven by technological advances, especially in China, where government interventions have helped scale up green industries and drive down the so-called levelised cost of energy (LCOE). According to this widely used metric for comparing power sources, renewables have consistently outperformed fossil fuels, even before external shocks like the Ukraine war sent oil and gas prices soaring. In theory, these developments should have expedited the global transition away from fossil fuels. In practice, however, renewable-energy sources merely supplement the total power supply. Meanwhile, both developed and developing countries continue to increase fossil-fuel production and invest heavily in exploring new reserves. The discrepancy cannot be fully explained by market forces or relative prices. Over the years, many have blamed political leaders for the lack of climate progress, especially after climate-change denialists rose to power in countries like the United States and Argentina. But this explanation, too, is incomplete. As economic geographer Brett Christophers argues in his book The Price is Wrong: Why Capitalism Won't Save the Planet, the real problem lies in the failure to confront two fundamental truths about the limitations of open markets. First, the driving force behind private-sector investment and production is not output prices but relative profitability. Second, the nature of electricity makes it ill-suited to being 'governed by the market,' inevitably leading to suboptimal outcomes in the absence of massive government intervention. Electricity, Christophers notes, aligns with economic historian Karl Polanyi's definition of 'fictitious commodities.' In his seminal work The Great Transformation, Polanyi argued that land, labor, and money were not intended to function within market systems. Unlike conventional goods explicitly produced for trade, the commercialisation of fictitious commodities leads to inefficient and unstable market transactions and inevitably results in economic and social distortions. To operate, these markets rely on extensive public intervention in the form of laws, regulations, social norms, and subsidies, both explicit and implicit. Such interventions create the illusion of a functioning market, even though prices and profits are ultimately shaped by public and social mechanisms. For much of its existence, Christophers notes, electricity was treated as essential public infrastructure, with its production and distribution operating outside the market. In recent decades, the pursuit of profits has fueled a global push to unbundle and commercialise generation, distribution and consumption. But, despite the façade of competitive markets, the sector still depends heavily on various forms of state intervention. Electricity's unique characteristics pose significant challenges for the clean-energy transition. Wind and solar power are inherently intermittent, resulting in fluctuating output and price volatility. Compounding the problem, public subsidies for 'green' investments can lead to overcapacity during periods of low demand, while their withdrawal often causes investors to exit the sector. Moreover, although renewable energy has become cheaper than fossil fuels, the profits it generates are low and unreliable. Christophers vividly describes this self-cannibalising dynamic, highlighting how it has played out across different economies, from the US and Norway to India. Instability undermines the 'bankability' of green projects, making it harder to secure financing for renewable energy. It should be no surprise, then, that the much-hyped Glasgow Alliance for Net Zero, launched in April 2021 at COP26 and championed by former Bank of England Governor and UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance Mark Carney, has already begun to falter after the six largest US banks withdrew from it in quick succession. This was before Donald Trump's return to the White House further disincentivised such investment by issuing an Executive Order that effectively terminates efforts to achieve a Green New Deal in the US. But the solution is not to subsidise green capitalism by derisking investments, although such measures are unavoidable if renewable energy is to remain viable. Instead, the key is recognising that electricity is not a commodity. Consequently, we must restructure all aspects of energy production and distribution, encompassing renewables and fossil fuels alike. Most importantly, achieving true decarbonisation requires governments to adopt a more proactive approach. Instead of acting as behind-the-scenes market facilitators, policymakers must take direct responsibility for producing and distributing renewable energy. Such an approach is far from radical. Before the rise of neoliberalism, governments played a pivotal role in building and managing critical infrastructure, including energy systems. To facilitate the green transition, they must reclaim that responsibility. The expected private-sector profits from renewable-energy generation are simply not sufficient to drive the necessary transformation, despite the urgent global demand. Until policymakers come to terms with this reality, their efforts to accelerate the shift to renewables will continue to fall short. Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is a member of the Club of Rome's Transformational Economics Commission and Co-Chair of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2025.
