Meet Luree Benjamin of Connecting The Dots Therapy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luree Benjamin.

Hi Luree, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
In 2015, I decided to seek a career change and I began researching graduate schools in the triangle. I found a seated program that offered a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy, and I knew I had found my calling.

While in graduate school, the classes in which we discussed human sexuality fascinated me and I realized I had stumbled onto something I genuinely enjoyed.

I was instantly hooked when local sex therapists came to speak to the Human Sexuality and Contextual Sex Therapy classes about their work, and I knew I had found not only my niche in sex therapy, but I discovered my passion\career path.

The icing on the cake was my acceptance to the Council for Relationships’ post-graduate certificate program in sex therapy, with the cherry on top being the invaluable knowledge, supervision, and training I have received and experienced. I will complete the program in May, making the dream of becoming a sex therapist a reality.

Finally, I am in the process of obtaining my credentials to become a certified sex therapist through The American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT).

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey to becoming a therapist and opening my own practice has not been without some major bumps along the way. My story begins in September 2013, when I suffered a brain aneurysm that ruptured, and in September 2020, I underwent brain surgery to remove the defective coil initially used to save my life.

In August 2020, an angiogram revealed that the aneurysm coil had begun to mushroom/balloon in my brain; the telltale sign was the drooping of my left eyelid. The coil has damaged my left optic nerves, and presently, I am still partially visually impaired. I still have an additional surgery to undergo that will repair the eyelid and help in my left eye’s ability to open and close on its own.

As I recovered, the idea to open my own practice was birth and although I watched my dreams be delayed, thankfully, they were not denied. In February 2022, I was granted my provisional license as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate (LMFTA) and in March, I founded and opened the doors to my practice Connecting The Dots Therapy, PLLC.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Connecting The Dots Therapy is a mental health and sex therapy practice that provides therapeutic services to individuals, and couples regardless of race or sexual orientation in a sex-positive, judgment, and shame-free environment. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate, I am known for debunking sexual myths proliferated by the media and the porn industry.

In sessions, we discuss a myriad of things that bring a client to therapy, be it, attachment issues, boundaries, divorce, infidelity, and\or self-esteem. The stage is also set, that if sex is brought up the ground has been tilled so clients become comfortable asking questions and talking about sex, an intricate part of the human experience. I work with clients who range in ages from 18 to 102 who want to deepen their personal connection with themselves, their intimate and sexual connections with themselves, their partner, and the relationship.

My sessions are peppered with warmth, empathy, humor, and compassion, with a laidback island flare. I believe in showing up as my authentic, inquisitive self, so my clients can do the same. What I am most proud of is that I do not take a one-size-fits-all approach when working with my clients, but tailor my sessions to the needs of the person(s) in the room. I truly love what I do, and I enjoy normalizing sex-positive conversations.

What sets me and my practice apart are three things:

• Having overcome life-threatening health issues, I know what it feels like to face uncertainty and overcome adversity, so I feel I can assist clients to do the same.

• I am extremely passionate about helping men who are over 40 and are struggling with erectile concerns, embrace sex and intimacy in a new way.

• Finally, I find joy in working with couples who find themselves in a sexless relationship or marriage, to find hope again as they relearn how to reconnect sensually, intimately, and sexually.

Lastly, it is important that your readers know that sex therapy is a form of talk-based psychotherapy. There is no nudity and you and your partner will not perform sexual acts in session. There is NEVER sexual intimacy between the client(s) and the therapist.

What does success mean to you?
Success to me is following your own inner knowing and not placing a monetary value or society’s values on your worth or the calling you choose to pursue.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: connectingdotstogether.com