Sex and relationship therapists I’m writing a feature on the top dating and sex trends, and would love insight from a sex/relationship therapist.

In my private practice specializing in sex therapy and gender-affirming care, I'm seeing more clients explore consensual non-monogamy, including polycules. This trend is paired with a stronger emphasis on clarity and consent, with partners creating clear agreements and revisiting them as needs evolve.

I would love to help - sex, infidelity, and relationship counseling is what I do. Please let me know me which direction you would like to take the piece and it would be my pleasure to contribute.

Hi there, I'm Jeanette Brown, a relationship coach and late-life founder in my early 60s. I work with couples and midlife daters on intimacy, communication, and repair, especially after long marriages, caregiving years, or major life transitions. What I'm seeing right now is a strong shift from performance to permission. People are dating and having sex later in life with clearer boundaries and less tolerance for confusion. Slow dating is replacing fast chemistry, explicit conversations about needs and nervous systems are becoming normal, and there's more interest in emotional safety than sexual novelty. Another big trend is repair literacy: partners want to know not just how to connect, but how to come back together after missteps. Sex improves when people feel secure enough to be honest, and dating works better when clarity is valued over spark. Cheers, Jeanette Brown Founder of jeanettebrown.net

The rise of the "situationship"—a relationship without clear labels or commitment—is often a psychological bypass for the discomfort of true vulnerability. In my psychiatry practice, I've noticed that while these arrangements offer a temporary shield against rejection, they frequently result in a "stalled" state of emotional development. By avoiding the definition of a partnership, individuals may inadvertently skip the critical "people work" of negotiation and conflict resolution that forms the foundation of secure, long-term attachment. This trend is compounded by the "endless conveyor belt" of digital dating apps, which can turn human connection into a transactional experience. For both the adolescents and adults I treat, this high-volume, low-investment environment often breeds a profound sense of "disposability" and loneliness. To counter these trends, we must move back toward intentionality. Real intimacy isn't found in the absence of labels, but in the courage to share a clear "human story" and establish the felt safety that allows a relationship to actually grow.