Today we’d like to introduce you to Moushumi Ghose.
Hi Moushumi, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I opened my private psychotherapy practice in 2007. I had gone to school to get become a therapist, and initially thought I would work at a non-profit agency. I had visions of working with HIV & AIDS-affected communities and/or the homeless population. But as I neared the end of my long process, going to school, getting my hours, getting licensed as a psychotherapist, I started to recognize that agency work might be long and grueling hours for not as much pay. My aspirations had changed. I wanted to work for myself.
While I was studying to becoming a therapist and getting my Master’s degree at Pepperdine University (LA Campus) two close friends from two very different circles both said, “Mou, you should be a sex therapist.” I’d always been open about my fluidity and suddenly when two people told me almost the same thing, it opened my eyes. I always say that our friends see things about us that we often cannot see. We’re very blind to how we present out in the world, except for in relation to other people. And it started to become more clear and obvious to me that yes after I finished my hours I wanted to work for myself, work with the LGBTQ community around coming out issues and that I would be going into private practice.
Having worked in tech and music, I had a lot of experience building websites and marketing. These tools came in very handy when I opened my private practice in 2007.
I built my business from the ground up mostly on the Internet. I asked myself, “How would I find a therapist if I wanted to work with one?” And the answer was I would look for a therapist on Google.
I won’t bore you with the details, but being a sex therapist in a city like Los Angeles has its perks. I was able to build up my business pretty fast and also was appearing in the media quite often as well. Los Angeles was a city that loved therapy. My practice grew and I grew as a person and therapist as well.
I enjoyed being a sex therapist. I felt like I had a lot to say. And I felt like the clients really needed someone to listen. But something that I loved even more was educating. Being a sex educator was where my heart felt called. I did a lot of media appearances, and I started my own podcast which turned into a YouTube channel and this was where I felt so much joy and happiness. Educating about sex. I wrote several books, and I even decided to make a documentary film series about sex and relationships.
Quickly, I turned my solo practice into a group practice. I began hiring associates and pre-licensed therapists to work under me. Initially, it was just a way to make some more income, but later it became a way for me to still do what I love and also teach people my techniques.
Today my practice still exists and I still oversee several pre-licensed therapists. However, I’ve changed my business model a little bit and I no longer supervise. As a group practice owner, I leave the supervision up to the other clinicians.
Instead, I have launched a course. I have launched a certification course that’s great for coaches, educators and therapists alike who want to specialize in sexuality. I took the long road to discover what I really loved doing. What I really wanted to do was educate on a large scale. In my program, Pleasure Psych Intimacy Coach Certification, I not only teach how to become a sex expert and educator but also how to grow your coaching, education and or therapy business from the ground up. It’s what I did, something that took me 15 years plus another ten years of school and a whole lot of trial and error. I teach it in under one year. Course is not for everyone. If you know what you wanna do and you want a short path to do it this course is really great for a lot of people. I wish I had this course when I was coming up. But then again of course I didn’t know what I wanted to do.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Some of the struggles along the way? Well first of all, when I first began hiring pre-license therapists, I was doing it all. I was providing supervision. I was seeing clients. I was doing media spots. I was writing books. I was doing my podcast. I had a lot of fear and I had a scarcity mindset around money. I wasn’t able to trust that these pre-licensed therapists could do the work. I also had no idea how to manage the financials of a business. I was basically doing everything by hand. They’re all of these wonderful tools, accounting tools, payroll tools, all of these systems and I have no idea how to use them. So I was trying to do it all and I was headed for burnout.
And, burnout I did.
After seven years of private practice, I closed it down for three years. I’ve moved to another city and I focused on writing, making my films, playing music and just being creative and healed my burn out then I came back to LA and I started over. But this time I had a lot more information and experience under my belt and I set out to strategically rebuild my business so it felt more in alignment with the things that bring my pleasure and joy. Which is also something I teach in my program!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In my programs as with my work I really believe that creativity and pleasure heals. For me, one of the most pleasurable things to do is to create art. Whether it’s writing songs, making films or music videos, writing poetry & memoir or even activism like educating people about sexuality or social justice are the most liberating, joyful and healing aspects of my work. When I am doing any of these, I am totally in tune with myself.
And my goal is to share this with people. We have been conditioned from a very long time with a lot of oppression, sex negativity, messages that really don’t do us any favors and it can take a lifetime to undo those. My practice and my programs are all designed to help people unlearn these harmful tropes and ways of being and come into their own.
I see pleasure and creativity also as forms of resistance. Pleasure and creativity are radical in a sense. It’s the very thing that capitalism has robbed from us. How can we be in alignment with ourselves? How can we live a good life, one that is filled with all the things we love, including money, sex, travel, fluidity, all the things that they told us we couldn’t have, what if we found a way to do it anyway? That’s my goal. That’s my mission. That’s what I teach. That’s how I live.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
You know, I am also a work in progress, like everyone else. I second-guess myself from time to time. I make mistakes. I feel down about myself. I question my choices. And I have problems with my intimate relationships just like everybody else. I think when people see you as an expert in something or as a healer of some sort (ps I don’t think of myself as a healer, but more of a mediator or facilitator) or teacher that you have it all together. The truth is that most therapists have therapists. In fact, I have a coach, a therapist, and a couples therapist. I have family issues. I stress out over some long-standing things. I have my own trauma. And I probably annoy my therapist and coach too from time to time with my inability to see my situation clearly. It happens. I am human. And I am working on it!
Pricing:
- The Pleasure Psych Sex Coach Certification is $4500 but If you mention this article, I have a special offer for you!
- Pleasure is Your Birthright Course s $997
- Best Self Dating Course, Couples Course & Ethical Non Monogamy Course $497
- Classic Sex Positions Book $19.99
- Sex Therapy Session $350
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pleasurepsych.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/losangelessextherapy
- Facebook: facebook.com/losangelessextherapy
- Twitter: Facebook.com/moushumighose
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheSexTalkWebSeriesX/
- Other: www.moushumighose.com
Image Credits
Photo credit: Theresa Bouche
