[Ksyrup]

Bare your soul: Meet the naked therapist who solves patients' problems by stripping off during sessions

By Rachel Quigley
Last updated at 6:25 PM on 2nd March 2011


There is something about getting a man to talk about his feelings that usually sends him running in the other direction.

But a 24-year-old psychology buff believes she has the answer - getting naked.

Sarah White has brought a brand new type of therapy to the people of New York.

By slowly peeling away the layers of her clothes during the session, she believes it will allow her to peel away the layers of her clients' subconscious.

She said: 'During the sessions I use the power of arousal to let you gain more control over your life.

'The goal is to use nakedness so you can understand yourself and your world better, so you can feel great and powerful, and so the excitement you feel during the sessions can lead to more excitement outside the sessions.'

The naked therapist's unique approach to helping people has aroused interest from dozens of people.

Unsurprisingly, most of her clients are men.

Miss White, from the Upper West Side, studied psychology as an undergraduate at university but believed there was something missing and uninspiring from the classical training - and that was an open interest in sexuality.

She told the New York Daily News: 'For men especially, who are less likely than women to go to therapy, it is more interesting, more enticing, more exciting. It's a more inspiring approach to therapy.

'I felt early on that something was missing from classical therapy, it seemed to encourage repression as opposed to encouraging people to open up.'

The 24-year-old begins the session with her clothes on, as the hour-long appointment progresses, she takes off every item of clothing until there is nothing left.

The initial sessions, which cost $150, are conducted via a one-way web cam and text chat.

Once she builds a rapport with a client she moves to two-way Skype video appointments and then, in some cases, in-person consultations.

Online: The 24-year-old advertises herself on her website, which also contains a host of modelling shots of her in various stages of undress

Online: The 24-year-old advertises herself on her website, which also contains a host of modelling shots of her in various stages of undress

So far, she has around 30 clients which are an eclectic mix of college students with sexual issues, middle-aged men with relationship problems and even some women who enjoy a chat with a nude peer.

She said of her approach: 'Naked therapy has been very eye opening and worldly for my clients.

'The goal is to show patients I have nothing to hide, and encourage them to be more honest.

'For men in particular, seeing a naked woman can really help them focus, look deeply into themselves and speak their minds openly.

'Freud used free association. I use nakedness.'

Clients schedule appointments through her website, sarahwhitelive.com.

She conceded that naked therapy is not approved by any mental health association. And she is not a licensed therapist.

While Miss White's boyfriend supports her new business, her parents are still in the dark.

She said: 'I should probably tell them before they read it in the paper.'

Not surprisingly, professional psychologists are not sold on her idea.

Diana Kirschner, a New York-based clinical psychologist, told the Daily News: 'She's using the word therapy here, but I don't consider this therapy. I consider this interactive soft-core Internet porn.'

Any sexual interaction between patient and therapist is considered highly unethical by the American Psychoanalytic Association, the largest and oldest such organization in the nation.

Even physical contact violates its code of professional conduct.

But there is no physical contact in naked therapy. And, as Miss White points out: 'It’s not like I’m having relationships with any of my patients.'