Why I Do This Work

Life isn’t just about surviving; it’s about finding your tempo.

My path to becoming a therapist was not a straight line.

I’ve lived long enough to know that life can change quickly. A relationship can change. A body can change. A loss can change the way we see the world. Sometimes we choose the change. Sometimes it chooses us.

And sometimes, without realizing it, we begin organizing our lives around what happened.

I’ve changed careers, built businesses, created, researched, loved, lost, questioned, and remained curious about what shapes us and how our experiences change the way we move through the world.

Along the way, I learned different ways of listening.

As a music producer, I learned to listen for rhythm—what is moving, what is repeating, and what happens when something falls out of sync. As a writer, I learned to listen for the twists and turning points in a story.

As a former business consultant, I learned how quickly circumstances can change, how deeply our environments shape us, and how easily we can become stuck in patterns that once helped us navigate what life placed in front of us.

That way of listening stays with me in the therapy space.

My curiosity led me into sexology, where I deepened my understanding of sexuality, desire, intimacy, and the connection between our bodies, relationships, and experiences.

But the questions kept getting bigger.

I wanted to understand what people carry into intimacy—their histories, losses, relationships, trauma, and the experiences that shape how they see themselves and connect with others.

That pull led me deeper into the the study of clinical mental health counseling and sex therapy. 

My clinical work, including supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, has continued to deepen my understanding of trauma, relationships, safety, and the remarkable ways people adapt and continue becoming.

All of it—the life I've lived, the questions I've followed, and the work I've done—shapes how I sit with people today.

That convergence is what brought me to SXUATIONS.

— Taneka M. Bennett, LCMHCA, Board Certified Sex Therapist