Michael Sytsma, PhD, LPC, CST, C-PST™, CPCS

Certified sex therapist and licensed counselor specializing in high-distress marriages, affair recovery, and sexual desire issues — helping couples find their way back to each other with clinical expertise and an unwavering belief that change is possible.

Marriage can become a place of deep pain — and sometimes the pain is layered: a betrayal that won't heal, a growing distance in the bedroom, desire that feels mismatched or simply gone, a body changed by cancer treatment or infertility. If that's where you are, you've come to the right place.

I'm Dr. Michael Sytsma — most people call me Dr. Mike. I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Sex Therapist, and Certified Psychosexual Therapist with more than 35 years of clinical experience working specifically with married couples. I've spent my career in the space where marriage and sexuality intersect — not as a sideline, but as my singular focus.

I work best with couples in real difficulty. While I love working with couples who are just struggling with communication and need expert guidance, I especially thrive with the hard cases — marriages where trust has been shattered by an affair or betrayal, where sexual disconnection has become a wall neither partner knows how to scale, where one spouse is carrying the weight of a cancer diagnosis or infertility and both spouses are drowning. High-distress couples are where I do my most meaningful work.

Sexual desire is more complex than most people realize. The common assumption is that desire problems are about frequency — one partner wants sex more than the other. But desire discrepancy runs much deeper than that. Couples can disagree on practices, style, focus, and a host of other sexual wants. My original doctoral research focused on sexual desire discrepancy in married couples, and it's an area I continue to research and publish in. If you've been told your desire problem is that you or your spouse doesn't want it enough, there's likely more going on — and I can help you find it.

Infidelity fractures something at the core of a marriage. The road back is real, but it isn't simple — and it requires more than stopping the behavior and saying you're sorry. I help couples do the deep work of rebuilding trust, understanding what happened and why, and — for those who choose it — moving toward a marriage that's actually stronger than it was before. This work takes time, honesty, and a guide who has walked hundreds of couples through it. I've been that guide for over three decades.

Sometimes the body changes everything. Infertility, cancer treatment, chronic illness, hormonal shifts — these aren't just medical events, they are marriage events. They change how partners see themselves, how they relate to each other, and how sexuality fits into the relationship. I have extensive experience helping couples navigate sexuality when the body has thrown a curveball, and I bring both clinical expertise and genuine compassion to that work.

My background runs deep in this field. I hold a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia with a specialization in marital sexual therapy, along with an M.S. in Community Counseling. I am licensed in Georgia as a professional counselor and hold dual certification as a Sex Therapist and as a Psychosexual Therapist. I also serve as a Certified Professional Counseling Supervisor.

I am the founder and lead therapist of Building Intimate Marriages, Inc. and co-founder of Sexual Wholeness, Inc. I teach graduate courses in sex therapy and human sexuality at several graduate schools, including Asbury Theological Seminary, Dallas Theological Seminary, Denver Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Richmont Graduate University. I present regularly at national and international conferences for clinicians and therapists, including the American Association of Christian Counselors, the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, the International Symposium on Sex Therapy, and the Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia Conference.

Part of what I find most meaningful is equipping other professionals to do this work well. I have authored chapters in professional clinical volumes on affair recovery, the treatment of unconsummated marriages, and counseling strategies for sexual disorders — work designed to train the therapists and counselors who are helping couples in their own communities. My book Secrets of Sex and Marriage, co-authored with researcher Shaunti Feldhahn and published by Bethany House, brings that same research-backed depth to couples directly.

My practice is faith-friendly, and my own Christian faith informs who I am as a clinician. That said, I work with couples across a wide range of backgrounds and faiths — you don't need to share my faith to work with me. You just need to want a better marriage.

If you're ready to do serious, honest work, I'd be glad to talk. The couples who do best with me are willing to look at themselves — not just their partner — and stay committed to the process even when it's hard. If that's you, reach out.