Lessons From A 107-Year-Old Sex Therapist

Sex therapist Dr. Shirley Zussman passed away on December 4, 2021 at the age of 107. She had a remarkably long career in the field, having earned her doctorate in 1957 and not retiring from her private practice until the age of 105! Dr. Zussman accomplished a lot in her career. Among other things, she worked alongside Masters and Johnson in the 1960s, she was a two-time President of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), she was a book author and sex columnist, and she appeared on some of the biggest television shows of all time, including Oprah.

For her 100th birthday, Time published a video retrospective on her career, which you can watch below. Although sex changed a lot during her decades of practice, from the invention of the birth control pill to the rise of HIV/AIDS to the advent of online dating and hookups, she found that much stayed the same–especially in terms of the sexual problems encountered in relationships and what people really want from their love lives.

Check out the video below to learn more about Dr. Zussman and her reflections on how the sexual landscape changed over the course of her career.

RIP Dr. Zussman, and thank you for your many contributions to the field!

Watch more videos on the science of sex and relationships here.

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