Couples, Sex, & Therapy: Introducing Adam Fisher

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have nothing to do with me writing for Kinsey Confidential. When I was seven, however, I thought I had found my career. I could not think of anything cooler than saving mankind by day, eating pizza every night, and living in a sewer (really, I thought that looked awesome). Like most childhood dreams, however, mine had to make the transition to reality. If I couldn’t be a ninja, I was going to do what any post-ninja does: law school.

Is Your Relationship Going To Last?

This all changed when I heard a speech by the relationship researcher (and former IU professor!) John Gottman. He has studied couples for over 30 years, and can predict whether or not your relationship will last (with over 91% accuracy) after watching you fight with your partner for just a few minutes. Some might think relationships are a mystery. Gottman had it down to a highly accurate science. I didn’t care about becoming a lawyer anymore. I was hooked on studying relationships. I wanted to know why relationships succeed or fail, and how to help the struggling couples get better.

What Am I Doing At IU?

After getting a master’s degree in counseling at Gonzaga University, I came to IU in 2009 and am currently working on a PhD in Counseling Psychology. I have been teaching in the School of Education for the past two years, and I am currently seeing couples in therapy at the Center for Human Growth on campus at IU. Even though I can’t be a ninja turtle, I love helping people in my own small way through couple therapy. I often use EFT (Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy), one of the few methods extensively supported by scientific research.

Why Am I Writing For Kinsey Confidential?

Of course, working with a couple and the dance of their relationship can involve many issues, but sex is one of the most important—for better or for worse! I hope to bring my training and experience in couple and sex therapy to the readers of Kinsey Confidential! I also plan on writing on topics such as the use of pornography in relationships, enhancing your sexual relationship with your partner, and my own research in relationship education and self-help. I’m glad to be here, in my post-ninja life at Kinsey Confidential.