About Us
Founded in 2017 by educator and certified sex therapist Martha Kauppi, the Institute for Relational Intimacy is rooted in the concept that relationships and sexuality are at the core of life.
We offer therapist training, consultation, and supervision as well as individual and relational therapy with Martha Kauppi or one of her associates. We are committed to competency working with a full array of sex issues in therapy, including sexual health concerns, alternative sexualities, problematic sexual behavior, and LGBTQAI+ related concerns.
Meet the Founder
Martha Kauppi is a marriage and family therapist, educator, and AASECT-certified sex therapist and supervisor. She has a lifelong career in sexual health, counseling, and creative education. In her first career as a midwife, she worked with families experiencing transitions around pregnancy and childbirth. In this role she attended over 350 births, developing strong skills with family systems counseling as well as experience guiding and witnessing miracles. Before leaving that career, she replaced herself many times over by developing a 600-hour curriculum based on role play and using it to train midwives to excel with an immeasurably complicated skill set.
Martha then returned to her first love, art. She combined various techniques for working with hot glass in order to explore light, shadow, refraction, and the magic that shifts us from darkness to hope, lifting us up.
All of the threads of Martha’s previous careers come together now as she works directly with clients and trains therapists. Her interest in the miracle of healing and change persists. Her dream is to debunk myths and prominent cultural beliefs that disrupt intimate connections between partners and help create a world where it is easy to find a therapist who can work effectively with relational intimacy challenges.
Licensure and Certifications
- LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist)
- AASECT-certified sex therapist
- AASECT-certified supervisor
- Specialty training in the Bader/Pearson Developmental Model of Couple Therapy