Rose Hartzell-Cushanick

Dr. Hartzell performs psychotherapy at San Diego Sexual Medicine, where she is responsible for addressing the sexuality, relationship, and intimacy concerns of individuals and couples who attend the clinic. Dr. Hartzell earned her doctorate in health behavior with an emphasis in human sexuality, and an EdS and Masters in mental health counseling with a minor in development from Indiana University. Dr. Hartzell is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (license number 53079) and an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist who has worked in a variety of settings, providing psychotherapy for individuals, couples, and families. She also has completed training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and enjoys helping the people she works with to heal themselves from past trauma which may be negatively impacting their relationships and themselves.

Dr. Hartzell has written multiple publications and has given over 50 presentations at international and national meetings on sexuality matters. She has published numerous journal articles in professional journals and a number of book chapters discussing sexual health. In 2007, Dr. Hartzell was awarded the Emerging Professional Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. She has conducted sex research with the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction and the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention (RCAP). Dr. Hartzell is an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator and has taught numerous classes at San Diego State University, Indiana University-Bloomington, the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, and National University. She also has served as the Scientific Program Co-Chair for the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality national conferences in 2013 and 2014.

Dr. Hartzell is Scientific Program Co-Chair of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH), a member of the International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM), the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS), the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), the Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA), the Society for Sex Therapy & Research (SSTAR), the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing International Association (EMDRIA) and the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT). She also serves as a reviewer for The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

From 2010-2014 she served as a monthly sex expert for FOX5 News in San Diego and has been featured on CW6 in San Diego. Dr. Hartzell has been quoted in many magazine and newspaper articles including The New York Times and Women’s Health magazine.