Joe Kort


Joe Kort, Ph.D is an American psychotherapist, clinical social worker, board certified clinical sexologist, author, lecturer and facilitator of therapeutic workshops. He also works as Clinical Director and founder of The Center for Relationship and Sexual Health in Royal Oak, Michigan.
Dr. Kort established his private practice in 1985, specializing in LGBTQIA Affirmative Therapy, mixed-orientation marriages and relationships, male sexual fluidity issues, sexual addiction, sexual abuse, and Imago Relationship Therapy.
His work also focuses on Out-of-Control Sexual Behaviors /sex addiction, Relationship Problems and Marital Conflict, Sex Therapy, and Sexual Identity Concerns, Depression, Anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He also is trained in EMDR.
He is the author of four books and numerous journal and magazine articles. He is also the host of “Smart Sex, Smart Love,” a podcast series.
His practice is located in Royal Oak, Michigan. He works with clients from all over the Metro Detroit area. Dr. Kort also conducts long-distance coaching and consultation.

Education

Dr. Kort graduated from Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan, with dual majors in psychology and social work. At Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, he earned his master's degree in social work, then a master's in psychology. He received a doctorate in clinical sexology from the American Academy of Clinical Sexologists. He is an adjunct professor at Wayne State University's School of Social Work.   
Dr. Kort's credentials also include:
Since 1985, Kort has provided psychotherapy and relationship counseling to individuals and couples, both LGBTQIA and heterosexual, and specializes in sexual addiction/compulsivity, depression, anxiety disorders, sexual orientation issues, mixed-orientation marriages/relationships as well as adult survivors of sexual abuse/incest.
Since 1999, he has been a member  the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists. He is a Certified Sex Therapist and a Certified Sex Therapist Supervisor.
Kort's website,, is addressed to straight men who have sex with men and women who are involved with them.
Since 2009 Kort has been the Founding Director at The Center for Relationship and Sexual Health in Royal Oak, MI. The staff's areas of expertise include individual and couple counseling; intimacy, communication & sexual relationships; sexual relationship issues; loss of sexual desire, painful intercourse; sexual & arousal difficulties; out-of-control sexual behaviors; LGBT issues; difficulties following childhood abuse; anxiety and depression; and more.
Kort was a part of the teaching faculty at University of Michigan Sexual Health Certificate Program on LGBT issues from 2014-2019.

Media

Kort has appeared on various television and radio programs. He was a featured guest on 'The Montel Williams Show and The Tyra Banks Show'' talk shows on the topic of mixed-orientation marriages. Kort was also a guest on Oprah and Friends Radio "Better in Bed" with Dr. Laura Berman, discussing straight men who have sex with men.

Activism

Kort's career focuses on advancing the social acceptance, and professional treatment of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. His first book, 10 Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Improve Their Lives gave answers to the most common questions his clients brought to him. Kort came out with a second edition in 2016. This book has been updated and revised and includes a new chapter on the sexual health of gay men which replaces the chapter on sexual addiction. The old Chapter 5, "Avoid or Overcome Sexual Addiction," has been replaced by "Explore Erotic Turn-ons and Sexual Interests." It also reflects the contemporary culture of gay men in social media, marriage equality and updated information on HIV.
Kort advocates for men who have sex with men, particularly heterosexual men who engage in sexual behavior with other men and are not gay or bisexual. The term down low specifically addresses African-American males secretly engaging in sexual behavior with other men. Kort has expanded the awareness of down-low behavior to apply beyond men of color and writes about this sexual behavior crossing all ethnicities, races, religions and socioeconomics.
While many gay men consider themselves either top, bottom and versatile, the term side has been proposed and coined by Joe Kort for gay men who are not interested in anal sex.

Personal life

Kort met his partner, Mike, in 1993, and they religiously married under Reform Judaism in 2000 and legally married in 2005 in Massachusetts. The New York Times quoted him as saying, "For many young gay men today, settling down in a relationship in their 20s—or getting married if they live in Massachusetts—will feel like a very natural thing to do."
In addition to identifying as gay, Kort also identifies as "homoflexible", stating that "as I get older, I find myself noticing women in sexual ways more than I ever have before." Kort is Jewish.

Publications