New Mobile App Aims To Make Sex Therapy Accessible For Pinays

A Filipina-owned sexual wellness firm has released a “sex therapy” mobile application, looking to ensure accessibility for Filipinas who are unable to avail the real-life remedy.

On Monday, Sept. 25, Unprude launched its app of the same name on Google Play Store, the first of its kind in Asia. Through it, users can be guided by expert inputs, avail of sex education resources, meditation tips to overcome sexual shame, body issues or even trauma, among others.

In an interview with “The Big Story” on One News on Tuesday, Sept. 26, Unprude chief executive officer Dr. Rica Cruz said users would have to start with a quiz to unlock an “individualized curriculum” based on life experiences, sexual stage and personal goals to “embrace” their sexual selves.

Whether it’s someone in a relationship, new family, menopausal stage, or even mourning, Cruz said a curriculum is ready for them.

“We have modules for them…they can watch videos of other women telling relatable stories and we have guided reflections, and audio guidance, meditations that they can practice for themselves,” Cruz, a sex and relationship therapist, said.

Guided reflections are also available, Cruz shared. For now, users are be provided an Unprude journal, before an update that will allow them to answer directly on the app.

Instead of a “one-on-one” setup with therapists, Cruz said users can rely on the app’s vast resources – created due to sex therapy’s inaccessibility in the country.

Cruz said she and Dr. Margarita “Margie” Holmes are the only sex therapists locally, and both of them have expensive consultation fees.

According to Cruz, clients will ask about her fees and then seek alternative means to reach her once these fees are disclosed. Since she cannot opt for a “sliding scale” setup to accommodate all incomes, Cruz started to consider other means.

“So I need to scale myself…I also need to provide a platform where women, who are not ready to go into therapy, ashamed to talk about sex can actually help themselves, by themselves,” Cruz shared.

For her part, Unprude chief marketing officer Trish Bautista said the app targets those wanting to know themselves better and deeper. She also acknowledged sexual and relationship problems that may arise in people’s lives.

Inclusivity

Cruz emphasized Unprude’s inclusivity. Aside from previously mentioned circumstances, she confirmed that even those cheated on can be catered by the app. She noted that infidelity is also a big societal problem, and a lot of victims still lack support groups.

“Not a lot of women can talk about it, cause they can't really tell their friends that, ‘Hey, my husband’s cheating on me, yeah I just caught him’,” Cruz explained.

She said Unprude can likewise help sexually traumatized women. Cruz stressed these women are usually hesitant to open up, so she aims to give them temporary relief from their baggage. In particular, a directory of people to approach is also available, on top of the curriculum for traumatized women.

Even “sexual values” were considered in creating the app. For example, Cruz said resources tackling pre-marital sex and masturbation are available.

“We only think about the behavior, what we do in bed, but that's not it. Sex is who we are as people and how we relate to others, our partners, and how we relate to whole world,” she said.

“We gotta start somewhere right? And we started…we weren’t like this. Our history was like the Babaylans…the women were very matriarchal,” Cruz added.

For now, Unprude’s free version is available on the Google Play Store and will be offered on the Apple App Store soon. The lectures and stories from women are either in English or Filipino.

According to Cruz, the free version has a sex education module, as well as activities, such as conversation cards for couples. Particularly, the conversation cards help couples talk about sex in a “fun way,” she said.

For her part, Bautista said the paid version of the app comes with its Apple App Store release. Introductory rates will be at P299 monthly, or P1,999 for one year.

“It’s also good if you are currently in therapy, or doing some sort of therapy work, it’s a great supplement for that. Let’s say you only go once a month, every other week, it adds as a supplement and facilitates reflection,” Bautista said.

Prior to releasing their app, Unprude was primarily an e-commerce site launched in 2021 selling sex-related products. According to Cruz, they wanted to aid people by offering “high-quality, non-intimidating products” that can gradually help them find pleasure for themselves.