Category Marita Heck   Show all

  • Two New Ways to Support Wellbeing After Spinal Cord Injury

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    Dr Marita Heck, Adjunct Research Fellow at The Hopkins Centre, has two exciting new contributions aimed at enhancing the lives of people living with spinal cord injury (SCI)—from evidence-based research to practical guidance on intimacy and pleasure.

    1. New insights into sexual rehabilitation support after spinal cord injury

    In “Sexual rehabilitation support experiences of Australian adults living with a spinal cord injury” (Allen, Heck, Doig, Cudmore, Lawrence & Mason, 2025), the team explored the lived experiences of nine Australian adults (8 men; 1 woman) with spinal cord injury (SCI). Guided by Material–Discursive–Intrapsychic Theory, the study revealed how physical functioning, relational identity and broader disability-stigma discourses combine to shape sexual quality of life after SCI.

    Key findings:

    • Rehabilitation tends to focus strongly on physical function (e.g., erection, ejaculation) while giving less attention to emotional, relational and identity-aspects of sexuality.
    • Participants described loss of autonomy, feelings of shame or stigma, and challenges in partner communication / relational connection as major influences on sexual wellbeing.
    • When sexual rehabilitation support attends to emotional connection, personalised equipment and partner-/relationship-oriented goals, outcomes for sexual wellbeing improve.

    Why it matters:

    • Because sexuality is a fundamental component of wellbeing, addressing it in rehabilitation is critical — yet often under-addressed for people with SCI.
    • By broadening support beyond just “physical functioning” to include relational, psychological and identity dimensions, clinicians and services can help people living with SCI experience fuller, more meaningful sexual lives.

    Practical tip:
    If you work in rehabilitation (or support someone who does), embed a simple “relationship check-in” into the routine: ask “How has your /intimacy /connection changed since the injury?” and then include a follow-up question “What aspect of this would you like to change/restore?” Use that to guide discussion of equipment, partner communication, self-identity and expectations — not just physical sexual function.

    📄 Citation:
    Allen, A., Heck, M., Doig, C., Cudmore, T., Lawrence, K., & Mason, J. (2025). Sexual rehabilitation support experiences of Australian adults living with a spinal cord injury. The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 1–10.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/10790268.2025.2496567

    Photo of an open hard cover book, with middle pages forming the shape of a heart, with the quote “What if your body’s worth wasn’t defined by what it can or can’t do?” Dr Marita Heck.

    2. Exploring Intimacy and Pleasure

    Off the back of research findings and clinical work, Dr Heck has also released The Sensuality of Connection: An Erotic Playbook to Intimacy After Spinal Cord Injury, to bridge the gap. Whilst the guide is designed for people living with SCI—it is truly suitable for everyone! This resource encourages exploring connection, intimacy, and pleasure in new, playful ways.

    Whether you’re a researcher, clinician, or someone interested in living well after SCI, Dr Heck’s latest work offers insights and practical tools to support recovery, wellbeing, and connection.

    Get in touch / learn more:

    Dr Marita Heck
    The Hopkins Centre
    marita.heck@griffith.edu.au



  • Exploring Love and Disability: New Research by Dr. Marita Heck

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    Dr. Marita Heck, a young white woman with long, curly brown hair, smiles warmly at the camera. An inset features the cover of her novel, Secret Forces, depicting a man with his bare upper back facing a woman with long hair, standing against a striking horizon.Dr. Marita Heck, Adjunct Research Fellow, The Hopkins Centre

    Discover groundbreaking insights into how individuals with disability navigate intimate relationships in Dr. Marita Heck's latest study. As an Adjunct Research Fellow at The Hopkins Centre, Dr. Heck combines her extensive experience as a nurse, midwife, and Sexual Quality of Life Support Clinician to shed light on this important topic. She is also the author of Secret Forces, a compelling novel that delves into the complexities of life after a spinal cord injury.

    Read:https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rep0000573

    For more resources and support on sexual well-being for people with disability, visit the Sex Positive Community at https://www.sexpositivecommunity.com.

    Join the conversation and help break down barriers surrounding love and disability. Share your thoughts and experiences with us!

    Citation:
    Ireland, B., Pebdani, R. N., Heck, M., Mudholkar, A., & Verdonck, M. (2024). Sex-positive sexuality post- spinal cord injury: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis. Rehabilitation Psychology. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rep0000573

    More information:

    Dr Marita Heck Phd, MMid (RM), BNS (RN)
    Adjunt Research Fellow
    The Hopkins Centre
    Griffith University

    marita.heck@griffith.edu.au

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-marita-heck-phd-591957310/

  • Book Club: Sexual Health, Wellbeing and Disability

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    INCLUSIVE FUTURES BOOK CLUB
    A conversation with authors Dr. Marita Heck (author of Secret Forces) and conversation partners     Lisa Cox and Chantelle Otten.

    Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability, Griffith University hosted our latest #BookClub event on #SexualHealth, #wellbeing and #disability, with author Marita Heck and conversation partners Lisa Cox and Chantelle Otten online, on Wednesday, 23 August on Microsoft Teams.


    Inclusive Futures Reimagining Disability Inclusive Futures Book Club. A conversation with authors Dr Marita Heck (author of Secret Forces) and conversation partners Lisa Cox and Chantelle Otten. The image includes a colour photo of Chantelle, a young attractive brunette woman wearing a low-cut spaghetti strap dress and Lisa a young blonde woman with curled long hair wearing a black blazer and blue top. The Griffith University logo (red) features in the bottom right hand corner.
    It is a human right to experience positive     #SexualHealth and wellbeing, yet it is a topic that is often neglected and ignored. Please join us (via our online recording) for an open, honest discussion about challenges experienced by #PeopleWithDisability and how we can increase awareness, education and support.

    Dr Marita Heck (PhD, Master of Midwifery, Bachelor of Nursing Science) is an Adjunct Research Fellow with     The Hopkins Centre, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University on the Gold Coast in Queensland. Dr Heck is further a member of the Griffith University’s Inclusive Futures task force. In this space, Dr Heck is leading a consumer-led multidisciplinary research project in collaboration with five Australian universities promoting holistic sexual health support for people living with a spinal cord injury.

    In addition, Dr Heck conducts research into supporting women living with an SCI in pre-pregnancy, antenatal, birth and postnatal support. Dr Heck is further a very experienced     #clinician working with people living with a disability in the sexuality and fertility, and antenatal, birth and postnatal period in the Australian community. Besides her work in the research and the clinical setting, Dr Heck is a vivid romance novel author and published her first suspense romance novel Secret Forces in 2020.

    Lisa Cox is an Internationally awarded thought leader,     TEDx speaker, #authorand consultant who is working with business, government, Griffith University and others to help create solutions and change social attitudes towards disability. Her work has been recognised around the globe and featured in media like FOX, NBC News, Huffington Post, Smart Company, Vogue and AdNews Australia.

    Chantelle Otten is a Melbourne based Psycho-Sexologist who is passionate about empowering people to feel great about their sexual health, self-esteem, communication and education. With a background in scientific research, sexual medicine, and counselling, she believes that sexuality and self-esteem are an integral part of life, which everyone is entitled to. Good sexual health should always be enjoyable, pain free and without prejudice.

    For those who missed the event, you can access the recording here https://youtu.be/11DP3nz_Tn4 - A full and accessible transcript can be provided upon request.

    For more information about the author Dr. Marita Heck:https://www.amazon.com.au/Secret-Forces-Marita-Heck-ebook/dp/B08KTSLM2G

    https://www.sexpositivecommunity.com/


    For more information about Lisa Cox:

    https://lisacox.co/

    https://www.instagram.com/lisacox.co/

    For more information about Chantelle Otten:
    https://chantelleotten.com/

    https://www.instagram.com/chantelle_otten_sexologist/

    If you would like to stay up to date with upcoming events and join the Inclusive Futures book club community, you can join up here: https://inclusivefutures.griffith.edu.au/inclusive-futures-book-club?tool=survey_tool#tool_tab


    If you have any questions or would like a copy of the transcript, please do not hesitate to contact the team at inclusivefutures@griffith.edu.au.