Research shows that if sex isn’t brought up in the first three therapy sessions, it is unlikely to ever come up in the therapy space.

A large majority of clinicians don’t know how to talk to their clients about sexuality and, subsequently, aren’t able to help their clients with issues about their sex lives. Many clinicians also believe that conversations about sex are out of their scope of practice, and while this is true in rare cases, it's usually not true.

Every single person has a relationship with sexuality, whether they are asexual or very sexually experienced. Everyone we work with as therapists has a relationship with their sexuality.

Discussing sexual health is well within our scope as clinicians! It is ethically mandated for clinicians to continue learning and growing so we can offer the best and most tailored support to our clients.

That need has prompted the creation of this workshop, NOT Your Mom's Sex Ed Class!

Socialization teaches us that everyone is cis-gender, hetero, and monogamous. Everyone is taught that certain sexual behaviors are “normal” and others are “not.” These norms are echoed in the education systems that clinicians are trained in. Because of the shame-filled way our society treats sexuality, most folks have a complicated relationship with it.

We can serve the entire person when we choose to include conversations about sex and sexual health with our clients.

This course will go over the basics of human sexuality and anatomy, including sexual and gender identities, as well as the roles of desire, arousal, and libido. This course will explore types of sexual dysfunction commonly experienced by clients and how to know if a referral is needed. In addition, this course will identify ways that all clinicians can become more informed and sex-positive with everyday clients.

OBJECTIVES:

After attending this workshop, attendees will:

• Learn the process of expected sexual development over the lifetime
• Identify sex organs and their functions
• Review gender and gender identities
• Review sexual identities
• Differentiate between types of arousal, desire, and variations in libido
• Explore concepts about sex/porn addiction vs. out-of-control sexual behaviors
• Identify the role of society in determining sexual norms and expectations
• Define the impact of expectation of sexual normativity
• Explore common non-normative identities and behaviors
• Learn common types of sexual dysfunction experienced by everyday clients
• Distinguish the role of attachment wounds and trauma on sexual experiences
• Identify when a referral to a sex therapy specialist is needed
• Understand the basics of sex-positive therapy and how to explore sexual topics with clients
• Learn common types of sexual dysfunction experienced by everyday clients
• Distinguish the role of attachment wounds and trauma on sexual experiences
• Identify when a referral to a sex therapy specialist is needed
• Understand the basics of sex-positive therapy and how to explore sexual topics with clients
• Discuss ethical best practices around client sexuality and identify possible misdiagnoses due to clinician misinformation
• Explore how cultural norms impact sexual attitudes and perpetuate stigmatizing myths
• Identify the ethics that mandate we provide culturally sensitive and inclusive clinical practices