2023 Annual Conference Schedule
Wednesday, June 7 – Sunday, June 11
Rediscovering Connection: Inspiring Our Collective Imagination. The following are listed in Pacific Time.
Wednesday, June 7, 2023 | In-person Programming
Quiet/Processing Space
Calling all introverts and those in need of low-stimulation peace and quiet. We are thrilled this year to be offering an intentional place to settle at this year’s annual conference. This room will be a designated area to express some excited energy or find your balance. Stop by to unwind, decompress, get creative, and recharge.
ADVANCED SAR: Connections of Our Own Making: Ethically Nonmonogamous, Consensually Nonmonogamous, and Polyamorous Relationships and Sexuality (Part 1/2) (pre-registration required)
Presenters
Coltan J. Schoenike, MS, MFT-IT, LAMFT (they/them)
Jeong Eun Park, MS, LMFT (zie/he)
Alex Iantaffi, PhD, MS, SEP, CST, LMFT (they/them)
Markie L. C. Twist, PhD, LMFT, LMHC, CSE-S (they/she)
Requirements
Must have completed a previous AASECT SAR to participate.
CE Credit
8 AASECT CE Credits (AASECT CE Credits Only)
About the SAR
This Advanced SAR serves an important purpose in providing space for professionals who have already begun their reflective journey and done some of their own work in previous SARs where they can dig deeper. The growing visibility of relationships and families outside of the monogamous structure has led many practitioners and educators to seek more information so that they may become more culturally attuned with clients who are engaged or want to engage in consensual nonmonogamy.
SARs are instrumental in a sexuality educator, counselor, or therapist’s training because we know that all of the information in the world will only serve us to a point, if we have not looked within ourselves to understand our own biases and narratives as well. Noting the increased demand for information and training around consensual/ethical nonmonogamy and polyamory, this Advanced SAR serves a similar purpose by inviting participants to look within themselves to identify their own biases, values and beliefs. Through media viewing, reflective and experiential exercises, and small and large group discussions and dialogues, this space will get to the core of what we have been told about relationships and intimacy and how those messages might influence us when we work with our clients as educators, counselors or therapists.
We will explore what structures and systems have informed these narratives and how compulsory monogamy is pervasive in the overculture. As we critically examine these messages, we also hope to foster and facilitate imagination and autonomy as individuals and as a collective.
What do we want relationships to mean, rather than what we’ve been told?
What can partnership and commitment be, rather than what it’s looked like before?
Does ethical non-monogamy offer us new possibilities regardless of whether we intentionally choose monogamy or not?
Thursday, June 8, 2023 | In-person Programming
8:30 am – 3:00 pm PT
Board of Directors Meeting
9:00 am – 5:00 pm PT
Badge Pick-Up and Information
9:00 am – 5:00 pm PT
Poster Presentation Set-up
ADVANCED SAR: Connections of Our Own Making: Ethically Nonmonogamous, Consensually Nonmonogamous, and Polyamorous Relationships and Sexuality (Part 2/2) (Pre-registration required)
Presenters
Coltan J. Schoenike, MS, MFT-IT, LAMFT (they/them)
Jeong Eun Park, MS, LMFT (zie/he)
Alex Iantaffi, PhD, MS, SEP, CST, LMFT (they/them)
Markie L. C. Twist, PhD, LMFT, LMHC, CSE-S (they/she)
Requirements
Must have completed a previous AASECT SAR to participate.
CE Credit
8 AASECT CE Credits (AASECT CE Credits Only)
About the SAR
This Advanced SAR serves an important purpose in providing space for professionals who have already begun their reflective journey and done some of their own work in previous SARs where they can dig deeper. The growing visibility of relationships and families outside of the monogamous structure has led many practitioners and educators to seek more information so that they may become more culturally attuned with clients who are engaged or want to engage in consensual nonmonogamy.
SARs are instrumental in a sexuality educator, counselor, or therapist’s training because we know that all of the information in the world will only serve us to a point, if we have not looked within ourselves to understand our own biases and narratives as well. Noting the increased demand for information and training around consensual/ethical nonmonogamy and polyamory, this Advanced SAR serves a similar purpose by inviting participants to look within themselves to identify their own biases, values and beliefs. Through media viewing, reflective and experiential exercises, and small and large group discussions and dialogues, this space will get to the core of what we have been told about relationships and intimacy and how those messages might influence us when we work with our clients as educators, counselors or therapists.
We will explore what structures and systems have informed these narratives and how compulsory monogamy is pervasive in the overculture. As we critically examine these messages, we also hope to foster and facilitate imagination and autonomy as individuals and as a collective.
What do we want relationships to mean, rather than what we’ve been told?
What can partnership and commitment be, rather than what it’s looked like before?
Does ethical non-monogamy offer us new possibilities regardless of whether we intentionally choose monogamy or not?
Pre-Conference Workshop: Community Building via Intergroup Dialogue in the Sex Ed Classroom (Pre-registration required)
Presenter
Dr. Tracie Gilbert (she/they)
About the Workshop
Part of forging community among diverse sex ed professionals is by addressing the barriers that keep it from being realized. IGD, or Intergroup Dialogues, is one strategy that serves to help overcome hurdles for emergent sexuality professionals at Widener University’s Center for Human Sexuality Studies. In this session, recent facilitators for CHSS’s IGD course will review basic philosophies behind intergroup dialogues, while sharing specific ways its strategies have made the course an impactful learning process for both students and faculty alike.
CE Credit
4 AASECT CE Credits (AASECT CE Credits Only)
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm PT
Volunteer Check-in, Hotel Tour & Orientation
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm PT
AASECT Student Special Interest Group (SIG)
The Student SIG provides a way for student members to connect and actively engage with one another. This group serves as a forum to share and discuss information regarding the various aspects of navigating a range of academic programs.
CE Credit
Special Interest Group participation does not count toward CE credit.
Registration
This is a members-only event and registration is not required. Must be a student to participate.
In Person Pre-Con: "Fancy Meeting You Here”: An Ethical Framework for Multiple Relationships (included with in-person registration.)
Presenter
About This Workshop
Sex therapists in small or close-knit communities, such as the LGBTQ+ communities and other marginalized groups, may experience conflict between providing therapy to community members, and participating as members themselves. This workshop will present a model for ethically managing multiple relationships drawing from feminist, multicultural, and family systems thinking and virtue ethics. The presenter will offer practical examples of applying this model, and invite participants to reflect on their own boundary setting practices with culturally-similar clients.
CE Credit
2 AASECT CE Credits (AASECT CE Credits Only)
Price
This workshop is included with in-person registration.
First Time Attendee Mixer
It’s a special space for any and all of 2023’s first time conference attendees! Going to a conference for the first time can be nerve-wracking, scary, and down right intimidating which is exactly why we wanted to offer a safe space to meet and connect with other people in the same boat. Join us for ice-breakers, low-key games and the opportunity to get to know our peers that are joining the AASECT conference for the first time.
6:00 pm – 8:15 pm PT
Conference Kick-off and Whipple Plenary – Listen to Black Women: The Power of Black Women's Collective Sexual Wisdom
Presenter:
Shemeka Thorpe, PhD (she/her)
About this Plenary:
Black feminism was created to uplift, empower, and center the voices of Black women by using their experiences to make meaning and create knowledge. Yet, so often Black women’s voices and stories regarding their sexual wellness and lived sexual experiences are silenced both within practice and community. This plenary will explore the ways in which Black women’s collective sexual wisdom is represented in sex research, while also providing implications for sexuality professionals that centers the voices of Black women.
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE
8:15 pm – 9:30 pm PT
Welcome Reception, Poster Session (1 AASECT CE) and Exhibits!
Friday, June 9, 2023 | In-person Programming
7:30 am – 4:00 pm PT
Badge Pick-Up and Information
7:30 am – 9:00 am PT
Breakfast with the Exhibitors!
7:30 am – 5:30 pm PT
Exhibits Open
8:00 am – 9:00 am PT
Tantra Special Interest Group (SIG)
Connect with AASECT members who are interested in Tantra and other Sacred Sexualities. This is a forum for such members to discuss, explore, learn, and share their experiences practicing Tantra and other Sacred Sexualities Network with other practitioners and learn what, where, and how others are teaching, educating, and researching new developments in these areas Discuss ways the SIG can benefit AASECT members and the populations we serve.
SIG Leader: Sally Valentine, PhD, LCSW, CST
TantraSIG@aasect.org
CE Credit
Special Interest Group participation does not count toward CE credit.
Registration
This is a members-only event and registration is not required.
8:00 am – 9:00 am PT
Sex and Aging Special Interest Group (SIG)
The mission of the AASECT Sexuality & Aging Special Interest Group is to enhance the sexual health, knowledge and well-being of people in mid- and later life by increasing the knowledge and skills of AASECT members who work with them and/or the professionals and caregivers who serve them.
SIG Leader: Melanie Davis, PhD, CSC, CSE, CSE-S
sexandagingSIG@aasect.org
CE Credit
Special Interest Group participation does not count toward CE credit.
Registration
This is a members-only event and registration is not required.
Morning Mixer + Virtual Schiller Plenary
Title
Embodiment, Emergence, and Transformation: Harnessing the Power of Communal Connection
Presenter
Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, SEP
In-person Morning Mixer and Plenary Viewing
Let’s catch breakfast and a movie! In-person participants will mingle at breakfast and enjoy a viewing of Resmaa Menakem’s pre-recorded Schiller Plenary presentation followed by an informal discussion.
Virtual Registration
For attendees unable to join us in San Francisco, you can register for access to of Resmaa Menakem’s pre-recorded Schiller Plenary presentation for $40. This recording can be watched asynchronously on your own time.
About this Session
The field of sexuality often attracts those with a desire to effect meaningful change in their communities. But where do you stumble, where do you flourish, and where do you find yourself withdrawing when the stakes become too high? What happens when your leadership meets resistance?
In this streamed plenary session, Resmaa Menakem, a celebrated healer and author of NYT bestsellers ‘My Grandmother’s Hands,’ ‘The Quaking of America,’ and ‘Monsters in Love,’ sits down with licensed psychotherapist Shadeen Francis for a passionate dialogue on change, community, and the potent power of sensual embodiment.
In sharing his insights into the labyrinthine nature of transformation within interpersonal relationships, Resmaa encourages sexuality professionals to see how even the most everyday situations can serve as tools that temper us for enduring change. Grounded in a profound understanding of historical context, his work explores how societal forces continue to shape our individual sense of agency over our bodies. He prompts us to pause and reflect on our personal, ancestral, and shared histories, calling for a recalibration of our focus on sensuality and body sovereignty as critical components of our journey toward healing.
This plenary session urges viewers to step out of the conventional roles of academics or leaders and to step into the positions of active, engaged community members. He contends that true transformation finds its roots in shared experiences, not solitary scholarly pursuits. The aspiration is for you to walk away from this session with a revitalized sense of inspiration and a clarified path to engage with the world, not merely to ‘fix’ it, but to engage with it in a spirit of playful exploration and felt sensuality, steering you towards a more authentic journey of healing.
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE
11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT
Concurrent Sessions
Black Couples Therapy: Clinical Theory and Practice
Presenters
Yamonte Cooper Ed.D, LPCC, NCC, CST-S
Erica Holmes PsyD
Jeshana Avent-Johnson PsyD
Danielle Drake Ph.D.
Daktari Hicks PsyD
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
Clinicians historically have not been specifically trained to provide culturally responsive care in addressing the unique experiences and needs of Black couples. Further, most research and couple therapy modalities tend to be normed on European American couples and do not include research on Black couples. The forthcoming Black Couples Therapy: Clinical Theory and Practice (2023/Cambridge University Press) provides a resource for clinicians and graduate students working with Black couples.
Psychedelics, Drugs, Sex, Chocolate and How We Connect
Presenters
Adrian Scharfetter PhD, LMFT, CST (he/him)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit. This session is approved for AASECT CE credit only.
About This Session
“Many people use drugs to connect and engage in heightened experiences. Some of these drugs are legal substances, such as chocolate and alcohol, and others are unregulated like ecstasy and psilocybin. It is important to understand how drugs interact in our bodies, minds, emotions and how they affect sexual functioning based on such affects. Based on case studies and research, this workshop will provide an overview of at least 10 different drugs/substances and how they may enhance, or harm, sexual experiences.”
Caregiver Kinks: An Introduction to Imaginative Power Exchange
Presenters
Stefani Goerlich LMSW-Clinical, LISW, LCSW, CST (she/her)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
Caregiver Kink is an umbrella term that encompasses several subcultures. This imaginative form of Dominance and submission weaves imaginative role play into the BDSM relationship- by assuming personas that are either much younger than the individuals biological age (little play) or by role playing as a non-human persona entirely (pet play). These often misunderstood relationships can be playful and joyous…and bring their own unique strengths and challenges to the therapeutic process. This workshop will not contain graphic content, but will contain material that some may find challenging.
Dismantling Sexual Ageism: Implications for Sexuality Professionals
Presenters
Jane Fleishman PhD, MEd, MS, CSE (she/her)
Abortion On Our Own Terms: Fighting Criminalization of Self-Managed Abortion
Presenters
Tamara Marzouk LICSW, MPH (she/her)
Lauren Paulk, JD (she/her)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit. This session is approved for AASECT CE credit only.
About This Session
The past year has disrupted abortion access for communities throughout the United States. State laws related to abortion access continue to quickly change since the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court ruling. Using a reproductive justice framework, this presentation introduces the concept of self-managed abortion (SMA). The audience will gain an understanding of the role of therapists and sexuality counselors in relation to SMA, legal issues, and how to help fight the criminalization of our clients for self-managing their own abortion care.
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm PT
Concurrent Sessions
Birds, Bees, and Porn?!: How to talk to youth about porn
Presenters
Jess Melendez BS (she/her)
CE Credit
1.5 AASECT CE Credits
1.5 APA CE Credits
1.5 NASW CE Credits
1.5 NBCC CE Credits
About This Session
An interactive porn literacy workshop for educators, parents, and anyone who works with young people. This workshop visits your own personal values and biases towards sex and sexuality, and gives you the tools to effectively have conversations with youth about pornography. The what, the who, and the why. This training provides activities to provide critical thinking skills for youth and how to identify trusted adults in their life.
Childbirth and Pleasure
Presenters
Suzannah Weiss (she/they)
CE Credit
1.5 AASECT CE Credits
1.5 APA CE Credits
1.5 NASW CE Credits
1.5 NBCC CE Credits
About This Session
Childbirth and pleasure are rarely spoken of together. However, many parents can benefit from learning about sexual pleasure around the time of childbirth as well as utilizing sensual and sexual pleasure to improve childbirth experiences. This workshop will teach sexuality professionals how to incorporate pleasure education into their work with pregnant people and new parents.
Age-(Play) Theory
Presenters
Draven Alexander M.Ed., CMHS (they/them)
CE Credit
1.5 AASECT CE Credits
1.5 APA CE Credits
1.5 NASW CE Credits
1.5 NBCC CE Credits
About This Session
As a subsect of BDSM, age-play is about the negotiated play between consenting adults, where an adult ‘plays’ as a child and the other adult ‘plays’ as their caregiver. The pathology of BDSM has decreased over the years, whereas age-play has continued to be viewed as pedophilic. In this workshop, we will explore the interactions of consent, what it means to play, play theory, and how the weaving of play theory with age-play will discern the differences between age-play and pathology.
Clinical Care for Sex Workers: A Sex-Positive Model for Collaboration and Connection
Presenters
Jamila Dawson MA, LMFT (she/her)
Theodore Burnes PhD, MSEd, HSPP, LPCC (he/him)
CE Credit
1.5 AASECT CE Credits
1.5 APA CE Credits
1.5 NASW CE Credits
1.5 NBCC CE Credits
About This Session
Despite the wide range of sex work, mental health clinicians too often focus on what they think sex workers need instead of understanding the unique stressors that make quality mental health care essential for sex worker communities. In this workshop, Theo Burnes and Jamila Dawson will discuss what mental health providers need to know to work effectively with sex workers. Attendees will learn: who sex workers are, different types of sex work, sex workers’ specific therapy needs, what not to do and specifically how to provide affirming clinical care for this dynamic and diverse population.
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm PT
General Plenary – Why Is Sex a “Thing”? Making Relations against a Colonial World
Presenter
Dr. Kim Tallbear (she/her)
About this Plenary
Settler-colonial states like Canada and the US have forged their societies and governance systems with theories of what is “natural,” and center ideas of private property while doing so. These two concepts have been especially violent toward first peoples of the Americas, peoples of African descent, women, children, the differently abled, and queer people. What is deemed to be “natural” and who gets to control that aims to keep often straight, white, property-owning men on top. Nature and property are key to settler society’s ideas and regulation of sex. In this talk, Dr. Kim TallBear explains how the very notion of “sexuality” (like “nature”) makes networks of relations into controllable objects. She draws on Critical Indigenous and sexuality studies frameworks to offer alternatives to making intimate relations into “things,” thus paradoxically also de-centering “sex” as a special (although for many of us, enjoyable).
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will identify socio-cultural factors that contribute to and affect our understanding of relationships and sex.
Core Knowledge Areas
CDF
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm PT
Concurrent Sessions
Building a Foundation of Trust Through Surrogate Partner Therapy
Presenters
Melvin Phillips EdD, LCSW, CST (he/they)
Michelle Renee SPT (she/her)
Brian Gibney (he/him)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit. This session is approved for AASECT CE credit only.
About This Session
Dr. Lee Phillips, licensed psychotherapist and certified sex therapist, joins surrogate partners Michelle Renee and Brian Gibney to share a recent case study. This panel will share how the therapist and a surrogate partner worked together in a triadic model and how the supplemental support of the surrogate partner transformed the client, who had a strong history of sexual trauma, while never moving into the erotic, but rather working to build safety in himself and in others.
Broadening Borders of Inclusion. Black women, Sex and Sex Therapy
Presenters
Angelique Brathwaite DSW, MSW, LICSW (she/her)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
This presentation will focus on the history of the governing and control over black women’s bodies and sexuality. It will explore trauma and colorism and how the two-affect sexuality and experimentation. The presentation will also address the lack of knowledge and inclusion that Black women feel by non-Black therapist and how to open your practice to be inclusive.
Deep Sex-Positivity: It’s Not About Sexual Enthusiasm. It’s About Sexual Justice
Most people today think “sex-positive” means “enthusiasm about sex.” But the origin and purpose of sex-positive has nothing to do with having sex; its popular understanding obscures what’s really radical about this social philosophy. This session fills some of these gaps in a philosophical and practical discussion about sex-positivity’s real value in a world full of diverse desires and boundaries—and one in which this diversity is increasingly at risk.
Presenters
Hear from author and cultural sexologist, Carol Queen (she/they).
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
Most people today think “sex-positive” means “enthusiasm about sex.” But the origin and purpose of sex-positive has nothing to do with having sex; its popular understanding obscures what’s really radical about this social philosophy. This session fills some of these gaps in a philosophical and practical discussion about sex-positivity’s real value in a world full of diverse desires and boundaries—and one in which this diversity is increasingly at risk.
Caring for the Whole: Suggested Considerations for the Sexual Health Care and Education Of Black Womxn
Presenters
Tiffany Reddick LPC (she/her)
Davondra Brown M.Ed, MCHES (she/her)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit. This session is approved for AASECT CE credit only.
About This Session
Social conditioning, media messaging, and incomplete health education and services can lead to physical and emotional harm, threatening the components of safety necessary to navigate the pursuit of sexual wellness. Our workshop will discuss the development and impact of sexual shame in Black Womxn, how our current models of care perpetuate the disconnection that allows shame to thrive and present a solution: a framework of culturally rooted collaboration and care that will empower Black women to simulatneously heal and re-imagine their cultural narrative as it relates to sexuality.
What Aromanticism Can Teach Us
Presenters
Nathan Bernstein (they/he)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
Aromantic people learn many skills simply by navigating an allonormative and amatonormative world. Some of these skills are valuable for everyone, not only aromantics. We’re here to help you learn! By reflecting on societal norms and common aromantic struggles with such norms, participants will gain insight into the importance of aromantic self-identity, defining one’s own relationships, defining relationship boundaries, and questioning prescribed relationship hierarchies.
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm PT
BIPoC Special Interest Group (SIG)
The People of Color (POC) SIG is an intentionally curated space for AASECT members who identify as a person of color (non-White racial/ethnic identities of Black/African, Indigenous, Latino/x/a, Asian, Middle Eastern, or another cultural identity). While this is the newest iteration of the SIG; we honor the founding POC SIG members who created the space we now hold.
This SIG meeting is designed to be a safe space for conference participants who identify as people of color; the SIG organizers respectfully request this be a closed space.
CE Credit
Special Interest Group participation does not count toward CE credit.
Registration
This is a members-only event open to those who identify as a person of color. Registration is not required.
Kinky BINGO
Meet Your Hosts
Catie Brauer (she/they) –In the wild, Catie is a neurodivergent queer introvert with a witty sense of humor, too many half-read books, and someone who will never turn down a philosophical debate. She finds joy in what’s curious and in what causes laughter, and aims to surround herself with authenticity, knowledge, and kindred spirits. At the clinic, Catie works happily as a sex therapist, educator, and researcher based in Michigan. They hold an honors degree concentrated on sexual communication and has focused research on sexting in long-term relationships.
TheraPup Zeph (he/him) – TheraPup Zeph is a human pup and psychotherapist in Pasadena, California. He focuses his work on kink and religious trauma and has been a member of the LA Pup community for the past two years.
When he’s not in the therapy office, you can find him exploring the National Parks of the American Southwest or getting into mischief at LA’s many pup events. He loves chatting about the pup community and leather/kink, so don’t be a stranger! He’s a friendly pupper, always looking to make new friends and to get extra scritches behind the ears.
Performers
Ellliot – In the midst of personal & professional chaos, ellliot needed to seize some control, so he took a stray piece of rope and tied a stray guy to his bed – opening up a world of sadistic & artistic possibilities.
His rope practice is ever-evolving, exploring the dynamic ways that rope can be used to connect, contort and conduct partners. Sometimes the rope goes with a flow, a non-verbal communication tool that slowly opens doors to physical and emotional intimacy. Sometimes blueprints are followed, constructing airborne sculptures of tied humans. Sometimes a body gets tied super duper tight and writhes to intimate a desire to escape.
At present, ellliot relishes performing intense & artistic rope suspension scenes and teaching the basic components of rope bondage in a manner that equips students to safely & securely connect with their next play partner.
He organizes Can You Knot? LA – a monthly event in West Hollywood, Ca. for men who tie men.
Mistress Wiley Wolfe (she/they) is a Professional Dominant, Human Animal Handler, Fetish Performer, and Primal Daddy based in Los Angeles. She is the Co-Founder of SoCal Creatures, an inclusive pet play community; The Observation Room, a themed immersive kink experience; and is the creator of Instinct LA, a primal community and accompanying virtual support group. Her workshops have been welcomed at venues and events, including Black Thorn/Sacred Muse, IMsLBB, Dark Odyssey, Dungeon East, Wicked Grounds, Kinkfest, and more. She delights in utilizing her lens as a gay genderqueer person to empower inclusivity, ethics, and gender-euphoric f*ckery in BDSM.
She will be demonstrating her craft with Raven Gray.
Saturday, June 10, 2023 | In-person Programming
7:30 am – 9:00 am PT
Breakfast with the Exhibitors + Meet & Greet with AASECT Treasurer Chris Belous
Join AASECT Treasurer Christopher K. Belous, PhD, CSE, CST in the exhibit hall for breakfast and conversation!
8:30 am – 4:00 pm PT
Badge Pick-Up and Information
8:30 am – 4:00 pm PT
Exhibits Open
8:00 am – 9:15 am PT
Tantra Morning Meditation
Tantra Meditation led by Dr. Sally Valentine. It is such a great way to begin the day of the conference. We will begin with a dynamic, high energy, body movement experience and then flow into eye gazing, breath work, and heart opening state of being. Come join us!
9:30 am – 11:00 am PT
General Plenary – It’s Time To ANTE UP! Reproductive Justice + Revolutionary Love
Presenter
Bianca I Laureano, PhD, MA, CSE, CSES Dr/she/Ella
About the Plenary
This is an un-plenary experience focused on oral narratives, storytelling, and the radical belief we all deserve liberation and freedom. Focusing on reproductive justice and revolutionary love as guiding frameworks, participants are encouraged to create a practice of care, love, and self-preservation before attending the plenary to reflect upon.
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE
11:30 am – 12:30 pm PT
Concurrent Sessions
Modern Love Languages: An Expansive Reframe of the Popular Relationship Theory
Presenters
Anne Hodder-Shipp CSE (she/they)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
The theory of love languages has remained a go-to for clinicians and their clients seeking resources for building long-lasting romantic relationships, despite its heteronormative, neurotypical lens. Join sex and relationship educator Anne Hodder-Shipp, CSE, for an interactive workshop that transforms the romance-centered theory of love languages into a valuable connection, communication, and rapport-building tool for relationships of all kinds – including sexuality professionals and their clients.
Laughing 'til it Hurts (No More): Decolonizing Mental Health and Sexuality Through Irreverent Comedy
Presenters
Patricia Morency LCSW, M.Ed. (she/her)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
In light of the ongoing racial reckoning, we shall reclaim collectivism and orality as legitimate and historically relevant healing practices. In this workshop, we will explore the use of irreverent humor as a social justice tool in coping with racism and mental health issues from a decolonization perspective. We will also discuss the importance of healing through challenging systems of oppression, citing examples from standup and sketch comedy clips by BIPOC and LGBTQ+ performers. CW: graphic language.
Creating a New Paradigm for Managing Sexual Consent and Dementia
Presenters
Lawrence Siegel, Sex Educator & Supervisor
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
This workshop presents information on how our aging populations are changing and how these changes can be accommodated in a variety of elder-care communities. Emphasis will be on discussing dementia and how those identified or diagnosed with it are still entitled to sexual pleasure and intimate connections. The session will also present an overview of common issues with regard to age-related sexual changes, illness and disability, and sexual effects of some medications commonly prescribed to seniors
The Sacred and The Sacral: Reclaiming Sexuality in Spiritual Communities
Presenters
Angelica Lindsey-Ali (she/her)
Farhia Farah (she/her)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit. This session is approved for AASECT CE credit only.
About This Session
Socia
Deep and Meaningful: Myths, Metaphors, Fairytales and Imagination in Sex Therapy Praxis
Presenters
Laura Westmoreland LMFT, CST (she/her)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
The workshop will take a depth psychological perspective to sex therapy treatment. Participants will explore the use of myths, metaphors, fairytales, and imagination as a way to deepen therapeutic work, assist clients with understanding what underlies their symptoms, and gain insight and make meaning of their struggles. The goal is to shift the focus from symptom reduction to exploring unconscious patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors which may assist clients with more meaningful lives and relationships.
12:30 pm – 2:30 pm PT
Lunch (on your own)
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm PT
Concurrent Sessions
Facilitating Human Connection Through Touch: A Panel Discussion with Somatic Sexuality Professionals
Presenters
Brian Gibney (he/him)
Amy Weissfeld (she/her)
Keeley Shoup (she/they)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit. This session is approved for AASECT CE credit only.
About This Session
Feelings of isolation, touch hunger, and sexual shame are increasingly prevalent in our society. While sex education and therapy can address some contributing factors, touch modalities may be needed to aid clients in the pursuit human connection. This panel, hosted by the Somatic Sexuality Professionals Special interest group, will feature prominent touch practitioners who will discuss philosophies and best practices, therapeutic benefits, clinical collaborations, and legality/ethics of each modality in addition to welcoming open, juicy, and nuanced conversation.
Rediscovering the Benefits of Sexual Mindfulness Meditation and Erotic Yoga for Black Women’s Sexual Wellness
Presenters
Natalie Malone MS, 200RYT (she/her)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit. This session is approved for AASECT CE credit only.
About This Session
Fee
Imagining and Adapting Sexual Health and Safety Education for Neurodivergent, Autistic, and Disabled Students
Presenters
Landa Fox MA, BCBA, CSHE (she/her)
Barb Gross MA, MEd, MS, BCBA LBA CSE (she/her)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit. This session is approved for AASECT CE credit only.
About This Session
We will review sources of explicit and implicit bias and how they impact access to sexual health education for disabled clients. The workshop will review some of the most common knowledge, skills, and behaviors that may need to be more explicitly taught to disabled clients. Imaginative examples of how this may be done will be shared and generated through audience engagement. We will highlight some of the ways that teaching must be adapted to create meaningful content for disabled students.
Sex After Sexual Assault – Helping Clients Rediscover Pleasure and Play
Presenters
Laura Wood LMHC (she/they)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
This workshop will focus on alleviating concerns and stigma held by both professionals and clients who have experienced sexual trauma when it comes to sex and sexual exploration after assault. Introducing clients to or back to play and pleasure after sexual trauma can feel overwhelming on both sides. Fear not, case examples and therapeutic interventions which are approachable and creative will be included that show how to help clients rediscover play and pleasure while additionally addressing how to minimize vicarious trauma for providers.
Polyamory, BDSM, & Psychedelic Consciousness: Fostering Decentralized Networks of Care
Presenters
Jessica Blake M.Ed. (she/they)
Inthica Hyphae (she/they)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
As the stability we once knew crumbles, mental health concerns skyrocket, and our trust in arbitrary authority wanes, the post-COVID human collective is provided with an unprecedented opportunity to co-create decentralized, autonomous networks of care. Braiding together the philosophy of polyamory, the practices of BDSM, and the inspiration of psychedelic consciousness, we explore the possibilities of mutual aid as a home-based exchange of material resources rooted in deep physical and emotional intimacy facilitated by trust and safe spaces.
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm PT
Concurrent Sessions
Double Gifted: Kinky and Neurodiverse
Presenters
Stephen Ratcliff MA, LPCC, LPC, NCC, CST (he/him)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
Because of the risk of stigma for both neurodivergent and kinky individuals, the unique experiences of the multiple minority intersections of kinky neurodivergent folks is imperative for educators, counselors, and therapists to be aware of. In this presentation, we will review how two common forms of neurodivergence, ADHD and Autism, intersect. Building on the common community experience of neurodivergence and kink intersecting, we will also draw from the limited literature, clinical experience, and TASHRA’s International Kink Health Study.
Ketamine Assisted Sex Therapy: Facilitating Sexual Fulfillment Through Psychedelic Medicine
Presenters
Lisa Gold Ph.D., LMFT, LPC, CMHC (she/her)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
Integrating ketamine treatments with sex therapy is an effective treatment option for clients whose trauma or physical pain (sexual or otherwise) is interfering with sexual interest, functioning, or pleasure. This presentation outlines assessment and interventions for ketamine integrated sex therapy.
The Heaviest Weight: Minor Attraction and Therapeutic Rapport
Presenters
Jan Tate LCSW, MED, CSOTP (she/her)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
This presentation is a window into clinical work with minor attracted persons (MAPS) seeking mental health treatment of their own volition. Sexuality professionals are not immune to the societal stigma associated with attraction to children, and we are also responsible for building therapeutic rapport and establishing safety. It is imperative that sexuality professionals understand the critical importance of the nature of our response when being asked for help from a population carrying the heavy weight of sexual attraction to minors.
Equitable Sexuality Education For Real: Hint, It’s Not Just About Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Presenter
Bee Gehman CSE, MEd (they/them)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit. This session is approved for AASECT CE credit only.
About This Session
Have you ever faced challenges with creating equitable sexuality education even though you have already provided all accommodations your students have requested? This workshop is for you, then! Bee Gehman, a Deaf AASECT certified sexuality educator, will discuss the importance of ensuring the accessibility and inclusiveness of your sexuality education, going beyond the simplicity of providing accommodations.
LGBTQIA+ Providers Workshop: Building Community
Presenter
Coming soon
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit. This session is approved for AASECT CE credit only.
About This Session
Coming soon
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm PT
General Plenary – "Disability is an art—an ingenious way to live”: Dreaming pleasure centered disabled futures
Presenter
Shanna K. Kattari, PhD, MEd, CSE, ACS (They/Them/Theirs)
About the Plenary
As we are in the 4th year of a global pandemic, disabled and chronically ill individuals are once again left behind, told that our health, wellbeing, and ability to engage with society at large don’t matter. Whether we are isolated in our homes, lying abed in hospitals or other institutions, or trying to navigate a world that chooses ableism over inclusion, we are still here and are not going anywhere. Historically, disabled people have been incredibly creative and scrappy in getting our needs met, including using mutual aid, creating care collectives, and centering our pleasure, despite the rhetoric that disabled people do not have sexualities or deserve pleasurable interactions. Grounded in disability justice and anti-oppressive praxis, this talk is an invitation to sexuality professionals everywhere to crip their practice and center disability inclusion and affirmation as we dream and co-create pleasurable disabled futures.
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE
7:00 pm PT
Dinner (on your own)
9:30 pm PT
PRIDE Karaoke Night
Celebrate good times, COME ON! Let’s celebrate! We’re gonna have a good time at the First Annual AASECT Conference Karaoke Night! We have made the dream come true and cannot wait to share with you all in a night of celebration, joy, play, and song. (No true singing skills required!) Join us wearing your PRIDE best as we dance and sing the night away!
Sunday, June 11, 2023 | In-person Programming
7:30 am – 9:00 am PT
Breakfast
8:30 am – 9:20 am PT
Medical Sexology Special Interest Group (SIG)
This special interest group is a resource for AASECT members, from medical, mental health, educational, and other backgrounds, as a forum to share and discuss information regarding the medical aspects of sexual health and wellbeing. This includes sexual and reproductive functioning and development as well as the psycho-social-physiological factors of sexual disorders and concerns.
CE Credit
Special Interest Group participation does not count toward CE credit.
Registration
This is a members-only event. Registration is not required.
9:30 am – 10:00 am PT
Closing and Looking Ahead to 2024
10:15 am – 11:15 am PT
Concurrent Sessions
From the Clinic to the Sheets! (Not So) Radical Views of How Clinical Work, Sex Therapy and Erotic Professional’s Work Overlap in Services We Provide For Our Clients
Presenter
Ayom Am (they/them)
Lady Fae
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit. This session is approved for AASECT CE credit only.
About This Session
Join us for a discussion on the therapeutic benefits of consensual sex work and the overlapping skills between therapists, sex and intimacy workers, and sexual-based identified healers. Despite the similarities in healing practices, sex work is often stigmatized and criminalized, which impacts stable income, safe working conditions, and risk of bodily and emotional harm. Let’s explore future possibilities for sex workers to be valued for their time, labor, and talents, and for clinicians and sex therapists to learn about decriminalization, harm reduction, and decarceration efforts to support global sex worker rights.
Sex and Love After the Cancer Diagnosis: Providers Helping Partners Stay Connected
Presenters
Stephanie Buehler MPW, PsyD, CST-S, IF (she/her)
Pebble Kranz MD, FECSM (she/her)
Mark Buehler MPW, JD (he/him)
Therapy of The Future: Clinical Practice with Organic-Synthetic Relationships
Presenters
Markie Twist PhD, LMFT, LMFT, CSE-S (she/they)
Neil McArthur PhD (he/him)
Teaching Restorative Justice in Sex Education
Presenters
Eva Goldfarb PhD, MA (she/her)
Wendy Gibilisco M.S.Ed. (she/her)
11:30 am – 12:30 pm PT
Concurrent Sessions
Treating the Community You Are a Part of: Ethical Discussions Around Dual Relationships
Presenters
Hannah Wilson LCPC, CST (she/her)
Ty Lerman LPC-S, CST (he/him)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
There are many intersectional components of our work as mental and sexual health providers and often we get tangled in the complexities of these relationships. Dual relationships are sometimes unavoidable. In this presentation, we are starting the important and often uncomfortable conversation of how to navigate boundaries when you are part of the community you treat. This presentation analyzes dual relationships, how and when to utilize proper disclosure, and what boundaries can look like that empower both provider and client.
Yearning for Pleasure: The Radical Work of Connecting Religious Clients to Personal Healing & Social Transformation
Presenters
Beverly Dale DMin (she/her)
CE Credit
1 AASECT CE Credit
1 APA CE Credit
1 NASW CE Credit
1 NBCC CE Credit
About This Session
Much of the sexual pain and trauma created by the Mind/Body split in Western Culture is given legitimacy by some of the religious dogma of traditional Christianity that, not coincidently, limits pleasure. In this workshop a Christian pastor will address this mind/body disconnect with tools to encourage explorations of pleasure and how to bypass such teaching to create healthy sexual development and relational healing. These faith-friendly tools focusing on pleasure will guide religious clients and students toward an affirming, body-positive view of their sexuality consistent with their faith.
11:30 am – 12:30 pm PT
Original Research Forum
The research forum is approved for 1 AASECT CE.
Sexual Health Education for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities – The Road to Sexual Health Equity
Presenters
Ivanka Simic-Stanojevic MS (she/her)
About This Session
There is a significant gap in the provision of school-based sexual health education for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). There are currently no evidence-based sexual health curricula specifically for students with IDD and a limited understanding of approaches to address this considerable health inequity. This mixed methods study assessed teachers’ (i.e., special education and health education) perceptions of need, barriers, feasibility, and willingness to implement sexual health education for students with IDD.
Culturally Relevant Sex Education for Black Adolescents: A Mixed Methods Study
Presenter
Gregory Carrow-Boyd EdD (he/him)
About This Session
The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of Black sexuality educators teaching Black adolescents. While the sample (n = 7) was too small to draw conclusions, an administration of the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) revealed patterns that support the need for additional research on Black sexuality educators’nteaching efficacy. Interviews with five Black femme sexuality educators showed connection, trustworthiness, understanding of Black popular culture, and centering pleasure to be key components of culturally relevant sexuality education. for Black adolescents.
Be Part of the 2023 AASECT Annual Conference!
