Pre-Conference Workshops
AASECT is excited to present this dynamic line-up of pre-conference workshops to add to your conference experience!
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Day 1 of pre-conference sessions.
All times are displayed in Eastern Time.




Pricing
After April 21
Member: $380.00
Non-Member: $380.00
Session Description
This virtual workshop offers clinical supervision in sex therapy and sexuality counseling. Each supervisor was carefully selected based on specialties, their safe style, and their unique lens. In addition to working specific cases, these supervisors will also provide you with processes that can be applied to many of your current and future clients. The supervisors have a broad variety of expertise covering a wide range of presenting client concerns, including:
- Consensual Non-Monogamy, open relationships
- Gender identity, gender non-binary & transgender care
- Kink, BDSM & Fetishes
- LGBTQI care
- Out of Control Sexual Behavior (OCSB)
- Sexual desire discrepancy
- Sexual functioning in men and women, pelvic pain & pre-orgasmia
- Sex therapy & couples counseling (Gottman, EFT)
- Sexual infidelity
- Sexual trauma, abuse & bullying
- Zoophilia & Bestiality
The above list are examples of the supervisor’s specialties. Bring us your most complex cases and it is likely one or more of the supervisors will have experience treating it. We have limited the group to 8 supervisees so everyone will have at least 30 minutes to present a case. A case consult form will be sent to all participants by April 30, 2022.
Schedule (ET)
Part I: 10:30 am – 2 pm
Break: 2 pm – 3 pm
Part II: 3 pm – 6:30 pm
Eligibility/Scholarship Info
Eligibility of Participants
This group is limited to 8 participants who are already under a supervision contract with an AASECT Certified Supervisor or Supervisor in Training and are working toward becoming AASECT Certified. A pre-approved contract will be required. Information will be provided after registration.
Scholarships for DEI and Financial Need
This scholarship was created by the supervisors leading this pre-conference workshop in an effort to create more opportunities and access to AASECT Certification. The Supervisors leading this program have all waived the honorarium usually paid to pre-conference workshop presenters to create two (2) scholarship seats for this pre-conference workshop. The recipients of this workshop will be confidential unless the recipients ask for the award to be announced.
Criteria: One of the two scholarships is available to a Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color (BIPOC). The second scholarship will be awarded based on financial need. Those interested in applying to the scholarship must meet the following criteria:
- This group is limited to 12 participants who are already under a supervision contract with an AASECT Certified Supervisor or Supervisor in Training and are working toward becoming AASECT Certified.
- Have a prerequisite degree (minimum bachelor’s level) for pursuing a career in the field of human sexuality, sexuality education, sexuality. counseling, sex therapy, sex research, sexology, or sexual health.
- Be interested in pursuing AASECT Certification.
- Be an AASECT member in good standing.
Application Details: Those interested in applying for this scholarship should write a personal statement based on the criteria outlined above and include your commitment to pursuing a career in the field of human sexuality, sexuality education, sexuality counseling, sex therapy, sex research, or sexual health. No more than 500 words.
Please submit your personal statement to conference@aasect.org. Incomplete or piecemeal applications will not be accepted.
The deadline for applications for this scholarship is April 19, 2022
About Neil “Nelly” Cannon
Nelly is a master therapist and clinical thought leader in the field of sex therapy and supervision. Almost 10,000 hours of sex therapy supervision experience. Contributing author in the only book written exclusively about sex therapy supervision. Creator of, A Strength-Based Approach for Treating Kinky Couples. Nelly is in private practice in Denver, Colorado providing therapy and supervision services worldwide by Zoom. As an LMFT, Nelly has extensive experience treating individuals, couples, families, and teens. Nelly has treated most every presenting concern that clients bring to sex therapy. Nelly is a long-time Instructor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work Sexual Health Certificate Program, and also has 15 years of teaching sexual diversity to MFT students at Denver Family Institute.
Nelly is highly committed to the development of the next generation of sex therapists. Involved in AASECT leadership since 2007. Currently serves as Chair of the Ethics Advisory Committee, as well as the Section Leader for Colorado. Highly committed to DEI & Social Justice. Co-Founder of The Sexuality Diversity Matters Supervision Scholarship Program for People of Color.
Nelly has a doctorate degree in Human Sexuality, a master’s degree in Public Health, post graduate certification in Marriage and Family Therapy, as well as LGBTQ Family Systems. EMDR Trained, Gottman III, EFT I, Red Cross Trained in Psychological First Aid. doctorcannon.com
About Kimberly Castelo
About Mesha Ellis
Dr. Ellis earned BA degrees from the University of California at Santa Barbara, an MA from Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology, and completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at The University of Alabama where she specialized in working with children, adolescents, and their families. She completed a predoctoral internship at the University of Chicago Hospitals and received formal forensic training as a postdoctoral fellow in juvenile forensic psychology and adolescent inpatient treatment at The University of Washington.
Dr. Ellis has been practicing for over 15 years and has co-authored several peer reviewed publications. Her professional memberships include AASECT, the American Psychological Association, The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, The Los Angeles Bar Association, and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. In her private practice, she specializes in treating sex and relational challenges and provides individual, couple, and family treatment services.
She also conducts psychoeducational and court related evaluations. Dr. Ellis additionally provides supervision for those pursing AASECT Sex Therapist certification.
Aleece Fosnight
Aleece uses a trauma-informed approach utilizing an informed consent physical exam model and is BDSM/kink knowledgeable. Aleece recognized the lack of sexual health awareness not just in the Western North Carolina community but in its providers as well and founded the Fosnight Foundation in 2016. Her hope for this foundation is to provide a place for sexual health providers to collaborate, gain vital educational and up-to-date information on the ever-changing sexual health field, and to promote referral resources across WNC and its surrounding regions.
Speaker: Mackenzie Danis
Moderator: Megan Kuykendoll, MS, CFLE
4 AASECT CEs – This workshop is eligible for AASECT CE credit only.
Core Knowledge Areas: A, B, C
Training Areas: SE2, SE3, SE4

Pricing
Member: $250.00
Non-Member: $300.00
Member Student: $150.00
Non-Member Student: $200.00
Session Description
Learning Objectives
- At the conclusion of this session, attendees will be able to recognize 2 gaps that exist in the current sex education field for individuals with disabilities.
- At the conclusion of this session, attendees will be able to name 3 strategies for teaching sex education to autistic individuals and/or individuals with developmental disabilities.
- At the conclusion of this session, attendees will be able to name and apply two resources in their own practice, if needed, when working with families or directly with individuals with disabilities.
- At the conclusion of this session, attendees will internalize and develop a sexual heath behavior plan for a neurodivergent client.
About Makenzie Danis
Speaker: Caroline Wade MS. LMAC-T, LPC, NCC
Moderator: Alisha Saucedo, LSCSW, RPT-S
4 CEs – This workshop is eligible for APA and AASECT CE Credit.
Core Knowledge Areas: L
Training Areas: SE4, SC2, ST3

Pricing
Member: $250.00
Non-Member: $300.00
Member Student: $150.00
Non-Member Student: $200.00
Session Description
Learning Objectives
About Caroline Wade
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Day 2 of pre-conference sessions.
All times are displayed in Eastern Time.
Speaker: Roger Kuhn, PhD, LMFT, CST (He/Him)
Moderator: Tess Catlett, Sex & Relationships Editor, Healthline
4 CEs – This workshop is eligible for APA and AASECT CE Credit.
Core Knowledge Areas: A, C, D, F, J, N, P, Q
Training Areas: SE1, SE2, SE3, SC1, SC2, SC3, SC5, ST1, ST2, ST5, ST6

Pricing
Member: $250.00
Non-Member: $300.00
Member Student: $150.00
Non-Member Student: $200.00
Session Description
Learning Objectives
- Participants will learn to identify erotic colonization and integratedecolonial and unsettling ideologies into their work.
- Participants will assess and understand the history of erotic colonization in the United States and its territories.
- Participants will apply techniques for self-examination of biases as well as interventions to use in their work to explore how to decolonize and unsettle erotic colonization.
- Participants will demonstrate comprehension of decolonizing and unsettling research methodologies regarding sexuality.
About Roger Kuhn
Speaker: Rafaella Smith Fiallo, LCSW (She/Her)
Moderator: Kit Lentini, MSW Candidate 2023
4 CEs – This workshop is eligible for APA and AASECT CE Credit.
Core Knowledge Areas: I, M
Training Areas: ST1

Pricing
Member: $250.00
Non-Member: $300.00
Member Student: $150.00
Non-Member Student: $200.00
Session Description
Learning Objectives
- Describe the impact that trauma has on the brain and body and how it impacts sexual functioning.
- Compare physiological similarities in sexual arousal and trauma responses.
- Utilize components of Erotic Self-Expansion model for treatment of sexual concerns.
- Demonstrate ability to apply one (1) somatic, practical, or pleasure-centered intervention to help clients explore eroticism.
About Rafaella Smith-Fiallo
Friday, May 20, 2022
Day 3 of pre-conference sessions.
All times are displayed in Eastern Time.
Speaker:
Gretchen Frey, MD, FACOG
Melanie Davis, PhD, CSC, CSE (She/Her)
Jane Fleishman, PhD, MEd, MS, CSE (She/Her)
Sabitha Pillai-Friedman, PhD, LCSW, CST (She/Her)
Moderator: Robin Siegal, LCSW, CST
4 CEs – This workshop is eligible for APA and AASECT CE credit.
Core Knowledge Areas: B, C, D, E, F, H, I, M




Pricing
Member: $250.00
Non-Member: $300.00
Member Student: $150.00
Non-Member Student: $200.00
Session Description
Learning Objectives
- List at least three age-related changes or challenges in older adults’ sexualities.
- Describe key components of sexual resilience in older adults.
- Discuss techniques and solutions that help older adults seeking sexual wellness.
- Identify one take-away from this program that they can use in their work with older adults.
About Gretchen Frey
About Melanie Davis
About Jane Fleishman
About Sabitha Pillai-Friedman
Speaker: Samantha Tenner, LCSW, CST, JD
Moderator: Courtney Geter, LMFT-S, CST-S
4 CEs – This workshop is eligible for APA and AASECT CE credit
Core Knowledge Areas: C, D, H

Pricing
Member: $250.00
Non-Member: $300.00
Member Student: $150.00
Non-Member Student: $200.00
Session Description
Learning Objectives
- Identify two pieces of legislation affecting the LGBTQ+ population
- Develop a framework for how to integrate this knowledge into the therapeutic relationship
- Explain and identify the levels of scrutiny that are applied to laws
- Identify two barriers the LGBTQ+ population faces when it comes to accessing services for intimate partner violence
About Samantha Tenner
Friday–Sunday, May 20–22, 2022
Day 3–5 of pre-conference sessions.
All times are displayed in Eastern Time.
Speakers:
Tanya M. Bass, PhD, MS, MEd, CHES®, CSE (She/Her/Hers)
Jenny Shealy, LCSW, CST (She/Her)
14 TOTAL AASECT CEs – This workshop is eligible AASECT CE Credit only.


Pricing
Member: $499.00
Non-Member: $599.00
Session Description
During this SAR we will explore our sexual attitudes, values and feelings. This is a personal experience inviting you to reflect on your sexual/asexual history, including prejudices, biases, turn-ons and turn-offs. Investigating these ideas allows you to determine the impact on your professional identity as a sexual health provider. SAR learning is amplified through the depth of personal reflection, vulnerability and discussion between participants. So bring your curiosity, your bodies and minds and get ready to laugh and feel the feelings, y’all!
CONTENT AREAS COVERED
- Sexual discourse (discussion that includes sexual topics)
- Socio-cultural and intersectional considerations (including but not limited to gender, age, ability, economic class, race, ethnicity, religion, etc.)
- Sex & aging/sexual development
- Spectrum of Sexual orientation
- Varieties in sexual expressions and behaviors
- BDSM/Kink
- Spectrum of Gender Identities
- Sexual and reproductive anatomy variations
- Sexuality and disability
- Self- pleasuring/Masturbation
- Consensual Non-Monogamy
Learning Objectives
By the end of the SAR, participants will be able to:
- identify at least two (2) sexual identities and describe the implications of additional social identities;
- identify at least two (2) gender identities and describe the implications of additional social identities (age, race and class, etc…);
- distinguish assigned sex at birth, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, sexual attraction and sexual identity;
- classify at least two (2) sexual behaviors within the kink spectrum;
- appreciate examining their attitudes, values, and beliefs around sexuality topics.
- identify two (2) ways the five senses impact sexuality;
- describe challenges within their sexuality and areas of tension or personal discomfort with their work;
- examine pleasure experiences through laughter and play;
- define two (2) ways sexually transmitted disease stigma impacts sexuality;
- identify and process at least two (2) sexuality topics that are personally challenging and at least two (2) that they are comfortable discussing;
- identify two (2) sexual attitudes people need to unlearn to obtain pleasure and sexual freedom;
- identify two (2) insight regarding the body and faith and its relation to culture which helps shape, challenge and affirm sexuality;
- recognize at least two (2) areas in their current work that are in need of intersectional adaptations;
- consider at least two (2) areas in their own sexual lives that influence, impacts and informs their professional disposition.
About Tanya M. Bass
Dr. Bass remains committed to seeking professional development and is amember of the NC Society for Public Health Educators, the Women of ColorSexual Health Network (WoCSHN), the Association of Black Sexologists andClinicians (ABSC), and the American Association of Sexuality Educators,Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT). She is a Certified Health Education Specialist(CHES) and an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator (CSE). Tanya is a currentmember of the editorial board for the American Journal of Sexuality Education.