Upcoming Trainings
Thera…medium?
Intuition development for the multi-dimensional sex therapist
March 11th and 25th 2pm – 5pm PST (5-8pm EST) virtually via zoom
We receive communication from so much more than our thoughts in the therapy room. We are spoken to via our own memories, sensations, emotions, “gut” instincts, mental imagery, energy and beyond. What surfaces through these channels carries a wisdom that we can, and often do, partner with as we uncover clues, make connections, and find break-through moments with our clients. How deeply can we trust it, even understand it, when it is often framed in clinical training programs as an intrusion, “counter-transference” to be managed, and something to keep out of therapeutic conversation, especially around sex?
We understand that we are trained to tap into our intuition as therapists, but this part of our development doesn’t live in theory or methodology, via textbooks and research, it’s found within ourselves as a critical ability to harness in the work of healing.
What does this visual my brain is giving me represent?
What is this memory attempting to show me about what is unfolding in front of me?
Why do I feel pulled to stay with the topic at hand despite not knowing why?
What is this sinking feeling and why is it important?
This course is designed to aid clinicians in tapping into and then gleaning understanding and utility in the information other aspects of “self” communicate outside of theoretical scaffolding or focused cerebral engagement. In the place beyond our rational minds, lives abstract wisdom and insight that we can develop, that can grow more sophisticated with time, that can inspire trust in the greatest tool we have as clinicians...ourselves.
Through personal reflection and case examination, participants will link the information and techniques shared back to the art of sex therapy. They will learn how to differentiate memories and experiences that are barriers to client connection (problematic counter-transference), from memories and experiences that illuminate valuable insight and pathways toward healing. Participants will leave with a greater appreciation for and connection with the dimensionality of their instrument.
This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 6 AASECT CE Credits. These CE Credits may be applied toward AASECT certification and renewal of certification.
Sensate Focus Fundamentals
Weekend Intensive
Dates TBD
How do we treat erectile dysfunction, sexual pain, vaginismus, rapid or “premature” ejaculation, low desire and difficulties with arousal and orgasm, among others? How do we bring our clients out of performance narratives and into their bodies, into pleasure? How do we unravel our clients from sexual trauma, bringing them into a greater sense of emotional and physical safety, embodiment, and freedom?
When training to become a Sex Therapist, we are learning how to work with the intimate relationship between the body and the mind. Emotional states (some from the present, others carried from the past) follow us into the bedroom and play themselves out in our physiology. Day-to-day stress, deep trauma, attachment wounds, sociocultural factors, feelings of insecurity, “performance pressure,” and/or relational discord can all interfere with the unfolding of the arousal process and, in some cases, can lead to sexual discomfort, avoidance, or dysfunction. Sensate Focus aids the clinician in identifying these barriers to intimacy and embodiment, and then engages them via touch exercises that are prescribed for the client to do at home. Each exercise builds on the next bringing the client(s) into closer contact with themselves, their partner(s) if present, sensation, learning, and possibility.
In this course, students will not only come to understand the origins of Sensate Focus as a game-changing sex therapy technique and treatment modality from Masters and Johnson but will also gain an in-depth understanding of it’s conceptual underpinnings and usefulness as a diagnostic tool. Students will leave the course equipped with a sense for how it might fit into their practice and where to begin in effectively prescribing the exercises it provides.
The course is approved for 10 AASECT CE’s.
Sexual Attitude Reassessment (SAR)
Dates TBD
What is a Sexual Attitude Reassessment (SAR)?
Our thoughts and feelings about sex play a huge role in how we approach our clients and the work that we do as sex therapists, not to mention our personal relationships. As a culture, we are exposed to a wide variety of sexual behavior, prejudice, preference, and lifestyle that we are constantly in the process of internalizing and reacting to. A SAR is designed to inundate participants with sexual material in order to bring awareness to areas of discomfort or bias, and through exploration and discussion, ease the participants into a place of greater comfort and confidence in approaching this work with clients and in life.
Guest speakers, experiential exercises, media, and journaling are all included in the SAR experience. The two-day course is not only educational, but emotional as participants connect with parts of themselves that can bring up feelings of vulnerability, in all forms. It is a tremendous experience of learning and growth for therapists, partners, educators, medical professionals or anyone interested in expanding and challenging their sexual self awareness.
* This course meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 18 CE credits. Please visit www.ssshealthcenter.com to purchase your spot!
Take Back the Talk
Dates TBD
Helping parents and caregivers feel confident around their children's sexual development.
Are you struggling to manage the fear, anxiety, and (let’s face it) confusion related to your child’s sexual development? Or maybe you are an educator or therapist who is noticing the ongoing body curiosity that accompanies early childhood development? Not sure how to begin the lifelong conversation related to sexual health and wellness? Kristin Hambridge LICSW and Paula Leech LMFT-CST are sex therapists and educators, with children of their own, who want to help you take back “the talk” by providing you with comprehensive sex education and tools to navigate the often overwhelming influence of caregiver modeling behaviors on healthy development; while also answering any and all questions you may have along the way. Our workshops are judgment-free, safe spaces developed specifically for devoted caregivers like you!
Take back the power to understand what is happening with your child’s sexual development at each developmental stage.
Take Back your own sex education and fill in the gaps left by subpar high school sex-ed, uncomfortable conversations with adults, and locker room gossip.
Take back the ability to connect with your child over uncomfortable topics and understand how arming yourself with and sharing honest, age-appropriate information strengthens and deepens the bond between caregiver and child.
Take back your own fears related to masturbation, nudity, pornography, unsafe touch and peer sex-play.
Take back your own anxiety and develop the ability to respond to sexual expression, in-the-moment, with a clear head and open heart.
Take back and re-establish your partnered relationship as a model of healthy sexual expression and intimacy.
Take back the ability to unconditionally support your children’s gender expression and sexual orientation.