Description: 

The Human Sexuality, Sex Education & Sex Therapy (HSSEST) course is offered to all mental health professionals, and is designed to incorporate multiple instructional levels (introductory, intermediate and advanced). Each lecture stands on its own, but together gives a comprehensive understanding of sexual issues, problems, and their treatment. Each lecture covers an important area for the clinician’s understanding of human sexuality and sex therapy. We are fortunate that many national and international experts have agreed to present their material to further our understanding of sexual functioning, problems and treatment. 

We focus on four issues in sex therapy. These are 1) medical/organic, 2) sexual performance, 3) sexual desire, and 4) lack of sexual information and education. These areas will be covered extensively, along with other sex therapy issues, including sexuality and aging, LGBTQ sex therapy, adult aids and toys, sex therapy with culturally diverse populations, and sex and couples therapy. Students will have an opportunity to explore their own attitudes and feelings as it pertains to this important area.

Learning Objectives:

1. Summarize the four main problems in sex therapy: medical/surgical, sexual performance, sexual desire, lack of education.

2. Prioritize treatment of couples issues and sexual issues.

3. Recognize the most common sexual performance and sexual desire issues in males and females.

4. Assess appropriate interventions for male and female sexual issues.

5. Assess appropriate interventions for culturally diverse populations indicated by culture, religion, age, orientation, gender, lifestyle and disabilities.

6. Recognize indications of sexual addiction/compulsivity, fetishistic attachments, and childhood sexual abuse/trauma, and plan appropriate treatment.

7. Acquire specific interventions for sexual issues and problems.

8. Practice specific interventions and techniques through role-play.

Educational Goals:

This course is designed to help participants:

1.   Provide mental health professionals with techniques that effectively integrate couples therapy and sex therapy in a clinical practice.

2.   Provide new competencies and knowledge to mental health professionals by presenting new research findings (i.e. neuroscientific, psychomotor, psychobiological) and integrate these findings into existing education, theoretical models, and clinical approaches to the field of couples and sex therapy.

3.   Advance existing skills and competence in the field of couples and sex therapy to better equip mental health professionals to serve the needs of the public.

4.   Promote research endeavors by mental health professionals in the field of couples and sex therapy in order to contribute to the discipline of psychology as a whole.