Objectives: At the conclusion of the training… 

1. Participants will be able to describe the importance of talking about sex in therapy
2. Participants be able to describe effective strategies for talking about sex in therapy
3. Participants will be able to describe components of healthy sexuality
4. Participants will be able to make informed judgements about boundaried and appropriate language use when discussing sex in therapy
5. Participants will be able to distinguish between fact and falsehood regarding pornography
6. Participants will be able to describe important elements of consent
7. Participants will be able to describe the Will Lily brief assessment and how to use it in therapy
8. Participants will be able to describe how to work with sex pain in therapy
9. Participants will be able to discuss the underlying factors that affect desire
10. Participants will be able to describe 2nd and 3rd Tier assessments and how to use them
11. Participants will be able to describe components of arousal
12. Participants will be able to explain underlying factors related to orgasm
13. Participants will be able to describe the anatomical structures of the pelvis, how they relate to pleasure, and identify the value of teaching anatomy in session.
14. Participants will be able to discuss important concepts related to gender variance and diversity
15. Participants will be able to describe the circular model of sex and how to apply it to sex issues
16. Participants will be able to describe the upshifting/downshifting exercise and how to apply it to sex issues
17. Participants will be able to debunk common myths about sex
18. Participants will be able to describe how to help clients clarify self-motivated goals
19. Participants will be able to describe the dual control model of arousal and how to apply it to sex issues
20. Participants will be able to describe the Initiator/Inquirer Process from the Developmental Model of Couple Therapy
21. Participants will be able to describe key aspects of the physiology of arousal
22. Participants will be able to describe interventions for improving sexual function
23. Participants will be able to identify disease processes that affect sexual arousal
24. Participants will be able to identify major contributors to low desire
25. Participants will be able to identify the role of increasing differentiation in treating relational sex issues
26. Participants will be able to identify important skills for working with desire discrepancy
27. Participants will be able to describe interventions for treating sexual dysfunction
28. Participants will be able to describe important causes of and interventions for erectile dysfunction

Target Audience:

Generalist therapists, marriage and family therapists, counselors, psychologists, and social workers; more broadly, anyone who is doing client education or counseling, which could include nurses, physicians, and clergy, depending on their job description. This course is appropriate for those with a beginner to intermediate level of knowledge in a mental health or medical field.

Agenda: Please review the course webpage for detailed information per module. Below is an outline of the timed agenda:

Module 1 - 102 minutes of video content and 4,443 words of reading content

Module 2 - 69 minutes of video content and 7,072 words of reading content

Module 3 - 107 minutes of video content and 9,765 words of reading content

Module 4 - 110 minutes of video content and 17,736 words of reading content

Module 5 - 109 minutes of video content and 8,217 words of reading content

Module 6 - 75 minutes of video content and 7,784 words of reading content

Module 7 - 180 minutes of video content and 8,484 words of reading content

Module 8 - 93 minutes of video content and 4,230 words of reading content

Module 9 - 60 minutes of video content and 12,674 words of reading content

Module 10 - 211 minutes of video content and 255 words of reading content

CE Information: This non-live online distance learning course is approved for 26.5 CE hours.

To earn CE credit, attendees must complete the course in full, pass the post-test with a score of 80% or higher, and submit a course evaluation. Upon receipt of the evaluation, attendees will be able to print their CE certificate of completion.

The Institute for Relational Intimacy maintains responsibility for the program with the CE approvals outlined below:

AASECT CE Information:

This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 26.5 CE credits. These CE credits may be applied toward AASECT certification and renewal of certification.

Please review complete CE and conflict-of-interest disclosure information prior to registering. This professional continuing education activity was sponsored by Praxis Continuing Education and Training and co-sponsored by the Institute for Relational Intimacy. Praxis Continuing Education and Training, who has been approved as a provider of continuing education by the organizations listed below, maintains responsibility for the educational activity offered and for following the standards and regulations for the organizations listed below.

Praxis CET maintains responsibility for the program with the CE approvals outlined below:

Joint Accreditation: In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc and the Institute for Relational Intimacy. Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 26.5 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.

Nursing: Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc designates this activity for a maximum of 26.5 ANCC contact hours.

Physicians: Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc designates this enduring material activity for a maximum of 26.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.™ Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Psychologists: Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc. is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 26.5 clinical continuing education credits.

NY Social Workers: Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0467

NY Counselors: Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0198.

NY Psychologists: Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0002.

NOTE: Many state boards accept offerings accredited by national or other state organizations. If your state is not listed, please check with your professional licensing board to determine whether the accreditations listed are accepted.

Course launch date: 2/24/24

Course review/expiration date: 2/23/27

Disclosure Information:

Praxis Continuing Education and Training is responsible for the content, quality and scientific integrity of all CE/CME activities certified for credit. When an educational activity is offered for medical (CME), Nursing (ANCC) and/or Psychology (APA) continuing education credit, participants must be informed as to the source, amount, nature, and disposition of any funding used to support the activity, whether in the form of educational grants, cash contributions, or in-kind contributions. Individuals in a position to influence course content must also disclose whether they have one or more relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

We define ineligible companies as those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. There is no minimum financial threshold; individuals must disclose all financial relationships, regardless of the amount, with ineligible companies. We ask that disclosures are made regardless of whether the individual views the financial relationships as relevant to the education. For more information on the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, please visit accme.org/standards.

All those in a position to control the content of an education activity are asked to disclose any relevant financial relationships they have with any ineligible companies.

There is no commercial support for this activity.

None of the planners or presenters for this educational activity have relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

References:

1. Love, M., & Farber, B. A. (2017). Let's not talk about sex. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 73(11), 1489–1498
2. Dewitte M, Borg C, Lowenstein L. A psychosocial approach to female genital pain. Nat Rev Urol. 2018 Jan; 15(1):25-41.
3. Raheem OA, Natale C, Dick B, Reddy AG, Yousif A, Khera M, Baum N. (2020), Novel Treatments of Erectile Dysfunction: Review of the Current Literature. Sex Med Rev. 2021 Jan;9(1):123-132.
4. Charest, Maxime & Kleinplatz, Peggy. (2018). A Review of Recent Innovations in the Treatment of Low Sexual Desire. Current Sexual Health Reports. 10. 10.1007/s11930-018-0171-4.
5. Kleinplatz PJ, Charest M, Paradis N, Ellis M, Rosen L, Ménard AD, Ramsay TO. Treatment of Low Sexual Desire or Frequency Using a Sexual Enhancement Group Couples Therapy Approach. J Sex Med. 2020 Jul;17(7):1288-1296. 
6. Kleinplatz PJ, Paradis N, Charest M, Lawless S, Neufeld M, Neufeld R, Pratt D, Ménard AD, Buduru B, Rosen L. From Sexual Desire Discrepancies to Desirable Sex: Creating the Optimal Connection. J Sex Marital Ther. 2018;44(5):438-449. 
7. Yannas D, Frizza F, Vignozzi L, Corona G, Maggi M, Rastrelli G. Erectile Dysfunction Is a Hallmark of Cardiovascular Disease: Unavoidable Matter of Fact or Opportunity to Improve Men's Health? J Clin Med. 2021 May 20;10(10):2221.
8. Hook, J. N., Hodge, A. S., Sandage, S. J., Davis, D. E., & Van Tongeren, D. R. (2023). Differentiation of self and cultural competence: A systematic review of the empirical literature. Practice Innovations, 8(1), 50–61.
9. Anne-Julie Lafrenaye-Dugas, Martine Hébert & Natacha Godbout (2023) Sexual satisfaction improvement in patients seeking sex therapy: evaluative study of the influence of traumas, attachment and therapeutic alliance, Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 38:3, 302-319.
10. Dean M. Busby, Nathan D. Leonhardt, Veronica Hanna-Walker & Chelom E. Leavitt (2022) Putting the Dyad into the Sexual Response Discussion: A Latent Class Analysis Using Ratings of Self and Partner, The Journal of Sex Research, 59:2, 185-202.
11. Ellison T, Papps FA. 'Sexuality, without that mirror': The role of embodied practice in the development of sexual potential. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2020 Aug;40:101205. 
12. Lafortune D, Girard M, Dussault É, Philibert M, Hébert M, Boislard MA, Goyette M, Godbout N. Who seeks sex therapy? Sexual dysfunction prevalence and correlates, and help-seeking among clinical and community samples. PLoS One. 2023 Mar 6;18(3):e0282618.
13.  Ramanathan, V., & Redelman, M. (2020). Sexual dysfunctions and sex therapy: The role of a general practitioner. Australian Journal of General Practice, 49(7), 412–415.
14. Sedigheh Rashedi, Raziyeh Maasoumi, Nafiseh Vosoughi & Shima Haghani (2022) The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Sex Therapy on Improving Sexual Desire Disorder, Sexual Distress, Sexual Self-Disclosure and Sexual Function in Women: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 48:5, 475-488.
15. Justin A. Sitron & Li Lock (2022) Sexological Worldview Development Explained by the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, American Journal of Sexuality Education, 17:1, 106-124. 

Course fees:

The full price of the course is $1295 USD, broken into three installments over three months. Students opting to pay upfront receive a 23% discount, for a price of $995 USD.

This price covers all written and video materials, live videoconference sessions, access to the consultation board, and CE certification.

The deadline for cancellation is within 30 days of the course’s official first day. 

Required materials for CE completion:

All written and video materials from Modules 1 - 10 are required for CE completion. Attendees are also required to either attend videoconferences live or view the recordings.

The bonus mini-courses entitled “Hearing From the Experts” and “Bonus Content from Previous Sessions” are not required for CE completion. 

Steps for CE completion: 

After completing the modules, participants will receive a link to the learning assessment and course evaluation, hosted by Praxis. Participants will be required to complete the assessment and evaluation before receiving their certificate. If they do not reach the 80% passing threshold on the learning assessment, they will have one opportunity to retake the questions they missed in order to pass.

The certificate of completion can be used to support their CE claim at any relevant institution. If a participant requires CEs from an institution not listed in this document, they can use the certificate to apply to have their CEs considered, but the Institute for Relational Intimacy and Praxis cannot guarantee or predict the outcome. 

Procedure for resolving grievances

1. The person with a grievance will first try to informally resolve their grievance by contacting Martha Kauppi, the AASECT CE event provider, with the issue concerning the training, its delivery, the evaluation method, technological issue, or any other concern.
2. If the aggrieved person is not satisfied with the resolution through informal means, the aggrieved person shall put their grievance in writing to the AASECT CE Provider, Martha Kauppi, who will then consult with appropriate personnel at AASECT, which is the approving organization. The appropriate AASECT personnel can be reached at [email protected]. The goal will be to find fair methods of resolving the grievance.
3. If the aggrieved person is not satisfied with the solutions put forth, then they will be directed to put their grievance in writing and contact the appropriate organization, e.g. AASECT ([email protected] ), or state in which training has been provided. The AASECT CE provider (Martha Kauppi) will abide by any decisions regarding resolution of the grievance.

Disability accommodations 

The content of the course is provided in several different formats to accommodate different learning styles and strengths, including audio, video, and written documents. All videos are accompanied by complete written transcripts, and the course is self-paced to allow ample time to digest the material completely. Supplemental handouts and exercises are provided to cement learning. Students may request additional accommodations by contacting [email protected] with their request. 

Technical requirements

Completion of the course requires a functional computer and internet access.