Lets Talk About Sex: Sexuality in the Therapeutic Space
Delivered by Christiane Sanderson
Despite the changing landscape of sex and sexuality, clients and practitioners still find it challenging to talk about sex in a meaningful way without evoking embarrassment or shame. This workshop will explore the meaning of sex in the 21st century, how it impacts our lives and how it manifests in the therapeutic space. The focus will be on psychosexual development, the sexual arousal cycle and the influence of early experiences in the formation of sexual scripts, arousal templates and how these shape sexuality.
Practitioners who work with sexuality and intimacy also need to have awareness of their own sexual script and how this has shaped their sexual identity, to ensure that they are able to explore their client’s sexuality without judgement, fear or shame. This workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to explore their own sexual script and attitudes and beliefs around sexuality and intimacy, and how to work with clients who find intimacy and sexuality challenging. We will also consider how to work with survivors of child sexual abuse, sibling sexual abuse and sexual violence so as to enable them to reclaim their sexuality.
Learning Objectives:
- How the sexual script shapes sexual arousal, including awareness of our own sexual script and how this manifests in the therapeutic space
- Meaning of sex including cultural and generational differences
- How to feel more comfortable talking about sex, through experiential exercises
- Talking about sex with clients and what this evokes consciously and unconsciously in both client and therapist
- Erotic transference and erotic counter transference
- Shame and sexuality
- Impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and sexual violence on sexuality
- How to reclaim sexuality after CSA and sexual violence
Through experiential exercises, participants will be able to develop a deeper understanding of both their own and their client’s relationship to intimacy and sexuality and learn how to feel more comfortable when talking about sex without evoking feelings of shame in either client or practitioner.
Christiane Sanderson was a senior lecturer in Psychology at the University of Roehampton. With over 35 years’ experience working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse interpersonal trauma and domestic abuse. She has run consultancy and training for parents, teachers, social workers, nurses, therapists, counsellors, solicitors, the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Committee, the Methodist Church, the Metropolitan Police Service, the NSPCC, and the Refugee Council and in prisons. She is the author of Counselling Skills for Working with Shame, Counselling Skills for Working with Trauma: Healing from Child Sexual Abuse, Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse, Introduction of Counselling, Survivors of Interpersonal Trauma, Counselling Survivors of Domestic Abuse, Counselling Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse 3rd Edition, The Seduction of Children: Empowering Parents and Teachers to Protect Children from Child Sexual Abuse all published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers and The Warrior Within: A One in Four Handbook to Aid Recovery from Childhood Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence, The Spirit Within: A One in Four Handbook to Aid Recovery from Religious Sexual Abuse Across All Faiths, Responding to Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse: A pocket guide for professionals, partners, families and friends and Numbing the Pain: A pocket guide for professionals supporting survivors of childhood sexual abuse and addiction all published by One in Four.