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Sex and Sexuality in Virtual Spaces

Title of Event: Sex and Sexuality in Virtual Spaces
 
Description of Event:
Sex and sexuality are central, and multifaceted, elements of the human experience across the lifespan. Yet clinically it has been marginalized, compartmentalized and its components relegated to specialists within healthcare disciplines. Mental health professionals receive little, if any, specific training on addressing sex during their graduate level training. Yet all counselors and therapists, regardless of the settings or populations they work with, will encounter a wide range of sexually related issues.
 
Throughout time, folks looking for love (or lust) found and formed relationships with one another by leveraging community networks – relatives, clergy, nosy neighbors, even matchmakers. For the first time in human history, our relationships are no longer being mediated by other people but rather by technology. From social media and circuit boards to algorithms and artificial intelligence, tech is influencing the way humans form intimate bonds in ways never seen before. This talk will explore emerging themes in mental health and relationships and how these have been influenced by the explosion in SexTech, online dating, and the pervasiveness of erotica, among other topics. We will explore the potential positives and emerging drawbacks of transitioning one’s most intimate relationships into the cloud. This session offers a framework for health and safety when utilizing virtual spaces. This program is built on a sexpositive framework, using strength-based approaches promoting health and wellbeing. Participants will gain foundational knowledge and explore the emotional skills necessary to conduct clinical work that that maximizes pleasure and celebrates sexual diversity.
 
Date of Event: June 12, 2025
 
Time of Event: 9:30-11:30am PT / 11:30am-1:30pm CT / 12:30-2:30pm ET
 
Location: Online through Zoom
 
Presenter/Speaker: Stefani E. Goerlich, PhD, LMSW-C, LISW, LCSW, CST
 
Contact Name: Office of CE at The Chicago School
 
 
 
AASECT Approved CEs: 2.0

Event Knowledge Areas Covered: