Sex Positive, Neuro-Affirming Counseling

Everybody deserves to experience a healthy, satisfying sex life, if they choose to do so. Many times, marginalized groups (i.e., neurodivergent, disabled), are ‘desexualized’ through mainstream media sources that promote dominant societal standards and norms (Brooks, 2018). This presentation provides an overview of the intersecting lived experiences occurring in domains of neurodivergence and disability in relation to sexual practices that fall into the erotically marginalized category (Constantinides, Sennott, & Chandler, 2019; Gunning et al., 2023; Jackson-Perry, 2020; Parchomiuk, 2019).

The neurodiversity paradigm (Walker, 2021) and sex positive models focus on aspects of ‘difference’ as ‘diversity’, rather than ‘deviance’ or ‘deficit’. The presenter addresses common issues that arise within this population and ways that a sex positive approach can help transform trauma. Models of conceptualization, ranging from the deficit perspective (Dinishak, 2016) to sex positivity (Burnes, Singh, & Witherspoon, 2017) are presented in detail to represent the historical roots of where we have been, where we are now, and where we want to be as clinicians in regard to awareness, representation, and training to best support the needs of this population.

After attending this intermediate-level program, participants will be able to:

• Identify harmful vs. ethical, affirming counseling interventions with neurodiverse clients. 
• Describe ways that a sex positive approach can support neurodivergent and/or disabled clients.

This program meets APA’s continuing education STANDARD 1.1: Program content focuses on application of psychological assessment and/or intervention methods that have overall consistent and credible empirical support in the contemporary peer reviewed scientific literature beyond those publications and other types of communications devoted primarily to the promotion of the approach.

This program meets APA’s continuing education GOAL 3: Program will allow psychologists to maintain, develop, and increase competencies in order to improve services to the public and enhance contributions to the profession.

This program meets AASECT Core Knowledge Area for:

B — Developmental sexuality from a bio-psycho-social perspective across the life course.

C — Socio-cultural, familial factors (e.g., ethnicity, culture, religion, spirituality, socioeconomic status, family values) in relation to sexual values and behaviors.

H — Health/medical factors that may influence sexuality including, but not limited to, illness, disability, drugs, mental health, conception, pregnancy, childbirth, pregnancy termination, contraception, fertility, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infection, other infections, sexual trauma, injury and safer sex practices.

This program meets AASECT Sexuality Counseling training for:

B — Theory and methods of sexuality counseling approaches to specific populations.

This program meets AASECT Sex Therapy training for:

A — Theory and methods of sex-related psychotherapy, including several different models. 

This program meets  AASECT Sexuality Educator training for:

D — Theory and methods of approaches to sexuality education with specific populations (e.g., youth, older adults, couples, ethnic/ cultural/ faith-based populations, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities).

ACSSW Members: $10.00

General Admission: $50.00

The Chicago School Staff/Faculty/Students: $25.00

The Chicago School Alumni: $25.00

Community Partners/Site Supervisors: $25.00

Non-The Chicago School Students: $25.00

(Please email [email protected] for coupon code)

Refund Policy: 100% of tuition is refundable up to 48 hours before the program. Within 48 hours of the program, and at any point in Homestudy format, tuition is nonrefundable.

Robyn Flores, LMFT, LPC, NCC, ACS

Robyn Flores (she/her) is a completing her  Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of the Cumberlands. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist, AAMFT supervisor candidate, licensed professional counselor, and approved clinical supervisor. Most of her clients have identities at the intersection of neurodivergence and sexual minoritization. Robyn is also an adjunct professor at Seattle University who teaches human sexuality, and will be assisting with a post-doc neuroanatomy certification program once she earns her degree. Robyn is neurodivergent and embraces what Walker (2021) calls a Kinetic Cognitive Style (affirming term for ADHD).

Bertilsdotter Rosqvist, H., & Jackson-Perry, D. (2021). Not doing it properly? (Re)producing and resisting knowledge through narratives of autistic sexualities. Sexuality and Disability, 39(2), 327–344.

Brooks, E. (2018). Opposing forces? Autism and dating, romance, and sexuality in the mainstream media. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 160-186. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from
https://cjds.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cjds/article/view/428/673

Burnes, T. R., Singh, A. A., & Witherspoon, R. G. (2017). Graduate counseling psychology training in sex and sexuality: An exploratory analysis. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(4), 504–527. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000017714765

Constantinides, D. M., Sennott, S. L., & Chandler, D. (2019). Sex therapy with erotically marginalized clients: Nine principles of clinical support. Routledge. doi: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315616780-1

Dinishak, J. (2016). The deficit view and its critics. Disability Studies Quarterly, 36(4). doi:
https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v36i4.5236

Gunning, J. N., Rubinsky, V., Aragón, A., Roldán, M., McMahon, T., & Cooke-Jackson, A. (2023). A preliminary investigation into intersections of sexual communication in bondage, domination, sadomasochism and disability. Sexuality & Culture, 1-17. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-022-10058-8

Jackson-Perry, D. (2020). The autistic art of failure? Unknowing imperfect systems of sexuality and gender. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research: SJDR, 22(1), 221–229. doi:https://doi.org/10.16993/sjdr.634

Parchomiuk, M. (2019). Sexuality of persons with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Sexuality and Disability, 37, 259-274. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-018-9534-z

Walker, N. (2021). Neuroqueer heresies. Autonomous Press

Target Audience: Helping professionals (MFT, LPC, social workers, psychologists, etc.).

Psychologists. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 2.0 continuing education credits. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in its continuing education activities. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is also committed to conducting all activities in conformity with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles for Psychologists. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods. 

Counselors/Clinical Counselors. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 2.0 hours of continuing education. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to provide continuing education programming for counselors and clinical counselors. License Number: 197.000159

Social Workers. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 2.0 hours of continuing education. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to provide continuing education programming for social workers. License Number: 159.001036

MFTs, LPCCs, and LCSWs. Course meets the qualifications for 2.0 hours of continuing education credit for MFTs, LPCCs, and/or LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. If you are licensed outside of California please check with your local licensing agency to to determine if they will accept these CEUs. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) to offer continuing education programming for MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, and/or LCSWs. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is an accredited or approved postsecondary institution that meets the requirements set forth in Sections 4980.54(f)(1), 4989.34, 4996.22(d)(1), or 4999.76(d) of the Code.

Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 2.0 CE credits. The Office of Continuing Education at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology has been approved as an AASECT Provider of continuing education credits! Provider number 23-519-CW. These CE credits may be applied toward AASECT certification and renewal of certification. Completion of this program does not ensure or guarantee AASECT certification. For further information please contact [email protected].

Non-Psychologists. Most licensing boards accept Continuing Education Credits sponsored by the American Psychological Association but non-psychologists are recommended to consult with their specific state-licensing board to ensure that APA-sponsored CE is acceptable.

*Participants must attend 100% of the program in order to obtain a Certificate of Attendance.

If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address questions, concerns and any complaints to [email protected]. There is no commercial support for this program nor are there any relationships between the CE Sponsor, presenting organization, presenter, program content, research, grants, or other funding that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest.