Trauma Informed Sex Therapy: Existential/Humanistic Approaches (4 CE Hours)

This workshop will focus on the effects of non-sexual trauma in the creation of sexual dysfunction, and the utilization of existential-humanistic therapeutic approaches to their treatment.  Non-sexual traumas include those events that result from disruptions in early childhood attachment, and other traumatic life events (i.e. confrontations with one’s mortality).  Existential-humanistic approaches to treatment have rarely been applied to sex therapy.  Existential-humanistic psychotherapies look at the meaning embedded in sexual problems, and focus on resolving the existential dilemmas as opposed to “fixing” the sexual symptom.  Existential-Humanistic treatment philosophies rely heavily on the work of Irvin Yalom, Rollo May, and Carl Rogers.  Extensive use of clinical case material will be utilized in order to illustrate the concepts of Trauma-Informed Sex Therapy: Existential-Humanistic Approaches to Treatment.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the Existential-Humanistic Approach to the assessment and treatment of sexual problems
• Describe and list 3 types of relational traumas that can result in sexual dysfunction
• Demonstrate at least two techniques of the Existential-Humanistic Approach that are efficacious in the treatment of sexual difficulties within the context of couples’ therapy
• Develop and conceptualize treatment plans for approaching the treatment of sexual problems using couples therapy as the primary treatment modality

Speaker bio:

Dr. Daniel N. Watter received his doctoral degree from New York University in 1985 and has also earned a post-graduate certificate in Medical Humanities from Drew University.  He is licensed as both a psychologist and a marital and family therapist.  In addition, he is Board Certified in Sex Therapy by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), and the American Board of Sexology (ACS), of which is also holds Fellowship status.  Dr. Watter is an AASECT certified sex therapy supervisor and has been elected to Fellowship Status in the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH), as well as the Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA).

In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Watter has held several faculty appointments.  He is a faculty member at the Modern Sex Therapy Institutes.  He has served as an adjunct professor of Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson, Drew, and Seton Hall Universities, a clinical instructor of OB/GYN and Women’s Health at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, and a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine.  Dr. Watter is also a former member of the medical staff of the Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, and served on the Medical Center’s Ethics Committee.

A frequent lecturer at professional meetings throughout North America, Dr. Watter is the author of more than 30 professional articles and book chapters on topics such as sexual function and dysfunction, and ethics in healthcare practice. He is the author of the forthcoming book, The Existential Importance of the Penis: A Guide to Understanding the Sexuality of Men.