Some Like It Not: Examining the Reasons Behind Sexual Avoidance in Couples in Long-Term Monogamous Relationships

First Webinar Schedule

7 minutes:  Welcome and agenda/process for the webinar, Introduction of Sari Cooper

6 minutes:  Identify the difference between how sexually avoidant couples / individuals may come into general therapy treatment and how they initiate in a sex therapist’s office

Review of common sexual disorders

4 minutes: Review PLISSIT Model of Intervention

13 minutes:  Identify the medical, biological, psychological, emotional, cultural and family of origin reasons involved with sexual avoidance between couples

38 minutes: Identify the systemic patterns that develop as a consequence of initial sexual dysfunctions and bio-psychosocial reasons including Painful Intercourse, Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder, ED, Premature Ejaculation, Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder with case examples

14 minutes: Identify medical and life stage causes of sexually avoidant couples / individuals with intervention practices for addressing these specific presenting problems

8 minutes Case examples illustrating these issues followed by Live discussion and Q&A by Event Participants

Webinar 1 Summary

In this webinar Sari Cooper identifies in detail the biological, psychological and emotional reasons underlying a couple’s sexual avoidance. She describes the sexual diagnoses that are common underlying issues that general therapists may not be acquainted with but can be initial drivers of sexual avoidance. Diagnoses like: Erectile Dysfunction, Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder, Sexual Aversion Disorder, Female Orgasmic Disorder, Premature Ejaculation, Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder will be described in order for participants to have clearer assessment questions with which to ascertain what kind of help a client and couple need. She will also review emotional and psychological issues that contribute to sexual avoidance including: infidelity, different sexual interests, childhood trauma, cultural shame, lack of information.

Second Webinar Schedule

5 minutes:  Welcome and brief review of Webinar 1 materials

20 minutes:  Identify the psychosocial conditions contributing to erectile disorder in sexual avoidance cases

20 minutes: Identify and describe first step interventions when treating erectile dysfunctions in sexually avoidant cases

25 minutes: Case examples illustrating ED and how/when to refer to collaborating professional

10 minutes: Identify psychosocial considerations contributing to Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder in Sexual Avoidance cases

10 minutes: Live discussion and Q&A by Event Participants (not recorded)

Webinar 2 Summary

In this webinar Sari Cooper discusses how and when to refer a client to a collaborating professional in the treatment of certain medical/psychiatric diagnoses. She will offer interventions when treating couples with avoidance and describe how to work with a couple’s resistance to change.  Participants will be able to identify interventions to at least 3 presenting problems.

Third Webinar Schedule

5 minutes: Welcome and review of Webinar 2 materials

10 minutes: Discussion of historical and recent lenses through which sex therapists understand female sexual response cycle

12 minutes: Identify techniques sex therapists can use to educate and elicit more information about clients’ understanding about sexuality, erotic desire and needed circumstances to allow for spontaneity and passion in the relationship

1 hour: Identify clinical considerations when treating sexual avoidance in couples with complex, longer-term relationships and use case examples to formulate specific interventions and assist in client/couple exploration

10 minutes: Live discussion and Q&A by Event Participants (not recorded)

Webinar 3: Summary

In this final webinar, Sari Cooper will use a case example to discuss cases in which both partners in a couple each had presenting issues that contributed to sexual avoidance. She will offer exercises and interventions used to help a couple transform long-held patterns. She will discuss countertransference and transference feelings that may come up during sessions and which therapists can utilize to increase understanding of a couple’s family system.

Speaker Bio:

Sari Eckler Cooper LCSW is an AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist, Supervisor and a licensed therapist who has been in private practice for more than 20 years in New York City. She did her post-graduate work at The Ackerman Institute and the Human Sexuality Program at RWJ Medical Center.  She writes about sexuality on her website blog Sex Esteem® at www.saricooper.com, as well as on Psychology Today and is a regular contributor to CBS This Morning on the topic of relationships. She produces and hosts the Youtube channel and show Sex Esteem®. Sari also writes about divorce, sexuality and parenting on Huffington Post.

She frequently presents talks, seminars and workshops for professionals at conferences on many topics including: Sexual Avoidance, Compulsivity, Affairs, Discrepant Desire, ADHD and Sexuality in long-term relationships. She also presents to the general public on how to explore new sexual avenues in long-term relationships and how to talk to children about sex, as well as how a healthy sex life improves ones work life. She was a featured speaker in “Project Respect”, an educational program of the Sex Crimes Unit at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office on the topic of compulsivity.

You can sign up for her newsletter on her website home page.