Professional workshop will address sexuality

KEARNEY - Intimacy and sexuality can be difficult to talk about, says certified sex therapist Kathryn Manley.


But with the right skills, counselors and others in the helping professions can make their clients feel more at ease discussing these sensitive topics.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney Counseling and School Psychology Professional Development Workshop Series will begin with "Straight Talk: A Guide to Discussing Intimacy and Sexuality for Counselors and Other Helping Professionals."

"This topic is so important because there is still so much stigma about sexuality and it can be uncomfortable for clients to bring up the topic," said Grace Mims, professor of counseling and school psychology. "So, it's important for counselors and pastors - all kinds of helping professionals - to be able to hear what is maybe not being said directly."

Manley will arm attendees with an understanding of the scientific models of the human sexual response cycle and how those models can be used in therapeutic settings. Participants will learn how to effectively talk to their clients about intimacy and sexuality and learn how to assess sexual dysfunction.

"It's helping professionals to be able to be more open with clients about a very private matter," Mims said.

"There's often really interesting boundaries around this topic. Counselors have to navigate around these boundaries."

The event will begin at 9 a.m. Friday in the Communications Center at UNK. Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m.

"It's for counselors or other helping professionals, anyone who might have someone in their office in need of talking about issues of intimacy or sexuality. That's uncomfortable to talk about," Manley said.

Manley said the day-long workshop would help youth pastors, parishioners, nurses, teachers, school counselors, counselors or anyone in a helping profession.

"Sexuality is a part of who we are," Manley said. "A client will only talk about their sexuality to the extent that a helping professional feels comfortable talking about it."

Manley, one of four certified sex therapists in the state, specializes in relationship therapy including the treatment of intimacy and attachment disorders and marital and sexual dysfunction.

Sexual dysfunctions include low sexual desire, sexless marriage, sexual arousal disorders, orgasm disorders, premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, sexual pain disorders, as well as healing from sexual trauma, eating disorders and body dysmorphia.

Manley also works with life transitions that can affect sexuality such as new relationships, divorce, pregnancy and childbirth, menopause, grief, empty nest or chronic illness and disability.

"It (sexuality) affects every part of our life," she said. "Sometimes people just don't know how to bring it up."

The workshop will discuss the meaning of intimacy, she said.

"That's probably the most important thing," Manley said. "What is intimacy? All the different types of intimacy and communications styles."

The workshop is part of a series that began in 2006.

"The reason that counseling and school psychology implemented the professional workshop series is because professionals in mental health are often required, in order to keep their license, to continue education," Mims said.

Professionals can earn 5.5 continuing education units per workshop. The department is approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors to provide continuing education.

UNK students are also invited to the workshops.

Other workshops this year will be "Dialectic Behavior Therapy" Oct. 26, "Poverty Language Acquisition" Nov. 2, "Preparing for Client Suicide" Nov. 17 and "Assessment of Young Children: Collaborative, Interactive and Integrated" Dec. 7.

Workshops also will take place during the spring semester.

Each workshop will be available via video conference. Contact Nan Johnson at 865-8508 as soon as possible to attend the workshop via video conference.

Manley hopes the video conference will help professionals in western Nebraska.

To register for Friday's workshop, call Johnson or email at johnsonnm(at)unk.edu. Participants can register for the workshop the day of the event.

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