The next class I teach for Southwestern College/New Earth Institute’s Human Sexuality Certificate Program is very dear to my heart and it is so important in the times we are currently living through:
Erotic Defiance: Holding Space for Daring Sexual Expression
Saturday and Sunday, May 2nd & 3rd, 2026
9am-6:30pm Mountain Time Zone
Online Synchronous
DESCRIPTION: Clients from marginalized and misunderstood sexual identities/communities need culturally informed mental health professionals who understand, and are sensitive to, the dynamics of oppression and liberation. Artists belonging to socially unaccepted sexual communities have used erotic themes in their art to challenge societal norms of sexuality and gender and have been catalysts for social justice movements throughout history. This course explores the methods these artists have used to claim space for a wider diversity of sexual expression and how mental health professionals can use these methods to create space for clients’ explorations of the erotic. Students gain greater understanding of unconventional sexual expression, such as BDSM/kink, fetishes, and ecosexuality, as well as the discrimination marginalized groups have often faced. Examples of art addressing AIDS advocacy/Queer liberation, art as expression of feminism, art that expands our perceptions of gender/sexual identity, and art that challenges the dominant patriarchal colonial lens are analyzed as students identify methods of liberation that can transfer from art to therapeutic practice. Students also have the chance to highlight the work of an erotic artist (visual art, film, theater, drag, music, etc.) they feel inspired by and consider how they can incorporate the spirit of this art into their practice. Implicit bias is investigated and assessed through reflective practice to increase awareness of what it’s like to be a “sexual outsider” and cultural proficiency in working with a wide variety of sexual expressions.
This course offers 16 contact hours toward the Human Sexuality Certificate, 16 AASECT CE’s and 16 New Mexico Counseling & Therapy Practice Board CE’s
Registration is available at:
https://newearth.regfox.com/nei-registration-form
More information about the New Earth Institute Human Sexuality Certificate Program can be found at https://www.swc.edu/applying-to-certificate-specialty-programs/human-sexuality-certificate/
Note: This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 16 CE credits. 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 info@aasect.org.