Series Overview: This course is part of a 4-course series on Human Sexuality
As a central aspect of human identity, experience, and wellbeing, clinicians should understand sexuality as a part of holistic work across mental health disciplines. This series provides information about language, terms and definitions, and various human experiences that clinicians will encounter when working with clients in general and specifically related to sexual health. Clinicians can use the case examples presented throughout the learning material to reflect upon how their sexual identity, beliefs, and experiences may affect engagement with specific clients and inform their conceptualizations about areas of concern for clients. The courses in this human sexuality series are:
• Human Sexuality Across the Lifespan
• Fertility and Sexual Health Interviews
• Sexuality in Context and Sexually Transmitted Infections
• Sexual Disorders and Sex Therapy
For professionals seeking California licensure: Taken together, the four courses in this series meet the requirement for 10 hours of human sexuality training.
This course presents information about the process of pregnancy from a biological perspective, as well as considerations for sexuality and relationships during the experience of pregnancy and through childbirth. This learning material provides the information necessary for clinicians to gain a working knowledge of the possible challenges with fertility that their clients may face, as well as existing treatment approaches for infertility and how their clients experience these options for intervention. The course also explores the potential effects of fertility challenges on sexuality and intimate relationships and uses clinical examples for illustration and reflection.
Clinicians working with clients across settings, demographics, and areas of presenting concern may find it beneficial or necessary to obtain a sexual history from their clients at some point during the relationship. As such, this learning material presents guiding principles and thought processes regarding how and what sexual history information might be helpful to gather when working with different types of clients or in certain settings. Further, thought-provoking questions are presented for the clinician’s reflection to help develop their sense of what might be appropriate for their own practice with clients. Learners can adapt the comprehensive sexual history questions to fit with their clinical tools and use the identified areas for exploration to facilitate their professional growth. Case examples that apply these assessment questions show clinicians how this information might be helpful to the clinical process. This learning material gives clinicians the information and tools needed to apply sexual history assessments to their own practice.