NEAFAST Sexuality Symposium 2023: Working with Sex in Systems Therapy

Friday, March 3, 2023; 9am-4pm ET
6 CEs | Live On Zoom
Co-Sponsored by the South Shore Sexual Health Center

Instructors: Stephen Duclos, LMFT, LMHC, CST; Jeremiah Gibson, LMFT, CST; Stephanie Wallace, LMFT

The NEAFAST Sexuality Symposium 2023 is a one day, 6 CE event, co-sponsored by NEAFAST and the South Shore Sexual Health Center, that seeks to introduce mental health professionals to the field of sexual health. The symposium begins with an overall introduction to the field. Stephen Duclos will present on “Sex Therapy and Systems: An Overview” which will discuss the evolution on the profession of sexual health, from the research of early scientists, like Kinsey and Masters and Johnson, to contemporary research that explores optimal sexuality, including Peggy Kleinplatz. Duclos will also intersect the history of sex therapy with the history and development of systemic psychotherapy.

The program continues with an hour and a half presentation on “An Ethical Framework for Sexual Health.” Stephanie Wallace will discuss the PLISSIT model of gathering information, and explore how to use this model to engage with the most common sexual health issue in relational therapy, desire discrepancy. The afternoon will begin with the presentation “Moving from Dysfunction to Optimal Sexuality” where Jeremiah Gibson will provide attendees with a framework for exploring sexual functioning, growth, and joy, through the frameworks of Doug Braun Harvey and Michael Vigorito’s sexual health principles and Peggy Kleinplatz’s research on optimal sexuality. The day will conclude with an hour Q&A session where the three presenters will serve as panelists and answer questions about practicing sexual health and pursuing the sex therapy certification.

At the conclusion of this program, participants will be better able to:

  1. Describe 3 ways historical narratives of the sexual health profession historically evolved from evaluating sexual dysfunction to optimal sexuality.
  2. Discuss 3 ways systemic principles inform the history and current-day practice of sexual health.
  3. Identify 2 strategies for asking their clients about their sexual practices.
  4. Identify 3 interventions for helping couples navigate desire discrepancy.
  5. Describe the 7 sexual health principles developed by Doug Braun Harvey and Michael Vigorito.
  6. Describe 5 interventions to help couples explore and practice optimal sexuality.

Schedule (all times in ET):
9-9:15am Introduction
9:15-10:45am Sex Therapy and Systems: An Overview — Stephen Duclos
10:45-11:00am Break
11am-12:30pm An Ethical Framework for Sexual Health — Stephanie Wallace
12:30–1pm Lunch
1-2:30pm Moving from Dysfunction to Optimal Sexuality — Jeremiah Gibson
2:30-2:45pm Break
2:45-4pm How to Become a Sex Therapist — Panel Discussion with Stephen Duclos, Stephanie Wallace, and Jeremiah Gibson

The Sexuality Symposium includes the opportunity to learn from, network, and collaborate with other family and systemic therapists, and is incredibly affordable! The following fees will give you 6 CEs and the opportunity to network with the brightest, most talented relational therapists in New England:

Non-Members: $120 
Members: $60
Student and Agency Worker Members: $20 (through the Emily Mitchell Scholarship Fund. This option is available for the first 15 student/agency members who sign up.)
Become an NEAFAST Member! 

Sign Up Here!

Stephen Duclos, LMFT, LMHC, CST has been working as a couples and family therapist, mental health counselor, and rehabilitation counselor since 1972. He currently holds licenses/national certifications in Sex Therapy (CST), Couples and Family Therapy (LMFT), Mental Health Counseling (LMHC), and Rehabilitation Counseling (CRC). Stephen is an Approved Supervisor with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT), and also the American Association for Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT). He is a member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, and the American Family Therapy Academy. In 2012, he and Jessica Price won the Patricia Schiller Prize (AASECT) for their work on Fathers, Adolescent Daughters, and Sexuality. Stephen is the co-founder of both the South Shore Family Health Collaborative, and the South Shore Sexual Health Center, organizations dedicated to providing quality family therapy, couples therapy, sex therapy and education to the Greater Boston area. Stephen is an avid reader, movie buff, and film critic, often offering early film reviews from the Toronto International Film Festival, where he is also a member. Long a supervisor of other therapists, Mr. Duclos was also on the adjunct faculty of the Graduate School of Counseling at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and is now a principal faculty member in the Sex Therapy Training Program at South Shore Sexual Health Center. He is vitally interested in technology and sexuality, father involvement, gender-diverse relationships, short and long-term sexual relationships, polyamorous relationship development, and training therapists.

Jeremiah Gibson, LMFT, CST is the Executive Director of the New England Association for Family and Systemic Therapy (NEAFAST), a professional association dedicated to the expansion of quality training and education in family and relational therapy in Massachusetts. He is a certified sex therapist through the American Association for Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), and works with couples at the South Shore Sexual Health Center in Quincy, MA, where he is also on the faculty for their year-long training program for sex therapy.

Stephanie Wallace, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist who completed her degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2015. She is the co-director of the South Shore Sexual Health Center in Quincy, MA, where she manages the operations of the Sex Therapy Training Program, teaches and trains as a core faculty member within the training program, and works clinically with individuals, couples, and families presenting with sexual and relational concerns. She is also a clinician within SSSHC’s sister organization, South Shore Family Health Collaborative, providing individual, couples, and family therapy to clients with a range of backgrounds and presentations. 


This activity is pending certification by the New England Association for Family and Systemic Therapy (NEAFAST) on behalf of the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health & Human Services Professions for LMFT professional continuing education.

This activity is pending certification by the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, Inc. on behalf of the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health & Human Services Professions for LMHC professional continuing education.

This activity is pending certification by the National Association of Social Workers Massachusetts Chapter on behalf of the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health & Human Services Professions for LICSW professional continuing education.

Please note: It is the participant’s responsibility to check with their individual state boards to verify CE requirements for their state.

This program is being offered independent of any commercial support or conflict of interest. Clinicians with any level of experience are welcome to participate.

Cancellation Policy: Please email us at [email protected] if you are unable to make it. We will give a full reimbursement for cancels prior to February 10, 2023.