Description
**This course will provide the participant with 1 General Learning Type BACB® CEUs**
Description of Learning Type CE Event: Let’s be real, sex isn’t always super fun. Sex can be an anxiety-inducing event, one in which “what ifs” and expectation-setting (internal, private events) behaviors often impact tangible behaviors through sexual dysfunctions. Systemic shaping influences relational frames of sex, such as gender roles or scripts of what sex “should” look like, and this leads to people feeling immense amounts of pressure, frustration, shame and/or resentment when approaching intimacy with a partner. This session will look at a simple way by which behaviorally-sound methodology can reshape cognitive processes that result in tangible behavior changes: increased expression of desire/initiation; maintained erections; vaginal wetness; frequency of penetrative sex; orgasms. This one is for US as much as the clients we serve — don’t miss out on the sexiest advice ever in a CEU!
In this presentation, we will be exploring the basics of ACTraining, and how people demonstrably competent in running ACT processes can expand and apply this knowledge toward sexual behavior, particularly tangible behaviors, such as: frequency/rate of sexual initiation; frequency and importance of MOs behind penetration successes; frequency and magnitude of erections; frequency and magnitude of orgasm; as well as socially-valid measures of satisfaction and/or pleasure. This presentation is geared towards US as much as it is our clients! Note that this approach is designed to be applied with learners who have large vocal repertoires and are ideal candidates for ACT-related approaches.
About the Instructor: Nicholas Maio-Aether owns Empowered: A Center for Sexuality in St Louis, where he and his occasional teams of partnered Universities’ students work to assist humans with and without disabilities achieve sexual access, sexual freedom, gender affirmation, and self-control of compulsive behaviors. Nicholas works throughout the US training BCBAs/Behavior Analysts so persons in Individualized Supportive Living (ISL) programs gain access to applicable and generalizable comprehensive sex ed and sexual opportunities. Nicholas provides Sexual Behavior Analysis, and has assisted polycules, kinksters, gay couples, trans and nonbinary humans, among others, on their journeys. Trained by GLSEN in 2003, Nicholas started Gay-Straight Alliances across Alaska while in high school, and provided them sex ed materials and trainings. Nicholas spent five years managing Hustler Hollywood in St Louis before moving into Behavior Analysis, and joined AASECT, where he currently sits on two committees. He then completed a Sex Therapy practicum under Linda Weiner, LMSW, CSTS, in 2019 before getting a second Masters in Marriage & Family Therapy, and meeting those hour requirements under Angela Skurtu, LMFT, CST, along with his LGBTQIA+ Family Systems Specialist certificate in 2021.
Target Audience: Behavior Analysts who want to either have better, less anxiety-inducing sex, or to help others in their journeys of doing so — all through sound methodology that can be worked into a Behavior-Analytic framework. Some discussion will address a behavioral method (Sensate Focus) which is not common to ABA, and requires further outside training to deliver. Luckily, SNABA will be offering Behavior-Analytic training in Sensate Focus soon!
