Sexual Health as an Ally in Recovery

Featuring: Buster Ross, MA, CADC II, CSC, LPC- I

When: Wednesday, December 3rd 2014 8:30am to 12:00pm

Where: New Song Community Church 220 NE Russell Street Portland, Oregon 97212 (In the community center set behind the church)  

Cost: $60.00 includes three CEUs from ACCBO and light refreshments

Buster Ross

Buster Ross is the Director of Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s LGBTQ-Integrative Treatment Program at the organization’s Springbrook site in Newberg, OR. While he is Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s national LGBTQ expert, much of his work is equally relevant to heterosexual and cisgender people seeking recovery. Buster is an Adjunct Instructor at the Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies, and recently had research published in the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services. Buster is certified by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT). Buster's approach as a clinical trainer is focused on improving quality of life outcomes by helping professionals to better understand the importance of sex positivity and sexual health education in practice.

Purpose 

The recovery field has a history of looking at sexuality through an addiction lens with a focus on problematic behavior. Sexual health education offers providers a potential pivot point allowing movement from a focus on problematic behavior to an identification of unmet needs and the causes and conditions beneath their behavioral manifestations. The movement of gay reparative therapy is still doing tremendous harm, having been subtly repackaged and rebranded. A lack of understanding and training on sexual health and sex-positivity has led to many clinicians diagnosing normative sexual behavior amongst LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ people as the disease of sex addiction. This training will focus on treating the sexual concerns that clients do have, using an approach focused on shame reduction, and sex-positive empowerment. Interventions and educational content will be useful for work in treatment centers, private practice, and a variety of community and healthcare settings.

Email Kristin Yates or call 503-802-0299 to register