SEX DOC Receives A Nod (& a Wink) in the Wall Street Journal

SEX DOC was featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal this Wednesday (Dec 17, 1014). Right there in the lower right corner sits an artist rendering of the personalized license plate that I spent a year and half fighting for with the state of Missouri. This nod was a part of the reporter's larger story on policing vanity plates. I even got a photo of me victoriously holding my plate last summer in the WSJ online link.

The accolades from family, friends and colleagues have been flooding in, followed by warms smiles for my 15 minutes of fame. However, the social worker in me has more to say than this little blurb allowed. The message of social (in)justice around sexuality is too vitally important to be lost in a slick sound bite.

For starters my quote in the WSJ, “I have enough patients who are dealing with shame around sexuality,” makes more sense in its entirety which was,  "... and I don't think the state of Missouri should be contributing to or promoting sexual shaming". Countering sexual shame is at the heart of my social justice work. It also plays a part in much of my work as a social worker both from a clinical and research perspective. The people that I see one on one in psychotherapy have issues that are exacerbated by a life exposed to toxic levels of sexual shame.

This is not unique to my clients. Society has dysfunctional relationship with sexuality - 'a don't ask don't tell' public policy steeped in our puritanical roots. Rather than seeing sexuality as a natural healthy part of human life, we banish it to the shadows. If people have an interest in sex we question their intent, we judge their morality or we mock it with jokes. Even the WSJ article's sub title makes a not so subtle connection that one must have a "dirty mind" to understand license plates referring to sex. Uhhhhh... NO you don't! Sex is NOT dirty!!!


But this goes to my point, the collective societal "wink" around sexuality is dangerous. Its dangerous because its not balanced. It keeps discussion around sexuality on the sidelines as if they don't merit a seat at the table. I believe that this secretive whispering of sexuality perpetuates an environment of sexual shame.

When working with clients, part of that work is reframing these dangerous societal messages that bombard us on a daily basis. As a certified sex therapist, I not only work with major sexual challenges but these insidious communal beliefs that sabotage a healthy sexual life. I help people along a journey to acknowledge and embrace sexuality as an inherent, natural part of the human experience. It is healthy and yes "NORMAL" to want connectivity, passion, physical closeness. Sexual desire, curiosity, fantasy and behavior are a part of being alive. Our sexuality is a human right. We are sexual from our first to our last breath.

From a social justice stand point, these seemingly innocuous "winks" --- such as referencing our sexuality as "dirty"  are really micro aggressions to keep us hostage. It creates a schism that surgically separates sexuality from the mainstream typical experience, casting it out to the netherworld of "other"... people who are immature, bad, naughty, dirty, immoral, sick, perverted, mentally ill. The list goes on. And even if we don't outright label a person guilty for committed the heinous crime of being sexual or thinking of sexuality, we hint at it. It can be difficult to reconcile an image of ourselves as good, just, moral and sexual. Where are the images of a person that is both?

This subtle attack on sexuality is as reprehensible as the malicious public attacks we endure through policies such as 'abstinence  only sexuality education', and 'don't-ask-don't-tell'. We begin to participate in our our own social control. We abandoned our rights to sexual knowledge and pleasure forsaking them over a misguided idea of purity.  We become prisoners of sexuality fear and guilt. Participating in keeping sexuality as a secret or something worthy of shame or the butt of jokes manufactures sex negativity. It helps to craft a society that does not have access to sexual health. It contributes to limiting quality sexual health knowledge. It supports a rape culture. It oppress groups and maintains sexuality for only a privileged few: men, able-bodied, heterosexual, white, married, fit, and young. Where does that leave the rest of us?

Sexual health is vital. It is legitimate. It is our right. We should embrace our sexuality and all the positive and pleasurable aspects of sexual health.  I propose that we must bring sexuality from marginalized conversations into acceptance as a legitimate human experience. My work continues and I hope it becomes yours too!

Sexual Health Gap in Medical Care Prompts Kansas City Sex Therapist, Dr. George Turner, to Advocate for Change

Dr. George Turner presented at the 60th Annual Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) planning meeting in Tampa, Fl. The presentation, Teaching Sexuality to Social Work Students: Sixty Years In a Contact Zone examined how sexuality studies have transformed social work and vice versa, providing narratives of the transculturation occurring in a sexuality/social work contact zone. The presentation demonstrated the value schools of social work realize when they commit to teaching and integrating sexual health issues in all aspects of their social work curricula.

"There is an absence of comprehensive sexual health and its a gap in patient care. Clients need better access to sexuality information and sexually literate health care professionals.  I think social work students are a perfect match to address this deficit in our health care system" shared, Dr. Turner.

Susan Stiritz, Sabitha Pillai-Friedman, George Turner

George collaborated with two colleagues, Susan Stiritz, MSW, MBA, PhD, The Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, and Sabitha Pillai-Friedman, PhD., Widener University, Chester, PA on this panel. They described classes they teach and programs they direct, providing illustrative objectives, curricula, syllabi, instructional materials, and results. They offered these programs as four very different models for providing sexuality education at the graduate level and compared their goals with those of each other and with those teaching the first sexuality courses in schools of social work.

Turner shared, “Social workers are arguably the best positioned helping profession to be sexual health experts in client care settings. Clients will often seek advice from physicians who surprisingly receive little training around sexual medicine. Social work programs need to actively re-access their role in social work education in regards to human sexuality. In practice, human sexuality is an innate aspect of every client population that social workers interact with and encompasses micro, meso and macro practice applications. Having sexually literate social work students, specifically ones who have had training in sexual ethics seems warranted.”

CSWE conferences help to promote and teach best practices in research and curriculum development through dynamic educational sessions, peer networking forums, and job-search opportunities. 

The Annual Program Meeting (APM) is the pre-eminent annual meeting for social work educators, students, deans, and directors worldwide. Each year, the APM brings together more than 2,500 individual members as well as more than 400 graduate and undergraduate programs of professional social work education.

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a nonprofit national association representing more than 2,500 individual members, as well as graduate and undergraduate programs of professional social work education. Founded in 1952, this partnership of educational and professional institutions, social welfare agencies, and private citizens is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the sole accrediting agency for social work education in this country.

Vulnerability Turns Out to be the Key to Relationship Strength

We attended the 2014 National Association of Social Workers (NASW) conference last week (July 23-26) in Washington, DC. As with most conferences, along with workshops they offer key note presentations to help unite and inspire the group. The opening plenary session delivered on this goal with social worker rock star, Brene Brown.

Sharing, "social work is not what I do; its who I am. Its how I see the world," Brene wowed NASW attendees, speaking on her halmark topics: vulnerability and shame. With Texas charm she weaved messages that we are all worthy of love but our fear of authenticity derails us. Other "Brene-isms" that resonated with the audience incluced:

"You can choose courage or you can choose comfort. You cannot have both"

• Debunking the myth that courageous people are not afraid. Opting to be comfortable takes you out of the arena into complacency. Courage is indeed scary.

• "Dont listen to the cheap seats"
• All too often we try to please everyone. We take in all the criticism from people who have never set foot in the arena. Everyone can have an opinion, but that doesnt mean that you have to follow it. That doesnt mean that you cant take in constructive feedback, but in today's world too many people chime in on someone's elses efforts without every joining them in the fight. Brene suggets taking a 1x1 piece of paper and writing the name of the select few people who you respect and can offer advice, suggestions, feedback that matters.

• "I want to be in the arena"
• Living your life to the fullest means living in the arena... but remember you WILL fail! You will get knocked down, you will make mistakes. The alternative is silently living invisibly on the side-lines of your life. Do not wake up one day and with regret wonder 'what if I had shown up to my life?'

• "Ther is no evidence that vulnerabilty is weakness"
• Brene's research shows that it is through risk taking and choosing to be known that we enrich and strengthen the quality of our lives. AND... its tough!

Her 2010 TED Talk (Click Here) has been viewed more than 16 million times. Her books, The Gifts of Imperfection, I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't), and Daring Greatly, are all bestsellers. Her Amazon Author Rank for self-help books is currently at #4. All this is a testament to the fact that people are hungry for her message: that it is okay to embrace your vulnerability and your imperfections, to allow yourself to have the uncomfortable feelings, and to be real.

 

Dr. George Turner and Lisa Meyers, sexual health experts, speak at the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) conference in DC

Lisa Myers and Dr. George Turner
Turner Professional Group

Local sexual health experts, Dr. George Turner and Lisa Meyers of Turner Professional Group, spoke on Sexuality and Disability in Washington DC at the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) conference. George and Lisa are clinicians and researchers with over 50 years between them working with adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). Partnering once again with Dr. Mary Rita Weller, they spoke to over 30 social workers on increasing their skills working with people with ID.


 The three-tiered presentation shared with participants the experiences of three disability professionals who also have the unique vantage point of being licensed social workers involved in research, therapy and education around sexuality and persons with intellectual disability. Dr. Turner shared, “A mother and social worker came up to me after our presentation near tears thanking us for our work. She acknowledged that she had had no training in this area during her graduate education and as a mom to someone with ID, she is frustrated with so little support for her daughter around sexuality.” Turner added, “This is why our work is so crucial. This is a call for social workers to get more education on sexuality and people with disabilities. We need to get better trained mental health practitioner out there, and social workers are perfectly positioned to take up this challen

 



Dr. Mary Rita Weller, Dr. George Turner & Lisa Meyers

The trio of disability advocates highlighted case vignettes to make the case for social workers to engage in better research, education and mental health counseling in the area of sexual health. Lisa Meyers noted the lack of mental health professionals with the expertise to work with people with intellectual disabilities who are also trained in sexual health. “People with disabilities need to be sexually literate if we are going to facilitate full community integration with the promise of a quality life”, shared Meyers. “Sometimes that means I work with the parents to help them see that their ‘baby’ is no longer a child, but an adult with the desire for companionship, romance… a meaningful life of love”.

 

George & Lisa present on Sexuality and Disability AAIDD Conference

George Turner, Lisa Meyers, Mary Rita Weller
AAIDD Conference 2014, Orlando Fl.

Local disability experts, Dr. George Turner and Lisa Meyers of Turner Professional Group, spoke on Sexuality and Disability at the 138^th American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) conference held in Orlando Fl. They partnered with a colleague, Dr. Mary Rita Weller, to present a paper entitled, “Taboo & Overlooked – Sexuality and Intellectual Disability: A Call for Better Research, Therapy & Education”.  Over fifty disabilty professionals attended including academics, direct service professionals, and administration,  as well as self advocates and parents.

Since 1876, AAIDD has been providing worldwide leadership in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. AAIDD, (formerly AAMR -- American Association on Mental Retardation) is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization of professionals and citizens concerned about intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The three-tiered presentation shared with participants the experiences of three disability professionals who also have the unique vantage point of being licensed social workers involved in research, therapy and education around sexuality and persons with intellectual disability. Dr. Turner shared, “With over 50 professionals from disability services and disability studies, our presentation has implications to bring a positive light on sexuality and people with intellectual disabilities. As professionals we need to listen to what our clients and consumers are saying about their social-sexual needs, desires and hopes. They cannot afford us to put our heads in the sand.”

Lisa Meyers speaking about her clinical
work with people with ID.
AAIDD Conference 2014

While Dr. Turner focused on encouraging more research in this area, Dr. Weller spoke on education and Lisa Meyers discussed clinical psychotherapy with this group. Ms. Meyers highlighted that, “the challenge is to find trained mental health professionals who are also familiar in working with people with disabilities. It’s rare to have this kind of expert available to people with intellectual disabilities. So while there are numerous psychotherapists in the community they often do not understand the nuances of differing communication patterns of someone with a disability or they unknowingly discount the possibility of them being sexual.” Dr. Turner added, “People with ID want and need human connectivity, just like the rest of us. The problem is access and a system that does not support their need for romance, sex, or risk taking. We hoped to dispel stereotypical portrayal of disability and sexuality and encourage professionals to bridge this service delivery gap.”

George and Lisa met Charles Archer, the AAIDD Chair of the Special Interest Group on Sexuality,  and got to network with other colleagues in the field. "Maintaining a connection to professional colleagues and giving back to the field through conference presentations is an important way for TPG to be relevant. As leaders in the field of disabilities, we strongly believe in cultivating learning and moving the field forward to providing better support and services", shared Lisa.

Dr. George Turner Joins KU Social Welfare Faculty

Dr. George Turner joined the KU School of Social Welfare in the Fall 2013. In addition to his private practice, George is an Associate Professor of Practice. Becasue of his expertise in sexual health, he was actively solicited to teach a human sexuality course once taught by Dennis Dailey. "It was surreal... teaching the sexuality course taught by my mentor and colleague, Dr. Dennis Dailey. Dennis is legendary at KU and to walk in his shoes is an honor." Additionally, George has taught an undergraduate practice course and a graduate course, Multicultural Practice. "I love teaching. It provides me another venue to directly impact the quality of life of others. And, I value the opportunity to interact with social work students especially.  Im  a JayHawk so its a full circle experience for  me to facilitate the professional development for the BSW and MSW students so that they can deliver best practices to the community. Rock Chalk!"

KU intern, Amy Gray, joins Turner Professional Group



Amy Gray, KU Intern

Amy Gray is an intern at Turner Professional Group specializing in individual and couples work. Ms. Gray has experience working with families, runaway and homeless youth, and HIV+ youth. Ms. Gray has a Masters degree in clinical and counseling psychology from Central Missouri State University and is currently working toward a Master of Social Welfare at the University of Kansas. In her free time, Ms. Gray enjoys coaching youth softball, kayaking, taking photographs, and spending quality time with her many nieces and nephews.

"Amy has a great personality and a genuine desire to help people. She promises to be a great asset to our practice and our clients," stated Dr. George Turner, her clinical supervisor. Dr. Turner oversees all interns at Turner Professional Group meeting to discuss cases, provide guidance and augment each student intern's clinical skills. "This is a great way for clients to receive stellar service at an affordable price. We are so glad we can give back to the community in this way," added Dr. Turner.  In addition to seeing clients, Ms. Gray will help facilitate a women's "Healthy Sex" group with Lisa Meyers, LSCSW/LCSW a co-owner at TPG. Ms Gray is also interested in research on sexual health and will be organizing several projects for TGP including a future conference presentation.

Welcome Amy~!

Ms Gray is accepting new clients and can see people for FREE or reduced fee.

Please contact Amy at:
Phone: (816) 931-8255
Email: intern2@turnerprofessionalgroup.com