Sex, Sexuality & Gender
Homa’s aim is to train psychotherapists who are in an ongoing process of becoming safe hands for all their clients, including people of diverse genders, sexualities, identities, relationships, lifestyles and practices.
In this post, we will outline Homa’s psychotherapy training module on Sex, Sexuality and Gender (which is the second part of our Social Justice module) and why focusing on each trainee’s unique lived experience is beneficial as part of the process.
Every human being has a lived experience of, and a relationship with, sex, sexuality and gender.
When clients come for therapy, this may be one aspect of their lives they want to explore, question or celebrate either specifically or as part of their work. It is therefore vital that as therapists we are available and equipped to listen to and talk about any thoughts, feelings and experiences our clients bring: freely, openly and respectfully.
The Homa Sex, Sexuality and Gender training is designed to invite trainees to explore their own relationships with sex, their sexuality and their gender.
This includes their sexual relationship with themselves and with others, their own sexual and gender identity and their experiences of sex, sexuality and gender growing up.
In order to be able to meet clients with openness and ease in the therapy space, Homa trainees are invited to explore and challenge their conscious judgements and fears and to uncover their unconscious assumptions and prejudices about people who are different from them.
It is not enough to have learned about sex, sexuality and gender theories and approaches in relation to therapy clients and the problems or difficulties they may present with. If as therapists we have not explored our own relationship with sex, sexuality and gender, our judgements, fears, wounds, difficulties or unexpressed desires are likely to get in the way of supporting our clients.
This module offers trainees opportunities to explore their histories, to look back at their experiences as children in their families of origin, their teenage life and early adulthood and to discover more about who they are in the world today in relation to sex, sexuality and gender. This module helps future psychotherapists challenge their ignorance, prejudice and biases - with curiosity and compassion - when it comes to their own and others' sexuality, gender and sexual orientation. Our aim is to provide a rich, challenging, at times playful experience that invites and encourages our trainees to grow and push the boundaries of their perspectives.
How does Homa train therapists who are in an ongoing process of becoming safe hands for all their clients, including people of diverse genders, sexualities, identities, relationships, lifestyles and practices?
The Homa Sex, Sexuality and Gender training is a comprehensive module that is both therapeutic and psycho-educational, a blend of education and information and intensive personal and professional enquiry.
This means that as well as group conversations, pairs work, reading, listening to audio content and watching videos, there are practical exercises and activities which invite the trainees to delve into their own experience. Embodied movement and creative expression through art therapy are also used to engage with this module's themes.
The themes of this Social Justice module include:
Sexual orientation
Gender identity
Self-pleasure & masturbation
Sex with another, talking about sex and sexual preferences
Boundaries and consent
Sexual language and vocabulary
Desire & libido
Arousal, pleasure and orgasm
Anatomy and biology
Sexual and romantic relationships: monogamy, polyamory, swinging
Relationship with our bodies, nudity and beauty
Sex toys
Sexual expression; S&M, Kink
Pornography
Sexism
Sexual abuse and trauma (Year 3)
Sexuality & disability
The module includes 40 hours of demanding and enriching homework tasks.
The tutors leading this module have all completed the Sex, Sexuality and Gender module and they repeat the forty homework hours themselves each year.
Learning how to be comfortable with explicit sexual language and not feeling embarrassed or awkward talking about sex is an important part of the Homa Sex, Sexuality and Gender training. Ensuring that as therapists we are open to talking about anything a client brings will create a space where they can feel held and safe enough to do the work they come to do.
We aim to remove the pathology and stigma from people’s sexual and gender expression. We look at how culture and context play a vital part in each individual’s sexual and gender identity, recognising the power of community and connection when it comes to people’s self-acceptance and the potential to thrive.
By engaging in potentially uncomfortable conversations during the training and asking all the questions trainees have ever wanted to ask about Sex, Sexuality and Gender, they will be better prepared to work with clients of all genders, sexual identities and preferences.
The Homa Sex, Sexuality and Gender module stands out for the breadth and depth of the work undertaken by our trainees.
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