Beyond Desire: Female Sexual Functioning for the Mental Health Clinician

Register now for "Beyond Desire: Female Sexual Functioning for the Mental Health Clinician"

Friday, October 16, 2026 from 8:45 AM - 12:00 PM ET
Presented by Magen Price, FNP-BC, MSCP, CSC

Please note: This is a LIVE webinar that will be held outside the CE Institute. Webinar access instructions will be communicated by NASW NH Chapter a day before the first webinar. This training will be conducted via live webinar. Participants will be able to ask questions, converse with the trainer and other participants, and practice skills. 

This program has been approved for 3.0 Continuing Education hours for licensure. NASW NH Authorization Number 4610.

Sexual concerns are common among the clients social workers and behavioral health clinicians serve, yet many practitioners receive little to no formal training in female sexual function and dysfunction, leaving them uncertain how to assess, discuss, or treat these issues. This 3-hour workshop provides clinicians with a foundational, biopsychosocial understanding of female sexual response, common sexual dysfunctions (desire, arousal, orgasm, and pain-related), and evidence-based frameworks for assessment and intervention. Drawing on current diagnostic criteria and guidelines from the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH), participants will learn practical tools for taking a sexual history, screening for common conditions like Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) and genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder, and knowing when and how to refer to medical specialists. The workshop emphasizes a trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and destigmatizing approach that clinicians can integrate directly into existing practice.  

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the biopsychosocial model of female sexual response, including circular/responsive desire models, and distinguish it from earlier linear models.
2. Identify the major categories of female sexual dysfunction (desire, arousal, orgasm, and genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorders) and their associated diagnostic features.
3. Apply a basic clinical framework (e.g., the ISSWSH Process of Care) for screening, sexual history-taking, and identifying when referral to a physician, pelvic floor specialist, or sex therapist is indicated.
4. Integrate a trauma-informed, culturally responsive approach to discussing sexual health concerns with clients in behavioral health settings.