63rd Annual Conference

Thursday, February 23

Afternoon Workshops

2:45-6:00 P.M.

Workshop 22

Spirituality and Sexuality: Moments of Vulnerability, Intimacy and Shame

Chairs:   

Joseph H. Fallon, Jr., Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Clinical Psychologist,

Private Practice, Lawrenceville, Georgia

Constance Vitale, M.A., MPS, CGP, FAGPA, Pastoral Psychotherapist, Claret Center, Chicago, Illinois

Members will explore the intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of spirituality and sexuality within the group experience.  Through opening exercises in various sessions the members will move into process group experience that highlights thoughts and feelings that arise.  Vulnerability, resistance to connection, shame, and intimacy will be processed experientially and didactically.

Experiential-didactic-sharing of work experiences-demonstration

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Identify ways to use themes of spirituality and sexuality during group process to facilitate group cohesion.

2. Discuss barriers that prevent these emotionally loaded topics from being explored by members.

3. Review how shame connected to spirituality and sexuality impact group interaction at different levels of group development.

4. Compare and contrast bringing thoughts and feelings in the moment and

in the room to then and their kinds of discussions on intimacy.

Course References:

1.  Moore, T. (1998).  The Soul of Sex:  Cultivating life as an act of love. Harper Collins.

2. Ormont, L. (1992). The Group Therapy Experience. New York: St. Martin's Press.

3. Whitehead, E. and Whitehead, J. (1989).  A Sense of Sexuality:

Christian love and intimacy . New York: Doubleday.