OKSRI

Oklahoma finally got some rain this week and it felt like such a gift—even if our clients and clinicians looked like they’d taken a shower on their walk into the building!

Just a nice reminder that even storms can be a good and beautiful thing.

It is easy to get stuck noticing what your partner isn’t doing, what they are doing that’s annoying, or what is missing.

Try intentionally naming, out loud and to them, the things that you appreciate. It can help shift the focus.

This doesn’t mean ignoring the hard stuff—it just means making room to notice the good stuff too.

What specific things are you grateful for?

A gentle reminder from OKSRI that you are important and it gets better.

If you, or someone you know, is struggling, please reach out to a trusted person or mental health professional. In the US, call or text 988 for the Su***de & Crisis Lifeline.

You are not a burden and you are worth supporting.

What actually happens in s*x therapy?

You talk.
You make a plan.
You practice between sessions.

What does not happen?

Any sort of physical touch or s*xual activity.

Your therapist is a licensed (or pre-licensed) clinician bound by state and national ethics laws and codes. S*x therapy is talk therapy—and that is it.

If you have a clinician who suggests you perform or receive s*xual touch by them, or anyone, within the therapy room/session, that should be reported to the Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health (or your states board).

Questions? Let us know!

*xtherapist *xTherapy

Our front office is closed today for Labor Day — we’ll be back tomorrow from 9am–1pm.

Clinicians may still be seeing clients as scheduled. Need to reach yours? Contact them directly or use the client portal.

Enjoy the day off!

Meet Victoria James, Co-Owner & Co-Founder of OKSRI

Victoria’s passion is helping individuals and couples build healthier, more connected relationships with themselves and each other — she especially loves couples work and walking alongside clients as they navigate the harder conversations around intimacy. As a Certified S*x Therapist and educator, she’s also dedicated to training the next generation of clinicians right here in Oklahoma.

Grateful every day to do this work alongside such a wonderful team.

*xTherapy

Curious what it actually takes to become an AASECT Certified S*x Therapist (CST)? Here is the full list—but the part most people don’t realize is you don’t have to complete it one step at a time.

AASECT requires membership, a masters or doctorate in a clinical field, a mental health license, and at least two years of post-graduate clinical experience (1 year with a doctorate). You’ll also need 90 hours of training in AASECT’s Core Knowledge Areas of human s*xuality plus 60 hours in S*x Therapy Skills (our S*x Therapy Certificate Program covers both), a SAR, 50 hours of supervision with an AASECT CST-S (Dr. Tori Stevens offers supervision as a separate, contracted service), and 300 hours of supervised s*x therapy experience.

Here is the good part: you can work on almost all of this at the same time. Some clinicians complete their post-grad clinical hours, AASECT training, and supervision simultaneously—we’ve had graduates of our program apply for licensure and CST within a month of each other.

The timeline can be a lot shorter than the list makes it look. Questions about how to stack yours? Email us at: [email protected]

“I statements” are a counseling cliche for a reason—they actually help. Going to your partner with a criticism puts your partner on the defensive. It helps to lead with how you feel, name what is happening without making it about what your partner is doing wrong, and ask directly for what you need.

Try this simple swap and let us know how it goes!

Join us for our April CEUs!

OKSRI is a board approved LPC, LMFT, and LCSW CEU provider in Oklahoma.
OKSRI is an AASECT approved continuing education provider.

Wednesday, April 17th
S*x-Positive S*xual Assault Work
1pm – 4pm (in-person and virtual options for attendance)
Many of us understand when a survivor of s*xual assault copes by avoiding s*x—are we as understanding if survivors cope instead by seeking out s*x at increased levels? What if a survivor seeks “risky” s*xual encounters—should we have a clinical goal of changing this coping skill? Is it “healthy” if a client decides they never want to engage in s*x again? Led by a clinician with OAG training working with s*xual assault survivors and a certificate in s*x therapy, we will discuss and define what it means to be a s*x-positive therapist working with s*xual assault survivors, as well as examine how our own values around s*x and trauma may impact how we interact with these issues.

Saturday, April 27th
Grief and the Therapist: Managing Unexpected Client Death
9am – 12pm (in-person and virtual options for attendance)
There is nothing quite like the death of a client to really highlight the paradox of intimacy and professional distance in the therapeutic relationship. Most clinicians are ill-prepared for the unexpected death of a client. Join OKSRI for an interactive discussion of grief and the unexpected death of a client. Dr. Stevens will review the literature, explore avenues for preparation, identify and discuss the legal and ethical considerations, and lastly, provide suggestions and interventions for coping. While one cannot completely prepare themselves for the death of a client that is truly unexpected, clinicians can begin to confront their own values/beliefs and experiences related to death as a means to better serve themselves and their clients.

https://oksri.com/professional-development/