sExploration
Sexual issues can be as difficult for clinician to address as they are for clients to share. While it is easy to leave these issues unexplored, they are ever present. sExploration is a yearly event that offers students and faculty an opportunity to explore the intersection of human sexuality with culture, identities and clinical practice. sExploration is produced by PASD as a catalyst for discussions (in and out of classrooms) on integrating sexuality issues into all elements of our work as mental health professionals: assessment, consultation, research, practice, education and development. Scroll down to see the events for this year's sExploration, as well as events from previous sExplorations.
sExploration 2026
Sexual Resilience: The Power to Survive & Thrive
March 16th, 2025 - March 30th, 2025
The American Psychological Association (2025) defines resilience as the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands. The APA proposes that the following factors contribute to how well people adapt to adversity: (a) the ways in which individuals view and engage with the world, (b) the availability and quality of social resources, and (c) specific coping strategies.
sExploration 2026 will explore and promote resilience through examining how people adapt, survive and THRIVE in the face of challenges related to sex, reproduction, sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity. Together we will explore the development and fostering of resilience in these areas through colloquia, critical discussions, and an academic presentations.
The butterfly is a universal symbol of resilience, representing transformation, endurance, and growth through its journey from caterpillar to chrysalis to winged creature. It embodies the capacity to overcome adversity, often used to signify personal recovery, hope, and the ability to emerge from difficult situations stronger and more beautiful.