Breaking Boundaries in Sexual Medicine: A Peek Beyond The Clinic

About The Event

During this last webinar of our series leading up to the 25th WAS congress in September, we are looking to present a different perspective to the familiar ways we view sexual problems in the clinic. This webinar will peek more widely into the modalities individuals and groups are taking within their own communities and cultures.

We will discuss traditional African approaches to seeking help for sexual disorders and indigenous ways of understanding sexual pleasure.

We will address the ways in which recreational drugs are used to augment and intensify sexual pleasure in the ChemSex scene, and how danger mixes so freely with the life force within, and we’ll look at how the Psychedelic renaissance may contribute to deepening our understanding about human intimacy and sexuality.

Join us for a fascinating exploration beyond the boundaries.

Speakers

Aoife Drury

Aoife is a Psychosexual and Relationship Therapist working in private practice in Dublin connecting with clients globally online. Qualifying initially from University College Dublin with a BSc in Psychiatric nursing she subsequently completed a Diploma in Forensic Psychology.

Aoife undertook a Masters degree in War and Psychiatry at Kings College London. Her research interests included the impact of trauma and toxic psychology in the military as well as examining rape as a weapon of war. Aoife spent a number of years carrying out counselling groups for vulnerable young people.

She carried out further studies in Psychotherapy at Regents University, then specialising in Psychosexual and Relationship Therapy with The London Diploma of Psychosexual and Relationship Therapy and Middlesex University. Aoife has been a Project Manager in a charity rehabilitating ex-military, and worked as a manager for a homeless project in London.

Following a diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Aoife commenced a Doctorate in Psychotherapy in Dublin City University. Her research interests are firmly in the area of Chemsex with a particular focus in the support of ‘problematic’ use.

Professor Nceba Gqaleni

Professor Nceba Gqaleni is a Research Professor and Head of the discipline of African Traditional Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is a Faculty Member of the Africa Health Research Institute and Adjunct Professor at the Durban University of Technology.

He is a member of the WHO African Regional Expert Committee on Traditional Medicine for COVID-19 and Project Leader of the KwaZulu-Natal Indigenous Knowledge-Based Healthy Lifestyle Strategy to fight COVID-19 and beyond.

He has served on the Interim Traditional Health Practitioners Council of South Africa, appointed by the Minister of Health. He is also a member of the task team drafting SA’s Policy on African Traditional Medicine, and South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) Working Group on African Traditional Medicines.

He previously served on the Presidential Task Team on African Traditional Medicine, and is the Deputy Chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Council on AIDS.

Yochi (Jonathan) Ress

Yochi Ress is a Clinical Psychologist who has worked in Clinical and Organisational fields since 2005. He has worked as a specialist leadership and company culture transformation consultant, specialising in the areas of mindfulness, neuroscience, and resilience.

He has helped design and run self-mastery and mindfulness-based leadership workshops for companies such as TBWA, Apple South Africa, Nedbank, and ABSA bank. He has worked for the last several years as a wellness consultant to Investec bank’s wellness center.

His published thesis focused on understanding the impact trauma has on our relational competence and how this can be restored. He founded his company Attuned Consulting in 2014.

Yochi has completed training in the specialised field of Transpersonal Psychology which focuses on the study of consciousness including the rapidly exploding area of research on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy – a special interest of his given its intersection with mindfulness and neuroscience.