WORKSHOPS
To navigate the wild world of relationships teens, emerging adults, and parents need more than an education about risks and dangers, they deserve a broader understanding of sexual health that includes enjoyment and wellbeing. For two decades we have worked with our clients on how to cultivate vibrant, safe relationships and we want this information to be available to any young person who is open to learning. The following workshops teach teens, emerging adults and parents to be in intimate relationships with curiosity, confidence and respect.
TEENAGE ROADMAP TO SEXUAL WELLBEING: Explore the meaning of sex, consent, pleasure, communication and growing up in a digital world. For teens age 15-18.
We will invite teens to explore their family history, their values and their biology. From there we will begin to explore the challenge of communicating this information to others while also listening with curiosity and respect. No relationship or sexual experience is required as this workshop is less about sex and dating and more about helping teens build a solid internal foundation and relational capacity necessary for sexual wellbeing.
Please contact Caroline or Patricia to register or with questions. info@upwellcenter.org, 518.290.0320. Registration is required.
SUPPORTING the SEXUAL WELLBEING of TEENS and EMERGING ADULTS
We invite parents, educators, family members, clergy and medical professionals who work with teens to explore:
What are the most important messages to convey to teens about relationships, consent, and sexual wellbeing?
How do we address the impact of the digital world on the sexual development of teens and young adults?
How do our own experiences shape the way we relate to young people about sexuality?
How can we listen in a way that encourages young people to talk?
Our time together will be engaging and educational. There will be an opportunity at the end to offer reflection and feedback as your suggestions will inform our future programming for teens as well as for adults.
Registration is required.
Call Caroline at 518.290.0320 or email info@upwellcenter.org for more information.
ME FIRST (age 14 and older)
Healthy relationships aren’t just about good luck and amazing chemistry. They require a great deal of patience, practice and skill! This 3 hour workshop introduces the interlocking and foundational skills of self-awareness and communication. We can’t ask for what we want if we don’t even know what we want and we can’t get what we want if we don’t know how to ask for it!
We will invite teens to explore their family history, their values and their biology. From there we will begin to explore the challenge of communicating this information to others while also listening with curiosity and respect. No relationship or sexual experience is required as this workshop is less about sex and dating and more about helping teens build a solid internal foundation and relational capacity necessary for sexual wellbeing.
Here are some of our guiding questions:
How does our body tell us what we like, don’t like, and when we need to slow things down?
How do we tell other people what we want and don’t like? How can we know what other people want and don’t want? How do we do any of this in the virtual world of technology?
What do healthy relationship look like? How do they feel? How do you know when relationship difficulties are normal and when they are dangerous?
How do expectations and pressures in the digital world impact who you are?
Fee: $45 per person payable by cash or check. Call 518.290.0320 or email info@upwellcenter.org for more information.
ME AND YOU (age 18 and older)
This 3-hour workshop is for young adults open to exploring the world of intimate relationships. We will dive into the psychology and science of relationship and sexuality. Consent, pleasure, gender, communication, social and familial history, systems of oppression as well as decision-making skills will come into sharper focus.
Here are some of our guiding questions:
What’s the difference between attraction, infatuation and love?
What are the differences between porn and real-life sexual interactions? Is it ok to use porn?
What happens when I like someone I am not attracted to? Or I am really attracted to someone I don’t particularly like?
What are relationship patterns and where do they come from? Can they change?
How do I communicate what I want and need interpersonally and online?
Fee: $45 per person payable by check or cash. Call 518.290.0320 or email info@upwellcenter.org for more information.
CREATING OPTIMAL CONNECTIONS : An 8-week Course for Couples
Are you and your partner wishing to:
Reconnect after long periods without sexual intimacy — months, years, decades?
Resolve tension related to differences in sexual interest and desire?
Bring sexuality back into your relationship after major health issues or losses?
Experience greater intimacy and enhance your sexual relationship?
This research-based approach is being offered in upstate NY for the very first time and it is only being offered in a few locations in the U.S. overall.
We offer a confidential and comfortable setting for couples to address intimacy issues. The course is 16 hours long with weekly homework assignments. The more homework you complete the more you will find the course beneficial. Sexual intercourse is never assigned however the homework always includes various non-sexual touch exercises that invite couples to share in experiences of safety, curiosity, connection and desire. We will invite you to listen music, watch movies and Ted Talks, read together, dance, play, talk and touch. There is truly something for everyone.
An initial assessment will help you determine if this group is right for you. We are screening for the next group now. Call (518) 290-0320 or email info@upwellcenter.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will we be comfortable working on such private issues in a group?
It surely sounds paradoxical: bring one of your most personal issues and perhaps one of your biggest marital disappointments into the full view of complete strangers? It is indeed paradoxical and it works. The group format initially feels like a tough sell to many people and in the end they realize that it is the golden ticket! Sexual shame breeds isolation and isolation makes everything worse. So often couples feel like they are the only ones struggling with sexual intimacy. When couples come together to share in a process of growth, when they support and challenge one another, change happens with remarkable kindness, efficiency and good cheer.
We will never ask anyone to share if they do not wish to and we do not discuss intimate sexual details. This might sounds strange for a course all about optimizing sexual intimacy but it is true. This course isn't about sexual technique. It is about connection.
We have struggled with sex for such a long time. Will this work?
This remarkable approach was developed by the Optimal Sexual Experience Research Team at the University of Ottowa. The groups are part of a research project studying the effectiveness of group therapy in enhancing sexual relationships. We trained with the team in Ottowa because we were so impressed with the model and their success! Now we are part of the research team ourselves! We believe that this approach is highly effective, cost-efficient and will change the way you feel in your couple and how you enjoy sexual intimacy.
Can you bill my insurance?
Each insurance carrier and plan has different guidelines regarding reimbursement. We do not participate with insurance plans directly but we will provide you with a receipt at the end of the course with all the necessary information you will need to submit in the event your plan has an out-of-network benefit.
What is the cancellation policy?
Payment is required to reserve your place in the course. Once the course begins there will be no refunds.
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We have run groups and taught classes for 20 years so we know the importance of challenge, entertainment and engagement in the service of learning. Comfort and confidentiality are just as important. We will use role-play, art, yoga and movement, lecture, writing, and mindfulness practices along with plenty of humor and discussion for so our participants can connect and grow. We welcome participants of all races, sexual and gender identities, spiritual and ethnic backgrounds and abilities and we make a point of exploring how our various identities shape our experiences of connection.
Please email info@upwellcenter.org or call Caroline at 518-857-9361 with questions or to register.