Sex, Divorce, & Death: Taboo Topics in Therapy
Therapists are trained to hold space for life’s most complex emotions, yet certain topics remain shrouded in discomfort—even within the therapy room. Sex, Divorce, & Death: Taboo Topics in Therapy is a bold, thought-provoking conference designed to challenge the unspoken rules of clinical practice. From navigating high-conflict divorce to working with suicidal ideation beyond risk assessment to confronting the realities of death and dying, we’re diving deep into the conversations many clinicians hesitate to have. Join us as we break the silence, rethink traditional approaches, and gain the tools to support clients through life’s most stigmatized struggles.
Delivery format: In person
Target audience: Therapists and mental health professionals in current practice can benefit from this training.
Agenda:
8:30-9am | Registration
9-10am | Death & Dying in Therapy
10-11am | Suicidality in Therapy
11-12pm | Psychology of Divorce
12-1:30pm | Lunch break
1:30-2:30pm | Coercion is NOT Consent
2:30-3:30pm | Speaker panel
3:30-4pm | Surveys, certificates
Speakers include:
Death & Dying in Therapy - Meri-Ellen Morgans, LICSW
Death is a universal human experience, yet it often remains one of the most emotionally charged and clinically complex topics in therapy. This training invites mental health professionals to deepen their capacity to support clients facing terminal illness, end-of-life transitions, or existential concerns about mortality.
Objectives:
1. Describe common emotional, psychological, and existential experiences of clients facing terminal illness or end-of-life, and distinguish these from clinical depression or pathological grief.
2. Demonstrate therapeutic approaches for supporting clients who are dying, including meaning-making interventions, legacy work, and navigating anticipatory grief.
3. Identify ethical considerations and countertransference issues that may arise when working with terminally ill clients, and apply strategies to maintain therapeutic presence and professional boundaries.
Suicidality in Therapy - Candace Morey, LMHC
Working with suicidal clients is one of the most challenging—and often isolating—experiences in clinical practice. This training moves beyond basic risk assessment and safety planning to explore the deeper emotional and relational roots of suicidality.
Objectives:
1. Differentiate between active and passive suicidal ideation, and assess how each presents in clinical practice, including language cues, behavioral patterns, and risk factors.
2. Apply trauma-informed and relational approaches to explore the underlying drivers of suicidality, including chronic emotional pain, attachment disruptions, shame, and perceived burdensomeness.
3. Develop and implement therapeutic interventions that move beyond standard safety planning, including collaborative risk management, narrative techniques, and building protective factors that foster meaning and connection.
Coercion is NOT Consent - Cindi Miller, LMHC
This training helps clinicians untangle the nuanced differences between consent and coercion, with particular attention to how emotional manipulation, people-pleasing, and fear of conflict can mask dynamics of entitlement and pressure. Participants will explore how to help clients identify their own boundaries, communicate them clearly, and challenge patterns rooted in past trauma, shame, or social conditioning.
Objectives:
1. Differentiate between consent and coercion in sexual encounters, including how cultural narratives around “nice” or “good” partners can obscure patterns of pressure and entitlement.
2. Apply trauma-informed, client-centered communication strategies to help clients identify, articulate, and uphold their boundaries in partnerships and situationships.
3. Support clients in reclaiming their right to sexual agency and pleasure, using empowerment-based frameworks that affirm their needs, desires, and limits as central to healthy, consensual relationships.
Psychology of Divorce - Candace Morey, LMHC
Divorce is never just a legal process—it’s a layered experience that can unravel a person’s identity, stability, and sense of belonging. In this training, clinicians will gain a comprehensive framework for understanding the psychological dimensions of divorce and how to support clients navigating its many complexities.
Objectives:
1. Differentiate between the emotional, financial, familial, and logistical dimensions of divorce and analyze how each contributes to psychological distress and treatment needs in therapy.
2. Identify and describe the various legal processes of divorce (e.g., litigation, mediation, collaborative divorce, pro se filings), and evaluate how each process influences client stress levels, therapeutic goals, and family dynamics.
3. Develop clinically appropriate interventions to support clients navigating divorce, tailored to the specific type(s) of divorce they are experiencing and the legal context of their case.
Early Bird registration fee is $125 (register by 7/1/2025)
The registration fee after 7/1/2025 is $149
Continuing Education Credit Available: 5 NBCC credit hours | (ASWB CEs pending)
413 Theraworks, LLC. has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7398. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. 413 Theraworks, LLC. is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.
Sex, Divorce, and Death, course ID: 6379, is approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by 413 Theraworks as an individual course. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE course approval period: 8/15/25-8/15/27. Social workers completing
this course receives 5 total credits, including 4 Clinical and 1 general continuing education credits.
Attendees must attend all sessions to receive 5 continuing education credits. Certificates will be distributed upon completing and returning evaluation at the end of the conclusion of the workshop.
ADA Accessibility Statement:
The Taboo Topics in Therapy Workshop complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable state accessibility laws. The conference venue is located on the first floor of The Williams Inn and provides step-free, wheelchair-accessible entry from the main entrance, ADA-compliant restrooms, and fully accessible meeting spaces.
We are committed to providing equal access to all participants. Reasonable accommodations will be made to allow individuals with disabilities to participate fully in all conference activities. Accommodation requests may include, but are not limited to: assistive listening devices, materials in alternative formats (large print, electronic, braille), reserved seating, or other modifications to facilitate participation.
To request accommodations, please contact Candace Morey, Owner/Founder at candace@413theraworks.com or 413-353-2515 no later than 10/1/25 to allow adequate time for arrangements. Requests made after this date will be reviewed and accommodated to the extent possible.
Questions?
Contact Candace Morey at candace@413theraworks.com or by phone/text: 413-353-2515
Refunds:
Refunds are available under the following circumstances:
Participant cancels with at least 7 days notice prior to the event
Course is canceled by 413 Theraworks.
How to Submit a Grievance:
Grievances must be submitted in writing to Candace Morey, LMHC, CE Program Director at candace@413theraworks.com. You may also call (413) 353-2515 to initiate the process. Grievances will be acknowledged within 5 business days of receipt.
