(FLYER)

DESCRIPTION

Vaginismus, an involuntary tightening of the pelvic floor muscles during attempted vaginal penetration, often goes unrecognized in mental health settings despite its frequent overlap with anxiety, trauma histories, OCD, mood disorders, and perfectionism. Many clients struggle for years without support even though effective treatments exist.

Drawing on research by Ter Kuile et al. (2007), Reissing et al. (2003), and others, the workshop outlines how exposure combined with psychoeducation, relaxation skills, and cognitive restructuring can reduce distress, improve sexual functioning, and restore clients’ sense of agency. The workshop emphasizes the central role mental health providers play in interdisciplinary care and introduces evidence supported treatment options with a focus on therapist assisted exposure.

This workshop prepares clinicians who already work with high-risk populations to identify and address sexual pain concerns they may not have been trained to treat. Participants will learn to recognize how vaginismus develops through fear avoidance patterns and body-based anxiety, often masked as low desire, intimacy avoidance, or relationship conflict.

Clinicians will gain language for compassionate assessment, guidance for ethical support or referral, and practical tools including case examples to help them confidently identify, validate, and collaboratively treat this often overlooked but highly treatable condition.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Attendees will be able to identify four signs of vaginismus and to differentiate vaginismus from other sexual or relational problems.
   
   

2. Attendees will be able to identify four signs of vaginismus and to differentiate vaginismus from other sexual or relational problems.
   
   

3. Attendees will be able to conduct therapist assisted exposure for vaginismus in their practice with clients.

REFERENCES

Reissing, E. D., Binik, Y. M., Khalifé, S., Cohen, D., & Amsel, R. (2004). Vaginal spasm, pain, and behavior: an empirical investigation of the diagnosis of vaginismus. Archives of sexual behavior, 33(1), 5–17. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ASEB.0000007458.32852.c8

Ter Kuile, M. M., Melles, R., de Groot, H. E., Tuijnman-Raasveld, C. C., & van Lankveld, J. J. D. M. (2013). Therapist-aided exposure for women with lifelong vaginismus: a randomized waiting-list control trial of efficacy. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 81(6), 1127–1136. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034292

Ter Kuile, M. M., van Lankveld, J. J., de Groot, E., Melles, R., Neffs, J., & Zandbergen, M. (2007). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for women with lifelong vaginismus: process and prognostic factors. Behaviour research and therapy, 45(2), 359–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2006.03.013

SPEAKER

Kayla Jimenez, PsyD (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist providing individual, couples, and family therapy in her group practice, Palmetto Psychology Clinic, and also serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, where she contributes to the DBT, PTSD, and Women’s Wellness Clinics.

At Stanford, Kayla holds clinical privileges to provide psychotherapy for individuals experiencing genital-pelvic pain disorders, including vaginismus, dyspareunia, and vulvodynia. She works as part of a specialized interdisciplinary team that includes gynecology, psychiatry, mental health providers, and pelvic floor physical therapists. These privileges reflect her advanced training, which included specialized education in human sexuality, ongoing supervision of clinical cases, and mentorship in interdisciplinary care coordination. Kayla has presented on the psychological treatment of vaginismus and related conditions to clinical teams and is committed to increasing access to affirming, evidence-based care in this often-overlooked area of mental health. Her path into treating vaginismus was grounded in her broader expertise in relationships and emotion dysregulation—two areas that frequently intersect with sexual functioning, identity, and intimacy.

Kayla earned both her Master’s and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium. She completed her predoctoral residency at the VA Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center and her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford. In addition to her clinical work, Kayla is passionate about teaching, training, and consultation. She enjoys collaborating with other professionals to improve care systems for clients with complex, intersectional needs.

REGISTRATION

To register, visit https://www.nccbt.net/event-6578983.

Members

Early Bird Rate (on or before 04/25/26)

• Professional Member - $40
• Early Career Member - $30
• Pre-Licensed Associate/Retired Members - $20
• Student - $10

Regular (after 04/25/26)

• Professional Member- $50
• Early Career Member - $40
• Pre-Licensed Associate/Retired Members - $30
• Student - $15

Non-Members

• Professional - $70
• Pre-Licensed Associate/Student - $45

CANCELLATIONS

If you register but cannot attend, please contact us. Refunds will be issued if requested 72-hours before the event less a $5 administrative fee. Refunds will not be issued if requested after the event.

QUESTIONS

Email support@nccbt.net

Continuing Education (CE) Credit

The San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy is approved to offer 2.0 hours* of continuing education (CE). No partial CE credits are granted.

Those who attend this workshop in full and complete the appropriate evaluation form will receive CE credits. Please note that the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy will issue credit only to those who attend the entire workshop. Those who arrive more than 15 minutes after the start time or leave before the workshop ends will not receive CE credits.

The San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy (Provider Approval No.: CEN034) is approved by the California Psychological Association to provide continuing professional education for psychologists. The California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) recognizes CE credit offered by any CPA-approved provider for license renewal for its licensees. The San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Disclosure Information

The California Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association require that continuing education providers inform participants as to the source, amount, nature, and disposition of any funding used to support the continuing education activity, whether in the form of educational grants, cash contributions, or in-kind contributions. Individuals in a position to influence course content must also disclose whether they have one or more relevant financial relationships with individuals and companies who have a financial interest in activity content. These individuals include the CE Advisory Committee of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy (SFBACCT) and the Leadership Committee of the Northern California Cognitive Behavior Therapy Network (NCCBT).

Institutional Conflict of Interest Disclosure

The San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy does not receive commercial support for any of the continuing education activities it provides.

Individual Conflict of Interest Disclosure

• Janie Hong, PhD, NCCBT Network Leadership Committee, has no relevant financial relationships or conflicts.
  
• Kathrine Gapinski, PhD, NCCBT Network Leadership Committee, has no relevant financial relationships or conflicts.
• Nancy Liu, PhD, NCCBT Network Leadership Committee, has no relevant financial relationships or conflicts.
• Simone Madan, PhD, SFBACCT CE Advisory Committee, has no relevant financial relationships or conflicts.
• John R. Montopoli, LMFT, LPCC, NCCBT Network Leadership Committee, has no relevant financial relationships or conflicts.
• Daniela J. Owen, PhD, SFBACCT CE Advisory Committee and NCCBT Leadership Committee, has no relevant financial relationships or conflicts.
• Aleksandra Soykin, PhD, NCCBT Network Leadership Committee, has no relevant financial relationships or conflicts.
• Melinda White, LMFT, NCCBT Network Leadership Committee, has no relevant financial relationships or conflicts.
• Bridget Whitlow, LMFT, NCCBT Network Leadership Committee, has no relevant financial relationships or conflicts.

Speaker Conflict of Interest Disclosure

• Kayla Jimenez, PsyD, Workshop Leader, has no relevant financial relationships or conflicts.