Sexual Medicine course in Dublin, Ireland!

This post was written by guest-blogger, H&W faculty member Michelle Lyons. You can catch Michelle teaching our Pregnancy and Postpartum series courses, Pelvic Floor Series courses, as well as our new courses on Oncology and the Pelvic Floor and the Athlete and the Pelvic Floor. Michelle lives in Ireland and was an integral part of bringing Institute founder, Holly Heman, to the UK to teach two courses this spring.

As a longtime fan of Holly Herman's work, it has been my pleasure to help bring her depths of knowledge and unforgettable teaching style first to London to teach Pelvic Floor Level 3 and then on to Dublin to allow us Irish PT’s the honor of being the first to attend her new course, Sexual Medicine for Women & Men.

We had 26 therapists travel to Dublin from all over Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England as well as one intrepid PT who flew to us from Saudi Arabia!

This is a course unlike any other I have attended – over the course of two intense days, we explored our own sexual perceptions and biases and how by challenging those notions, we can provide even better healthcare to our patients as part of a multi-disciplinary team dealing with sexual health issues.

It is an enormously practical course, not only in exploring the anatomy and physiology of sexual function and dysfunction but also in looking at the essential role therapists must play if we want optimal outcomes for all of our patients.

This course provides the framework for all aspects of assessment and treatment of sexual health issues, all the way from interviewing skills, to building awareness and acceptance of alternative lifestyle choices, and a strong influence on the role of orthopaedic concerns in sexual health. Gender specific issues such as hormonal changes in postpartum and perimenopasual women, and erectile dysfunction and Peyronie’s disease in men were also covered in depth. Participants will leave this course well equipped to understand the different sexual health issues that present to women and men throughout the lifespan, as well as an understanding of transgender, LGBT and heterosexual practices and preferences.

Of course we had to show Holly some Irish hospitality during her visit – a substantial number of us went out to Temple Bar in Dublin’s city centre for feasting and frolics and we introduced Holly to Irish dancing – a true functional test of our pelvic floor integrity! In the late 19th century, Benjamin Jowett said ‘What I don’t know isn’t knowledge’ and the same can be said of Holly Herman. She brings not only an engaging and insightful teaching style, but an incredible depth of knowledge in orthopaedics, pelvic health and sexual function, knowledge which she generously shares with all of her class attendees. Don’t miss the first opportunity to experience this course in the US is coming up soon in Rhode Island – as one of the participants in Dublin commented in her feedback form: ‘it is a life altering course!’

If you would like to catch the Sexual Medicine course in the US, it will be offered in Newport, RI on April 5-6. We hope we can look forward to having you there!