The Buehler Institute Presents:

SEXUAL ATTITUDE REASSESSMENT (SAR)

April 28-29, 2023
IN PERSON in Orange County, CA
(Halfway Between L.A. and San Diego!)
AASECT Approved for 14 Hours of Juicy SAR Goodness!
Facilitated by Stephanie Buehler, PsyD, CSTS  
A Facilitated Tour Into the Mysteries of Sex...

Getting the Kinks Out:
A SAR EXPERIENCE


  • Friday, April 28th, 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM PST
  • Saturday, April 29th, 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM PST

14 Hours* of Juicy Content for
$629 (Early Bird Pricing is $529)!

Enrollment limited to keep the workshop a safe and intimate experience, don't lose out--sign up now!
Write your awesome label here.

Save $100 with Early Bird Pricing!

Enroll by March 17, 2023 for your early bird discount!
Save more by paying in full or choose a payment plan.
Early Bird Pricing
$529
or
3 monthly payments of $185
Pricing after March 17, 2023
$629
or
3 monthly payments of $215

Do You Know Your Biases?

Take a SAR and You'll Find out!

How do we experience our own sexuality? What about the sexuality of others? Do you understand today’s sexual attitudes and behaviors? How does thinking about, observing, or experiencing that landscape make you feel? 

The Sexual Attitude Reassessment (SAR) workshop is a unique experience designed to help professionals confront and understand their countertransference to sexual material brought in by the client. Our workshop is designed to be inclusive of all kinds of people engaged in all kinds of behaviors--behaviors that may make sense, or that may be confusing. A SAR stimulates sex-positive discussions and questions, questions that may or may not be answered within the context of the workshop.  All three leaders--Stephanie, Natasha, and Ruby--have years of experience in the field. Natasha is expert at navigating issues related to religion and culture, Ruby has insight into the BIPOC, kink, and consensual non monogamy space, and Stephanie has written a broad textbook about sex therapy and sexuality for mental health professionals as well as other books. 

In order to keep the confidential workshop intimate, we will limit enrollment. For the same reason, we may announce additional instructors. We may break into dyads, triads, quads, or dozens after considering behavior in sexually explicit material*, or answering questions about sex. We will process our responses and delve into our biases. We will consider the experience of those we are observing, the experience of being the observer, and the experience of being observed by the therapist. We will do this in an ethical, professional environment where openness is valued and confidentiality is maintained.  We also recommend that you have an AASECT supervisor with whom you can process your SAR, but it is not required.

Feel free to contact us with questions using the form at the bottom of the page or email us directly at [email protected]

*Nobody is required to watch sexually explicit material, but you are required to participate in discussions.  We honor that listening is also participating.

A Unique Growth Experience!

People who take a SAR generally emerge with new self-knowledge about their own sexuality. This helps them be more open-minded and compassionate of those clients whose experience of sexuality may be very different from their own.

When we are unable to acknowledge or be in touch with our own misconceptions about the broad span of human sexual behavior, we can end up projecting guilt and shame onto others. Nobody wants that!

Write your awesome label here.

Who Can Benefit from a SAR?

The SAR experience can help anyone in the sexual or mental health field understand sexual attitudes, values, and beliefs.

The SAR is for:
  • Psychotherapists: Psychologists, MFTs, LPCs, LCSWs, MSWs, psychiatric nurses
  • Health care providers: Physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, physical therapists
  • Sex educators of all types, from family planning to college and university instructors
Lesson series

Hotel & Location Information

Book your stay at the Marriott Residence Inn, Costa Mesa for $179 + tax per night for the nights of April 27, 28, and 29th.  The hotel reservation link will be available in the course page after you enroll.

Costa Mesa is centrally located in Orange County, CA which is midway between Los Angeles and San Diego.  OC is home to Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, South Coast Plaza, Fashion Island, the Lab, the new OC Museum, the Bowers Museum, and of course world class beaches including Newport Beach and Huntington Beach.  It is also home to UC Irvine, CSU Fullerton, Chapman University, and a branch of Korean-based Daybreak University.  No guarantees, but weather in April tends to be sunny!

Travel to Orange County is easiest if you can fly into Santa Ana/John Wayne Airport, as the hotel is only minutes away from the airport.  However, you may want to check flights to LAX as there are more nonstop routes--just keep in mind that the drive can take anywhere from 45-90 minutes.

Hotel Address and Phone:  881 W. Baker Street, Costa Mesa, CA.  (714)241-8800.

Covid Policy: As of January 27, 2023 Covid risk in Orange County is low.  Following CDC guidelines, people are not required to mask.  We ask that if you have any symptoms of Covid or other contagious illness such as the flu that you do not attend the SAR.  If the Covid risk in Orange County changes, we will let you know if the Covid Policy changes as well.  If circumstances change to high, we reserve the right to take this event online.
Write your awesome label here.

Costa Mesa is just ten minutes from the ocean!

What's In It For You? Dip In And Find Out!

The aim of the SAR is to desensitize sex educators, counselors, and therapists so that they can be fully present and open to sexual material of all types. The SAR is designed to be a space for exploring attitudes, values, and beliefs about sex in self and others.

Our SAR includes exposure to sexually explicit material. No one will ever be forced to look at material if it goes against personal values to do so. We encourage everyone, however, to participate in discussions whether or not they have viewed the material.

We do not share what is in the SAR in advance of the experience because we want you to have an authentic response in the here and now. We hope that you will trust our professional judgment in bringing you a meaningful workshop that will enhance your understanding of sexuality.

All You Need to Bring Is an Open Mind...

Meet Your SAR Facilitators

Frequently Asked Questions

Is your SAR AASECT approved?

Yes. LearnSexTherapy.com is sponsored by The Buehler Institute, which is an approved institutional provider for AASECT.

Will you offer other types of CE, e.g., APA?

The SAR experience is unique to AASECT, and we are only able to offer AASECT CE to those who have completed the SAR experience. If you are seeking coursework that results in APA, NBCC, or CA Board of Nursing CEs, please see our Course Page.

Can anyone take the SAR?

Graduate students and professionals who want to become AASECT certified must take a SAR. Professionals who cannot meet the AASECT residency requirement but who are enrolled in one of The Buehler Institute's programs are welcome to attend.

Can I take the SAR if I am in a program from another AASECT provider?

Of course! We do give our program members an early alert when enrollment opens, though, so don't hesitate!

Why is your SAR 10 hours instead of 14 hours or more?

We decided to meet what was the minimum requirement for AASECT certification purposes because it allowed busy professionals to arrive Friday afternoon, stay all day Saturday, and fly out. AASECT recently changed the requirement to a 14-hour minimum, which begins January 2022. Enjoy the convenience of a 10-hour SAR!

Is the SAR completely online?

Yes. Due to COVID we will only be offering an online SAR experience. We may offer live SAR experiences in the future.

Who the heck are Stephanie Buehler, Natasha Helfer, and Ruby Bouie Johnson?

Dr. Stephanie Buehler is a licensed psychologist and Natasha Helfer is an LMFT, and both are Certified Sex Therapists and Supervisors of Sex Therapy. Ruby Johnson recently went through our program and offers valuable perspective and insight on African American sexuality and kink. Between them they have over 45 years of experience in the field and have lead many types of groups, including past SARs. Dr. Buehler is Director of LearnSexTherapy.com by The Buehler Institute and is the author of What Every Mental Health Professional Needs to Know about Sex, 3rd ed. For more about our team, see our About Us page.

Will there be sexually explicit material?

Yes. We have carefully curated sexually explicit material and show it not to titillate but to make certain points about human sexuality. The Buehler Institute SAR is designed to make you think about people and the diverse range of sexual expression and experiences. You are not required to watch the material, but you are required to participate in discussion.

What if I am triggered by the SAR?

We will do our best to give a trigger warning before showing certain material, but we cannot predict who might be triggered or what materials may prove triggering. At times, activation by a certain material or experience is a surprise to everyone involved. You will have the opportunity to process material in small groups, in pairs, and as a whole group. You may also send a private message to Stephanie, Natasha, or Ruby. Finally, we encourage you to identify either another certified AASECT member or a supervisor with whom you can further discuss your response after the SAR experience is completed.

What is the refund policy?

Due to AASECT requirement to limit SAR attendance, the policy is no refunds after October 7th unless we have someone to take your place from our waitlist.  Sorry, there are no make-ups available for future dates.  We do charge a $50 fee for refunds to cover the payment platform processing fee and our labor.  Thank you for understanding.

Do you offer any financial assistance?

LearnSexTherapy.com is committed to expanding access to education and professional development.  To ensure that the learning and working environments we shape are inclusive in serving all people, we are pleased to offer financial assistance to members of traditionally marginalized groups.  In lieu of a DEI scholarship for this event, we are offering an early bird special of $100.  If you are signing up after the early bird special has ended, please shoot as an email at [email protected] and we will extend the early bird pricing for you.  We do offer DEI specific scholarships for our Comprehensive Sexology Program; please inquire.

Course Lessons

Guaranteed Security using one of the most advanced encrypted systems on the market.
The information in this page is being processed and encrypted securely using industry-leading encryption and fraud prevention tools.

LearnSexTherapy.com by
The Buehler Institute

The Buehler Institute was created to provide the highest quality training in human sexuality for mental health professionals and healthcare providers. Its founder, Dr. Stephanie Buehler, is a licensed psychologist and author of a bestselling sex therapy textbook, among others. Our educational programs are designed to help people seeking AASECT certification in an effective and engaging format.

We are located virtually but our mailing address is:
31677 Virginia Way, #9327 Laguna Beach, CA 92651

The best way to reach us is by email: [email protected]

Here is our phone number. 800-769-0342

For fastest service email us.
The Buehler Institute is approved as a provider of continuing education by the following agencies. Many states licensing boards will accept CEs from these agencies for license renewal. It is, however, the responsibility of the enrollee to inquire with their state licensing board.
The Buehler Institute is an institutional provider for the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT). Provider #12-138-Q.
Although the SAR is only available for AASECT continuing education hours, The Buehler Institute is approved as a continuing education provider by the American Psychological Association (APA), National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC), and the CA Board of Nursing (CA BSN).

Still have questions?  Need an information packet?

We strive to offer good customer service. Either a support team member or Dr. Stephanie Buehler will get back to you ASAP. Also check out our FAQ page for quick answers to many questions.

Not into forms? Email us at [email protected]

Contact us

First Name
Last Name
E-mail address
Your message
Thank you!