Meet Our Instructors

Leading Sex-perts in the Field of Sex Therapy!

Dr. Stephanie Buehler

Psychologist & Sex Therapist
Director, The Buehler Institute
Stephanie Buehler, MPW, PsyD, CST-S, IF is a licensed psychologist, AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist and Supervisor, and Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health.  Dr. Buehler specializes in women’s sexual health; sexuality, chronic illness, and cancer; sexual pain disorders; and sexuality and mental health.  She has worked with patients in many medical settings including oncology in a pediatric hospital; an integrated wellness center; a pelvic floor PT clinic; and a clinic for women at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer.  

Dr. Buehler is the author of several books, including a bestselling textbook, What Every Mental Health Professional Needs to Know about Sex and Counseling Couples Before, During, and After Pregnancy: Sexuality and Intimacy Issues.  Dr. Buehler also created The Buehler Institute and LearnSexTherapy.com to provide continuing education in sex therapy for psychotherapists and sexuality counseling for healthcare providers.  Dr. Buehler has spoken to lay and professional audiences all over the US and around the globe and is frequently quoted in the media, most recently in The Atlantic, Men’s Health, Business Insider, and healthcentral.com. 

Dr. Stephanie Buehler

Psychologist & Sex Therapist
Director, The Buehler Institute
I am a licensed psychologist and I am certified as a sex therapist and supervisor by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. I attended UCLA, USC, Pepperdine University, and California School of Professional Psychology. I am the author of a few books, most recently What Every Mental Health Professional Needs to Know about Sex, 2nd Edition. I have spoken at major conferences across the country and around the globe–and to small support groups right here in Orange County. I am affiliated with Hoag Hospital and my practice is now co-located with Hoag Pelvic Health Program with locations in Newport Beach and Irvine, CA.

Natasha Helfer, LMFT, CST-S

Marriage & Family Therapist & Sex Therapist Supervisor
Natasha Helfer is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist/Supervisor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with almost 25 years of experience. Her expertise lies in the intersection of conservative religious upbringings and sexuality, specifically in the area of deconstructing internalized sexual shame. She runs a group practice, Symmetry Solutions, where services focus on helping people with religious trauma, reclaiming sexual desire, mixed-faith relationships, coming out journeys, healing sexual shame or trauma, and exploring sexual authenticity. Natasha was excommunicated from the Mormon church in 2021, for her advocacy in regards to sexual health.

Natasha can be reached at natashahelfer.com. She hosts the Mormon Mental Health and Mormon Sex Info Podcasts, and is the founder and  current past president of the Mormon Mental Health Association. She has authored two books:  Check Your Baggage: Unpack the Messages Getting in the Way of Your Sex Life and One Family, Two Views: How to Fortify Your Mixed-Faith Mormon Marriage.

Dr. Mary Minten

Marriage & Family Therapist & Sex Therapist
Dr. Minten holds a doctorate in counseling from Oregon State University. This degree focuses on advanced clinical practice, supervision, teaching, and research.
She has a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. This degree focused on diagnosis and treatment of mental health concerns, counseling theory and techniques, as well as relationship concerns. In addition, Dr. Minten holds a post-graduate certificate program in Marriage and Family Therapy and a second post-graduate certificate in Sex Therapy. She has a specialization in LGBTIQ families and couples. She is a member of AASECT (American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists), AAMFT (American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists), SSSS (Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality), and she is a KAP (Kink Aware Professional). She has advanced training in sexual health, relational health, prevention and wellness for relationships, evidence-based modalities such as Emotion-Focused Therapy, motivational interviewing, Gottman Method (Certified), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Systemic and Existential Therapy, and EMDR. She brings to her work an in-depth understanding of techniques to deepen creativity. 

Dr. Christine King Burke

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
Christine is the clinical supervisor for the Hoag Pelvic Health Program in Newport Beach, CA. She specializes in pelvic health with a strong background in orthopedics that she incorporates into her practice. She enjoys treating patients with sacroiliac or hip pain, coccyx pain, painful intercourse, post-partum complications, interstitial cystitis, pelvic pain and incontinence. She graduated from Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR with a B.S. in Exercise and Sport Science with a pre-therapy and allied health option. She then went on to Chapman University in Orange, CA where she received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. She is currently completing coursework for her Master's in Healthcare administration from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Dulcinea Pitagora

Psychotherapist & Sex Therapist
Dr. Dulcinea Pitagora—who also goes by Alex and uses gender neutral pronouns—has a psychotherapy and sex therapy private practice at the Manhattan Alternative Wellness Collective in support of all sexualities, genders, and lifestyles. They are proudly out as a member of the kink, poly, queer, and TGNC communities, and also as a former sex worker. They created ManhattanAlternative.com, a referral site for sex positive therapists and wellness professionals, and they co-organize the AltSex NYC Conference, a forum for expansive sexuality education.

Dr. Marylou Naccarato

Marriage & Family Therapist & Sex Therapist
Dr. Marylou Naccarato, is a Board Certified Clinical Sexologist and AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator who speaks from the POV as a “Little Person,” pioneered an innovative practical model for people with unique body types, living with dwarfism, disabilities, and other medical conditions to achieve optimal fulfillment in sexual expression and pleasure. She addresses disability cultural competency, body image, communication/intimacy issues, limited range of mobility, chronic pain, creative techniques, adaptive sex positions, and conducive adult devices. She consults with individuals/couples in her private practice, and conducts sexuality & disability training for students and professional clinicians in the fields of Sexology, Sex Therapy, and Physical Rehabilitation. She has presented at numerous disability and sexuality conferences. She has been featured in a variety of print, blogs, radio, and television media.

Traci Medeiros-Bagan, MFT, CST

Marriage & Family Therapist & Sex Therapist
Traci Medeiros-Bagan is a CA Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #86600. They hold a BA in Critical Gender Studies with a focus in Sexuality and an MA in Counseling Psychology. Traci is Co-Director and Owner of Gather & Grow OC, a group practice in Fullerton, CA, that offers counseling, education, and wellness services. They have been a featured speaker through Everyday Feminism's School for Social Justice and were recently interviewed in Bitch Magazine regarding mental health in marginalized communities.

Lucie Fielding, AMFT


Resident in Counseling, Educator, Writer
(she/they)


Lucie Fielding is a sexuality educator and resident in counseling in Charlottesville, Virginia. They have an MA in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute as well as a PhD in French from Northwestern University. Their background in literature attunes them to ways narrative and image impact our embodies sexualities. Their book, Trans Sex: Clinical Approaches to Trans Sexualities and Erotic Embodiments, was published by Routledge in 2021.

Pamela Lewis, MFT


Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist


             
Pamela Lewis, MA, LMFT, has been a licensed practitioner since 2014. Her work has been eclectic and expansive in areas of positive self-esteem, depressive and anxious disorders, as well as relationship dynamics. Pamela is currently focusing her work on physical challenges and disabilities, Autism, and the connection between sexual disorders and sexual intimate health. She’s passionate about helping clients overcome fears and stigmas as they relate to gender, sex, and sexuality. She is enthusiastic to provide education to colleagues, professionals, and those in the community. Pamela is fluent in American Sign Language and an ally to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, LGBTQIA+ and disabled communities.

Ruby Bouie Johnson, LCSW, LCDC 

Licensed Clinical Social Worker
(she/her/hers)

Ruby Bouie Johnson is a sex therapist in private practice in Plano, Texas. Her areas of specialty are open/ polyamorous partnerships/families, Kink/BDSM, desire discrepancy, and multicultural relationships. She is the founder and CEO for PolyDallas Millennium which is an annual symposium that centers BIPOC and consensual nonmonogamous [CNM] voices and experiences. Ms. Johnson is a speaker, writer, and therapist who has several publications and interviews in many media outlets discussing BIPOC experiences with BDSM/Kink and CNM relationships.

Her perspective and voice regarding CNM and sexuality has been sought on radio shows, blogs, podcasts, and magazines such as Playboy Magazine, Areva Martin’s Special Report, Vice, Cosmopolitan, Therapy for Black Girls, and Women’s Health. Currently, Ms. Johnson is on the Board of Directors for the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom and is the Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She participated on the Division 44 taskforce committee that formulated the guidelines for best clinical practice Kink/BDSM and consensual nonmonogamy for the American Psychological Association. 
Kathleen Lombardo, PT, DPT
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
Kathleen is a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist. She has extensive training in various manual therapy techniques and exercise for pelvic pain, voiding dysfunction, pregnancy, and postpartum conditions. She is skilled in treating pediatric patients ages 5 and older. She finds pelvic health physical therapy as a specialty where she can integrate her knowledge and passion for multi-system physiology with treatment of the musculoskeletal system to improve a patient’s quality of life. She believes in a multidisciplinary approach to care, developing personalized treatment plans, and helping patients understand their body systems to nurture change and healing.
Kathleen is a Board Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist (WCS) through the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). She graduated with her Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy from Chapman University in 2008 and received her Bachelor’s degree in Physiological Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2005. She has participated in research project efforts for the development of clinical practice guidelines for Rehabilitation in Adult Irritable Bowel Disease. In addition to patient care and research, she has experience in practice management, program development, and community education. She enjoys being involved in inter-disciplinary collaborative program development initiatives utilizing integrative medicine to improve pelvic health and wellness in the community. She has been featured in the Orange County Register and Yoga Journal to promote awareness in pelvic and sexual health in the community. Kathleen is a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist. She has extensive training in various manual therapy techniques and exercise for pelvic pain, voiding dysfunction, pregnancy, and postpartum conditions. She is skilled in treating pediatric patients ages 5 and older. She finds pelvic health physical therapy as a specialty where she can integrate her knowledge and passion for multi-system physiology with treatment of the musculoskeletal system to improve a patient’s quality of life. She believes in a multidisciplinary approach to care, developing personalized treatment plans, and helping patients understand their body systems to nurture change and healing.

Kathleen is a Board Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist (WCS) through the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). She graduated with her Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy from Chapman University in 2008 and received her Bachelor’s degree in Physiological Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2005. She has participated in research project efforts for the development of clinical practice guidelines for Rehabilitation in Adult Irritable Bowel Disease. In addition to patient care and research, she has experience in practice management, program development, and community education. She enjoys being involved in inter-disciplinary collaborative program development initiatives utilizing integrative medicine to improve pelvic health and wellness in the community. She has been featured in the Orange County Register and Yoga Journal to promote awareness in pelvic and sexual health in the community. 
Anneka Buehler
Program Administrator
(she/her/hers)
Anneka Buehler is very excited to join her mother in her life's work at LearnSexTherapy.com. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from Denison University, and is currently enrolled in a Master's in Counseling program at George Mason University. In her professional life, she is passionate about serving neurodiverse people and their loved ones. Her previous career was dedicated to early intervention services for little ones with significant developmental delays. She believes in inclusive, developmentally-appropriate sex education for all.

The Buehler Institute Psychological Services, Inc.
www.LearnSexTherapy.com

Sex Therapy Training | AASECT Certification | Professional Development