Sexual concerns frequently emerge in clinical practice, yet many professional counselors report limited training in addressing them with clinical competence. This continuing education seminar explores sexuality through a stewardship framework, integrating insights from counseling theory, human development, neuroscience, and spiritual/religious (S/R) diversity. Participants will examine how family systems, culture, trauma, and digital influences shape sexual formation and sexual struggles across the lifespan. This seminar will provide clinically informed language and practical frameworks for assessing and responding to sexual concerns for both singles and couples in counseling with ethical awareness, cultural sensitivity, and compassionate care.

Learning Objectives

In the session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe a stewardship framework for understanding human sexuality that integrates counseling concepts related to identity, development, and relational functioning with a client’s spiritual or religious worldview.
2. Identify key influences on sexual formation and sexual concerns, including family systems, cultural messaging, trauma, and digital media exposure, and consider their implications for clinical assessment and care.
3. Apply foundational clinical and ethical principles for addressing sexual concerns in individual and couples counseling contexts using developmentally informed, culturally sensitive, and compassionate approaches.

Vanessa Snyder, Ph.D.
Dr. Vanessa Snyder is a Georgia Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Sex Therapist, Master Traumatologist, an American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT) Approved Supervisor, Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor, Certified Sex Addiction Therapist, and a Green Cross Certified Trainer.

She is an Assistant Professor at Denver Seminary for the Ph.D. program in Counselor Education & Supervision and also an adjunct professor at Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta, Concordia University in Irvine, California, the Baptist Theological Institute at Bucharest, and the Institute for Sexual Wholeness. She founded Resilience Source, LLC, a counseling collective in Roswell, Georgia. Resilience Source exists to counsel, consult, and train in the areas of acute and complex trauma, sexual issues, marriage and families in crisis, addiction, trauma-informed care, compassion fatigue, and organizational trauma with a special focus on Dr. Snyder’s Compassionate Recovery model of care. Her research and training include trauma, addiction, complex traumatic stress reactions, dissociative disorders, victims of commercial sex trafficking, organizational trauma, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout, specifically those who serve traumatized populations both nationally and internationally.

Gabriel Pfeiffer, MA, LPC, CST

Gabe is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Sex Therapist, and adjunct faculty at Denver Seminary. His clinical practice focuses on the intersection of sexuality, identity, and spirituality, helping people integrate all parts of themselves into a congruent whole. He also specializes in trauma recovery, grounding his work in interpersonal neurobiology, Attachment Theory, and mindfulness practices to give people the tools and insight they need to form safe, connected, and fulfilling intimate relationships with a partner and in communities. Gabe practices on the team at Grace Counseling in Greenwood Village, CO.

Lorrie Slater, PhD, LMFT, LPC-MHSP is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor with Mental Health Service Provider status in Tennessee. She holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Education and Supervision and a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy with a specialization in children and adolescents.

Dr. Slater serves as Director of Henegar Counseling Center, the largest Christian faith-based counseling center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she leads a team of more than 20 clinicians and clinical interns. Her clinical work focuses on marriage and family counseling, betrayal trauma, divorce recovery, blended families, and supporting individuals navigating anxiety, depression, and life transitions.

Tish Hedger MA, LPC (MO), LCPC (KS), CST

Tish Hedger lives in Kansas City, Mo, where she runs a private practice with her husband. She is the mother of two and a new grandma. Tish is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Missouri and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Kansas, as well as a Certified Sex Therapist (CST), Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist (EFT), and Level 3 Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapist (AEDP). She has over 13,000 hours of direct clinical experience working with individuals and couples. Tish is currently pursuing her PhD at Denver Seminary.

Her work focuses on trauma healing, couple’s therapy, and Christian sex therapy, integrating attachment theory and emotionally focused approaches. She has received specialized training through the Institute for Sexual Wholeness, the AEDP Institute, EMDR International Association, and the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT).

Event Details:

• Date: April 10, 2026
• Time: 9:00AM -12:00 PM MT
• Location: Denver Seminary (in-person)
• Virtual: Zoom Option (online)

*3 Continuing Education credits offered through NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider, No. 3094

A Zoom link will be sent to online participants prior to the event.

Cost:

• Student/Staff/Faculty- $15
• Den Sem Counseling Alum- $45
• Non-Alum/Other ministry professional- $75

Denver Seminary has been approved by NBCC as a continuing education provider, ACEP No. 3094 Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Denver Seminary is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.