Saturday, June 11 @ 10:30 am CDT via Zoom

Description:

Intimate connections are frequently impacted by cancer treatment and its aftermath. Join Ellen Bernard, MSW and owner of A Woman's Touch for this informative and connecting workshop. All adults are welcome to this conversation.

We will cover:

• Physical and psychological effects of diagnosis and treatment.
• Learn how diagnosis and treatment affects your body image and sexual wellness.
• Understand the specific ways that your sexual health is impacted by chemo, radiation, surgery and being a cancer patient or being the partner of someone with cancer.
• Explore non-pharmacologic solutions to the most common sexual function changes due to cancer treatment.
• Learn about resources in the community to help you navigate this part of your life.

Learn how to:

• Expand what pleasure means to you and how it can relieve pain.
• Invite playfulness into learning new sexual practices and expanding your notions of what is commonly understood as sex.
• Communicate with partners in new ways, to help you each/both get more of what you want.
• Create new sexual experiences as your bodies change.

About Ellen Bernard, MSSW:

Ellen Barnard is an entrepreneur, long range planner and ASSECT certified Sex Educator. Ellen spent the first 15 years of her career supporting people with developmental disabilities, and helping them find a way to live in their (own) homes in their community. Her specialization was in finding ways to fill in the gaps so that un-met needs could be addressed.

She began this business this way: “In 1995, while I was trying to decide what I wanted to do next in life, I realized that the Midwest didn’t have a comfortable place for women to celebrate and explore our sexuality. Upon telling my grandmother this, she replied ’…well, get working on it, because I can’t wait to tell my friends that my grandaughter runs a sex store!’ Although my grandmother died a week before A Woman’s Touch opened, she always believed in me, and was proud of what I was doing. So, this store is for grandma Ruth, and all the great, feisty women like her.”

Ellen is interested in cooperative business ventures (networking again, is she?), and increasing the total quantity of pleasure in the world. She enjoys spending her free time cooking, playing with her Newfoundland dogs, and community organizing to make her neighborhood a better place for everyone to live.

Zoom access is provided by our Technology Sponsors, the Wisconsin Cancer Collaborative and UW Carbone Cancer Center.