In this 2-part live Masterclass series join Kory and Emma in exploring how neurodivergence shapes desire, intimacy, sensory experiences, and relationship dynamics.
7 CE Hours: APA, ASWB, NYS & AASECT Pending
Part 1: Saturday, November 7, 2026
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST
Part 2: Saturday, November 21, 2026
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST
Live 2-Part Masterclass
Neurodivergence,
Relationships & Sexuality
With Kory Andreas, LCSW-C, and
Emma J. Smith, PhD, LPC-MHSP, CST, CCTP.
Masterclass Overview
Two people sit down in your office. They love each other, they keep showing up, and nothing you were trained to do seems to help. One partner can't stand the feel of a hug anymore. The other has stopped asking.
When one or both of them is neurodivergent, the standard approach to desire, intimacy and communication often misses what's actually going on, and sometimes it makes things worse.
In this 2-part live masterclass, Kory Andreas, LCSW-C, a neuro-affirming psychotherapist and autism specialist, and Emma J. Smith, PhD, an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, teach together in both sessions. Part 1 is about recognition: how sensory experience, different baselines for desire, expansive forms of intimacy and commonly missed traits shape what you see with autistic, ADHD and PDA clients and their partners. Part 2 is about what to do: testing variables before you prescribe, communicating with demand-sensitive partners, and building explicit relationship agreements a couple can keep using after therapy ends.
You'll practice building a sensory history, bring the frameworks to real cases (including cases participants submit for live consultation), and leave each session with a worksheet and language you can use with clients the following week. No prior training in neurodivergence or sex therapy is required.
SESSION BREAKDOWN
TAKE A PEAK Inside…
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Part ONE
The Foundation: How Neurodivergence Shapes Desire, Sensory Experience, and Connection
Most of what clinicians learn about desire and intimacy assumes a neurotypical nervous system: a shared starting point, a predictable sequence from eye contact to touch to sex, and a definition of intimacy that usually just means sex. In Part 1, Kory leads with the neurodivergent lens and Emma brings the clinical and relational one, and together they work through what that template misses. You'll start with sensory experience, including how sensory load, interoception and a changed sensory profile shape desire, arousal and touch. Then you'll look at responsive and spontaneous desire through the dual control model, at how socialization, purity culture and high-control religious upbringings act as brakes, and at the high-masking partner whose early high desire was really people pleasing and drops away once the couple moves in together. The session widens the definition of intimacy to include connection through special interests and shared activity, and looks at how masking, misdiagnosis and trauma history hide neurodivergent traits in plain sight. You'll practice building a sensory and interoceptive history and leave with a worksheet of assessment questions for your next session.
About this session
3.5 CEs
What You Will Learn
✔️ Develop a sensory and interoceptive history related to desire, arousal and touch for a neurodivergent client, using at least 5 assessment questions that span touch, sound, smell, sight, taste and internal body signals.
✔️ Compare spontaneous and responsive desire using the dual control model, and explain at least 2 ways sensory load, masking or socialization messages (including purity culture and high-control religious upbringings) can inhibit or distort desire in neurodivergent clients.
✔️ Differentiate neurodivergent forms of intimacy and connection (such as shared special interests, parallel activity and compartmentalized relationships) from relational withdrawal or disinterest.
✔️ Identify at least 2 ways masking, misdiagnosis or trauma history can hide neurodivergent traits in a client presenting with intimacy concerns, and describe how a late neurodivergent identification can affect sexual identity and relationship structure.
🎓
Part ONE
The Foundation: How Neurodivergence Shapes Desire, Sensory Experience, and Connection
Most of what clinicians learn about desire and intimacy assumes a neurotypical nervous system: a shared starting point, a predictable sequence from eye contact to touch to sex, and a definition of intimacy that usually just means sex. In Part 1, Kory leads with the neurodivergent lens and Emma brings the clinical and relational one, and together they work through what that template misses. You'll start with sensory experience, including how sensory load, interoception and a changed sensory profile shape desire, arousal and touch. Then you'll look at responsive and spontaneous desire through the dual control model, at how socialization, purity culture and high-control religious upbringings act as brakes, and at the high-masking partner whose early high desire was really people pleasing and drops away once the couple moves in together. The session widens the definition of intimacy to include connection through special interests and shared activity, and looks at how masking, misdiagnosis and trauma history hide neurodivergent traits in plain sight. You'll practice building a sensory and interoceptive history and leave with a worksheet of assessment questions for your next session.
About this session
3.5 CEs
What You Will Learn
✔️ Develop a sensory and interoceptive history related to desire, arousal and touch for a neurodivergent client, using at least 5 assessment questions that span touch, sound, smell, sight, taste and internal body signals.
✔️ Compare spontaneous and responsive desire using the dual control model, and explain at least 2 ways sensory load, masking or socialization messages (including purity culture and high-control religious upbringings) can inhibit or distort desire in neurodivergent clients.
✔️ Differentiate neurodivergent forms of intimacy and connection (such as shared special interests, parallel activity and compartmentalized relationships) from relational withdrawal or disinterest.
✔️ Identify at least 2 ways masking, misdiagnosis or trauma history can hide neurodivergent traits in a client presenting with intimacy concerns, and describe how a late neurodivergent identification can affect sexual identity and relationship structure.
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
Instructor
Kory Andreas, LCSW-C
Clinical psychotherapist and Autism Specialist
Kory Andreas, LCSW-C, is a clinical psychotherapist and Autism specialist with extensive expertise in Neurodivergent-affirming care and education. With over 20 years of experience in therapy, supervision, and consulting, Kory is deeply committed to advancing affirming practices across therapeutic, educational, and workplace settings. She supports Neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ individuals through diagnostic work, direct care, and systemic change efforts. Sought-after speaker on modern Autism and Neurodivergent relationships, Kory is known for translating clinical insight into engaging, relatable instruction. She provides dynamic, accessible psychoeducational content and consultation that promotes empathy, inclusivity, and practical strategies for supporting Neurodivergence across diverse environments.
As a skilled presenter and content specialist, Kory develops and delivers accessible, impactful psychoeducational content for broad audiences. Through dynamic speaking engagements and Neurodiversity-affirming training sessions, Kory promotes awareness, empathy, and best practices, fostering inclusive and affirming approaches to Neurodivergence. Known for her passionate advocacy, her work reflects a deep commitment to education and the advancement of supportive practices in the field.
Instructor
Emma J. Smith,
PhD, LPC-MHSP, CST, CCTP
Psychotherapist and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist
Dr. Emma Smith is an existential psychotherapist and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist who has spent more than fifteen years teaching desire to the audiences least willing to discuss it: military commands, law enforcement agencies, boardrooms, and retail floors. She is the founder of SOLILOQUIE and the creator of The Desire Recalibration™, an eight-week program for seven-figure founders and the relationships that went unattended while they built it.
Emma teaches from one premise: desire is a meaning problem, not a technique problem. Which is why the fix is never a new position or a nicer vacation; it's releasing the brake no one taught you was there.
She hosts The Intimate Philosopher podcast and keynoted the STIMULATE Sexual Wellness Symposium. Bookers describe her as the consummate professional who talks like your closest friend: clinically rigorous, disarmingly human, and genuinely funny about it.
Ready to Transform Your Approach to Neurodivergent Relationships?
Access both live sessions for $449
Gain practical tools for navigating desire discrepancy, communicating with demand-sensitive partners, and developing explicit relationship agreements that support lasting connection with this 2-Part Masterclass Series.
FAQs
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This somatic training program is designed for individuals seeking a deep understanding of the nervous system’s role in trauma, attachment, and healing. Through a three-part curriculum, participants will develop both theoretical knowledge and practical skills to support nervous system regulation, embodied resilience, and integrative healing.
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No prior training is needed.
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This somatic training program is designed for individuals seeking a deep understanding of the nervous system’s role in trauma, attachment, and healing. Through a three-part curriculum, participants will develop both theoretical knowledge and practical skills to support nervous system regulation, embodied resilience, and integrative healing.
Please refer to the course modules above for details on each learning module.
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Yes, you will have continued access to the course materials and recordings are available for 365 days after the last class.
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Yes, each Course Part offers 6 continuing education credit hours from APA & NYS.
If you enroll in all 3 Course Parts, you will receive a total of 18 CEs.CE Hours are not required. If you do not want CE hours, you can select a different price at registration.
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Refund Policy for Self-Paced Courses
All purchases are final unless otherwise stated. In limited cases, refund requests may be considered within seven (7) days of purchase, provided the course has not been substantially completed