Advanced Practitioners
“Are we willing to stay connected even as our paths diverge and cross along the way? Can we, as lovers and as therapists, remain willing to encounter ourselves and each other in the face of the unknown? Can we trust the process even as our destinations are sometimes shrouded? Are we willing to remain committed until possibilities have opened up and the hidden is revealed? What we are asking of clients and therapists can be daunting and disorienting. It requires that we help couples cultivate interpersonal trust, faith in the process, and the sense that something within so longs to be touched and felt and explored and revealed that there is no going back. We are asking clients and therapists to be so alive and engaged that the potential for growth and even transformation resides in the moment and not in technique. Our approach necessitates that clients and therapists alike leave room for the unexpected and for discovery.”
Kleinplatz, P. J., & Charest, M. (2023). Creating optimal erotic intimacy: An Experiential alternative to treating desire “disorders”. In S. W. Simpson, M. Racho, B. D. Robbins, L. Hoffman (Eds.), Eros and psyche: Existential perspectives on sexuality: Vol 2: Clinical and spiritual perspectives (pp. 85-105). University Professors Press.
Please see below the pairs of therapists recognized as Advanced Practitioners in Optimal Sexual Experiences Group Couples Therapy. These clinicians have distinguished themselves via their extensive experience and demonstrated expertise in conducting OSE group therapy. Please feel free to contact any of the therapists directly if you are interested in participating in group therapy with them.
Mindy McGovern, LMFT
Mindy is a marriage and family therapist at Mettarel, a group practice in Seattle, Washington. She has specialized training in EFT, Gottman method, sex therapy, AEDP, and Family Constellations and teaches the Gottman’s Bringing Baby Home curriculum to expecting parents. She sees couples and individuals with a wide variety of issues including relationship distress, trauma and low desire/desire discrepancy.
Justin Pere, LMFT, CGT
Justin is a licensed psychotherapist for couples and individuals who provides therapy at a group practice he founded in 2010, Clarity Counseling Seattle, in Seattle, Washington. Justin is a Certified Sex Therapist (CST) with the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT) and a Certified Gottman Therapist (CGT) through the Gottman Institute. He currently sits on the Board of The Northwest Institute on Intimacy and he is a past board member of the Seattle Counselors Association. Justin is sometimes hired by The Gottman Institute to consult on sex and sexuality.
Marlene Neufeld, MSW & Bob Neufeld, M.Ed
Marlene (MSW, RSW) and Bob Neufeld (M.Ed) are a couple who help couples learn life-changing relationship skills and create closer loving relationships. They have been married since 1970 and have been collaborating in a two-on-two counselling practice, workshops and retreats since 2003.
Andrew Tatarsky, PhD
Dr. Andrew Tatarsky is a clinical psychologist with over 35 years of clinical experience. He developed Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy (IHRP) for treating the spectrum of risky and addictive behavior. IHRP is described in his book, Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A New Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Problems and a series of published papers. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the City University of New York andis a graduate of New York University’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. He is Founder and Director of the Center for Optimal Living in NYC, a treatment and training center, and a founding member and Past-President of the Division of Addiction of New York State Psychological Association. He has run therapy groups for 35 years and strongly believes that groups have a unique power to facilitate healing, growth and positive change.
Wendy E. Miller, PhD
Dr. Wendy Miller is a clinical psychologist with 35 years of experience treating individuals and couples. She received her PhD from George Washington University and has a certificate in psychoanalysis from the NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. She is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and has trained extensively in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. As a faculty member of The Women’s Therapy Centre Institute she teaches classes on human sexuality and consults at The Center for Optimal Living on issues involving the link between sexuality and drug use. Her interests are in the intersection of psychoanalytic thinking, sex therapy, couples therapy and addiction issues. Her passion is helping people navigate the complicated task of being a couple and the even more complicated task of being a sexually happy couple.
Pebble Kranz, MD, Fellow of the European Committee on Sexual Medicine (FECSM)
Pebble is a family physician and sexual medicine specialist. She is the medical director of the Rochester Center for Sexual Wellness and runs a sexual medicine clinic in the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Gynecologic Oncology Department. She has clinical appointments in the departments of family medicine and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Rochester. At the Rochester Center for Sexual Wellness, she provides medical evaluations and treatments for sexual function concerns in people of all genders.
Daniel Rosen, LCSW-R
Daniel, AASECT Certified Sex Therapist (CST), has been in practice for over 25 years working with a variety of populations. He completed training with the Optimal Sexual Experiences Research Team of the University of Ottawa in November 2019 and has been active in the Rochester Area Group Psychotherapy Society, the Center for Group Studies, and is a sex therapy supervisor in training. He has an independent private practice including group, individual and couples counseling as well as providing treatment services for the Rochester Center for Sexual Wellness.
Leah Valian, MSW, RSW
Leah Valian, MSW, RSW is an ASTO Certified Sex Therapist and mixed media visual artist. Leah established Couple Health Sex & Relationship Therapy in 2007 to serve Ontario residents. She mostly works online but sometimes offers small group work (in person and offline) such as SASS CLASS, PASSION CLASS and Optimal Sexual Experiences. Leah welcomes your questions or ideas to collaborate.