Kayna G. Cassard Ambroz
MA, LMFT 

Kayna G. Cassard Ambroz, MA, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Trauma Therapist, and nationally recognized Sex Therapist specializing in painful sex, arousal difficulties, and inclusive, trauma-informed care. She has presented for UCLA, the International Pelvic Pain Society, and AASECT, and has been featured on CNN, NPR, and Cosmopolitan. Founder of Sex, Answered, and author of the forthcoming book Arousal, Answered (Bloomsbury, 2026), Kayna is known for translating complex neuroscience and trauma theory into practical, inclusive strategies that equip clinicians to support diverse clients with affirming, evidence-based, and sex-positive therapeutic care.  

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Breaking the Sexual Script: Inclusive, Trauma-Informed Tools for Empowering Sexual Wellness  

Friday | May 1, 2026
10:00 am - 11:30 am
(1.5 CEs)

Description:

Sexuality is commonly shaped by oppressive systems—patriarchy, heteronormativity, racism, ableism, and sex-negative cultural scripts—that leave many clients believing they are “broken” when they struggle with arousal, intimacy, or pleasure. For psychotherapists, it is essential to recognize these systemic influences and adopt an inclusive, trauma-informed, and sex-positive lens when working with individuals and relationships. This presentation offers a practical and research-informed framework for doing exactly that.

Guided by sex therapist and author Kayna Grace Cassard Ambroz, MA, LMFT, attendees will be introduced to the Arousal Architecture®, a groundbreaking model that reframes sexual concerns through a whole-person, liberation-based perspective. Rather than reinforcing narrow sexual “norms,” the model helps clients map their arousal systems across five dimensions—Sexual Stimulation, Embodied Experience, Mental Headspace, Energetic Connection, and Erotic Exploration. This holistic approach allows therapists to help clients challenge internalized shame, disrupt oppressive sexual narratives, and rediscover their arousal potential in ways that are authentic and empowering.

The presentation will be interactive and practice-oriented, combining experiential exercises with a live demonstration of how to integrate the Arousal Architecture® into therapeutic work. Participants will learn step-by-step methods for applying the model in real-world clinical settings. Special attention will be given to navigating common barriers—such as cultural stigma, systemic oppression, and the clinician’s own discomfort—while fostering inclusive, sex-positive dialogue. Attendees will leave equipped with concrete strategies to normalize sexual diversity, reduce shame, and strengthen client resilience in both individual and relationship therapy.

By the end of this session, attendees will be prepared to approach conversations about sex with greater confidence and inclusivity, and to use the Arousal Architecture® to help clients move from feeling broken to feeling empowered in their sexual and relational lives.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Identify three ways oppressive systems (e.g., patriarchy, heteronormativity, racism, ableism) shape clients’ beliefs about sex, intimacy, and arousal.
• Describe the five dimensions of the Arousal Architecture® Model and explain how it helps clients reframe sexual difficulties as systemic—not personal—failures.
• Apply at least two strategies for using the Arousal Architecture™ to normalize diverse arousal systems and reduce client shame in therapy sessions.
• Demonstrate how to introduce inclusive, trauma-informed conversations about sex and pleasure into general psychotherapy practice, including with clients not presenting with sexual concerns.