• Board-Certified Diplomate of Sexology• Ph.D. in Clinical Sexology• Clinical Social Worker licensed in Michigan, Ohio, and Arizona• University of Michigan Sexual Health Certificate Program Teaching Faculty• Author of The Leather Couch: Clinical Practice With Kinky Clients (2020), Kink-Affirming Practice: Culturally Competent Therapy from The Leather Chair (2022), and With Sprinkles On Top: Help & Hope for Vanilla Partners of Kinky People (Coming 2023)• AASECT (American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists) Book Award Winner• SSTAR (Society for Sex Therapy and Research) Professional Book Award Winner• SASH (Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health) Media Award Winner
Stefani is a Licensed Master Social Worker with over fifteen year’s experience in working with survivors of sexual and relational trauma. She specializes in supporting those who have had their bodies, beliefs, and sexualities weaponized against them, with a focus on members of the BDSM/Kink and AltSex communities. She has worked in a variety of public, private, and community settings including:• First-Response advocate, offering crisis intervention and support to adult and pediatric survivors in the immediate aftermath of a sexual assault.• Program Coordinator overseeing day-to-day operations of a crisis line and drop-in center serving high-risk women and girls (including human trafficking survivors and commercial sex workers) in Detroit.• Intensive Home-Based Care Coordination for families of children with a history of sexual trauma or inappropriate sexual behaviors.• Outpatient therapist specializing in working with adults and children who have survived domestic and sexual violence.• Patient Engagement Consultant working with doctors across 23 practice specialties to improve their interpersonal skills and reduce trauma for their patients.• Private practice therapist working with individuals and couples who identify as members of gender, sexuality, or relationship diverse (GSRD) communities.• Author of four books on the topic of mental health in GSRD communities.• Teaching faculty member at the University of Michigan Sexual Health Certificate Program, and several professional development/education providers.• ABS Board-Certified Diplomate of Sexology, the highest level of credential available to professionals in the field of sexual health.• Diversity Chair for the Society for Sex Therapy and Research Executive Committee
Stefani earned her Masters in Social Work, with a concentration in Interpersonal Practice (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) from Wayne State University, and completed her post-graduate training in Sex Therapy at the University of Michigan. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Sexology and is a Board-Certified Diplomate of Sexology. Currently, she is completing a graduate certificate in Cyber Criminology at Michigan State University where she is studying the exploitation of erotic minorities, particularly consensual image sharing, romance scams, and blackmail. She is an AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist and Clinical Social Worker licensed in Michigan, Ohio, and Arizona.
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