Lunch & Learn – Exploring Contemporary Sexual Interest Research & Normalizing Healthy Sexual Discussion

Staying current with the research is important, but it can be overwhelming—MIATSA is here to help.

Join us for the MIATSA Lunch & Learn Series, a free, one-hour training that dives into curated scholarly articles, books, and evidence-based practices focused on sexual abuse prevention and supervision. Through collaborative discussion with peers, you’ll leave each session with concrete, research-backed strategies you can apply in your work.

Let’s grow and learn—together.

This month, we will be discussing two articles: the 2022 article “Sexual fantasy research: A contemporary review” by Lehmiller & Gormezano (Current Opinion in Psychology, 49(3): 101496) and the 2024 article “Exploring the impact of fantasizing on romantic relationships and attachment” by Busch, Goodwin, Dempsey, & Conrads (Sexuality & Culture, 29(2): 610-635).

On Tuesday, July 21, 2026

12:00-1:00pm

Lunch & Learn Series
via Zoom|  Free |  1 hour of training credit (not a CEU, but can count toward MDOC contract hours)

What to Expect:

• Discussion of key findings from leading research
• Application of insights to real-world supervision and treatment contexts
• Peer-based conversation and support

Learning Objectives:

1. Develop an understanding of key findings from contemporary sexual interest research, including the prevalence of commonly perceived “unusual” sexual interests and fantasies in the general population, as reported by Justin J. Lehmiller and colleagues.
2. Differentiate between sexual fantasies, sexual interests, and sexual behaviors, and explain why the presence of a fantasy alone does not necessarily indicate intent, risk, or real-world behavior.
3. Apply research findings on the prevalence and diversity of sexual fantasies to clinical practice by identifying ways to normalize discussions of sexual interests and support healthy, consensual, non-offense-related avenues for sexual expression among individuals in treatment for sexual offending behaviors.

MIATSA Membership is not required.

Please register below so we can send you the Zoom link prior to the event. Please contact info@miatsa.org with any questions or registration issues.