This interactive 2-hour training explores how contemporary romance novels can function as a clinically useful adjunct to integrative sex and couples therapy by supporting discussions of pleasure, fantasy, emotional intimacy, relational safety, erotic communication, and core attachment needs.
Drawing from emerging research on romance reading, bibliotherapy, sexual script theory, and integrative psychosexual frameworks, participants will examine how fictional narratives can help clients externalize desire, identify relational patterns, increase erotic curiosity, and build language around fantasy and arousal in a non-threatening and culturally accessible format.
Through guided discussion, experiential activities, and case-based application, clinicians will learn how romance novels may help clients explore themes such as emotional safety, desire discrepancy, consent, erotic identity, vulnerability, communication, novelty, longing, and pleasure entitlement. Participants will also discuss how therapists can ethically and intentionally incorporate romance narratives into treatment while remaining mindful of diversity, shame, trauma, neurodivergence, religious/cultural messaging, and the distinction between fantasy and expectation in intimate relationships.
https://frumtherapist.com/workshops/PLEASUREAROUSAL/viewPleasure, Arousal and Fantasy:
Using Romance Novels as an Adjunct to Integrative Sex and Couples Therapy
Tuesday, November 24, 2026, 1:45 PM EST - 3:45 PM EST
Presenter: Jennifer H. Greenberg, PhD, MSW, LICSW, LCSW-C, CST-S, CSCT
Course Length: 2 Hours
This workshop Offers 2 Live Interactive Continuing Education Credits
This interactive 2-hour training explores how contemporary romance novels can function as a clinically useful adjunct to integrative sex and couples therapy by supporting discussions of pleasure, fantasy, emotional intimacy, relational safety, erotic communication, and core attachment needs.
Drawing from emerging research on romance reading, bibliotherapy, sexual script theory, and integrative psychosexual frameworks, participants will examine how fictional narratives can help clients externalize desire, identify relational patterns, increase erotic curiosity, and build language around fantasy and arousal in a non-threatening and culturally accessible format.
Through guided discussion, experiential activities, and case-based application, clinicians will learn how romance novels may help clients explore themes such as emotional safety, desire discrepancy, consent, erotic identity, vulnerability, communication, novelty, longing, and pleasure entitlement. Participants will also discuss how therapists can ethically and intentionally incorporate romance narratives into treatment while remaining mindful of diversity, shame, trauma, neurodivergence, religious/cultural messaging, and the distinction between fantasy and expectation in intimate relationships.
2-Hour Agenda
Segment 1 — Introduction & Framing the Clinical Relevance of Romance Fiction (15 minutes)
Topics
• Why romance matters clinically
• Common misconceptions about romance readers
• Bibliotherapy and narrative meaning-making
• Romance novels as emotional and erotic rehearsal spaces
• Setting a nonjudgmental framework for discussing fantasy and pleasure
Guided Discussion
• What assumptions do clinicians commonly hold about romance novels?
• Why might clients feel safer discussing fantasy through fictional characters rather than directly about themselves?
• How do shame and cultural messaging shape discussions of pleasure?
Mini Activity
Reflection Prompt (Individual + Pair Share)
Participants reflect on:
“What narratives about pleasure, romance, desire, or fantasy did you absorb growing up?”
Optional pair/share discussion on how cultural narratives influence clinical work.
Segment 2 — Core Relational Needs, Attachment, and Fantasy (25 minutes)
Topics
• Attachment and eroticism
• Core relational needs:
o Being chosen
o Emotional safety
o Desire and desirability
o Being understood
o Novelty/adventure
o Repair and reassurance
o Vulnerability and acceptance
• Fantasy as symbolic rather than literal
• Emotional vs sexual fantasy
Clinical Concepts
• Fantasy as a window into emotional needs
• Distinguishing fantasy from expectation
• The role of imagination in long-term desire
Guided Discussion
• What emotional needs frequently emerge in romance narratives?
• How do fantasies communicate longing, safety, power, or validation?
• How can therapists normalize fantasy without pathologizing it?
Activity
Fantasy Translation Exercise
Participants receive example fantasy statements and identify:
• Possible underlying attachment/core needs
• Emotional themes
• Potential clinical interventions
Example:
“I want someone who takes control.”
Possible themes:
• Relief from cognitive load
• Safety
• Desire to feel pursued
• Permission to surrender
• Emotional containment
Segment 3 — Sexual Script Theory and Romance Narratives (20 minutes)
Topics
• Sexual Script Theory:
o Cultural scripts
o Interpersonal scripts
o Intrapsychic scripts
• How romance fiction reinforces, challenges, or expands scripts
• Scripts around gender, initiation, communication, and pleasure
• Diversity and inclusivity in contemporary romance
Guided Discussion
• Which scripts commonly appear in mainstream romance?
• Which scripts may be healing? Which may be limiting?
• How can clinicians help clients critically engage with erotic media?
Activity
Script Mapping Exercise
Small groups analyze a common romance trope (e.g., friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, second chance romance).
Participants identify:
• Attachment themes
• Power dynamics
• Communication patterns
• Desire/arousal elements
• Potential therapeutic relevance
Segment 4 — Using Romance Novels in Clinical Practice (30 minutes)
Topics
• Bibliotherapy interventions
• Suggested clinical applications:
o Couples with desire discrepancy
o Communication difficulties
o Difficulty identifying pleasure
o Shame around fantasy
o Emotional disconnection
o Neurodivergence and explicit communication
o Perimenopause/menopause and changing sexuality
• Reading together as a relational ritual
• Audiobooks, scenes, excerpts, and trope exploration
• Ethical considerations and contraindications
Clinical Strategies
• Assigning scenes vs entire books
• Using “third object” discussions
• Curiosity-based questioning
• Tracking physiological and emotional responses
• Helping clients build erotic language
Guided Discussion
• What populations may particularly benefit from this approach?
• When might romance-based interventions NOT be appropriate?
• How can clinicians avoid imposing personal values or preferences?
Activity
Case Conceptualization
Participants work in groups on a fictional case example.
Example:
A couple reports emotional disconnection, difficulty discussing sex, and loss of novelty after having children.
Groups identify:
• Relevant relational themes
• Appropriate romance tropes/books
• Therapeutic prompts
• Risks/considerations
• Potential interventions
Segment 5 — Building Intimacy Through Curiosity, Pleasure, and Shared Fantasy (20 minutes)
Topics
• Curiosity as an antidote to shame and avoidance
• Shared fantasy as co-created intimacy
• Pleasure-centered versus problem-centered approaches
• Emotional safety and erotic flexibility
• Expanding definitions of intimacy
Guided Discussion
• How do couples build erotic curiosity over time?
• What makes fantasy feel emotionally safe?
• How do clinicians help couples tolerate difference in fantasy/desire?
Activity
Guided Reflection Exercise
Participants complete:
“A fantasy or relational dynamic may symbolize…”
Followed by:
• What questions could help deepen exploration?
• How might this conversation strengthen intimacy rather than threaten it?
Closing Integration & Q&A (10 minutes)
Wrap-Up Discussion
• Key takeaways
• What clinicians are excited to try
• Remaining concerns/questions
• Resources and recommended reading
Final Reflection Prompt
“What would shift in therapy if pleasure and fantasy were treated as meaningful sources of information rather than problems to solve?”
