The rise of the #MeToo movement has generated a seismic shift in how we view sexual harassment and other once overlooked issues in the relationships between men and women. This presentation will explore ways to distinguish and address transgressions that range from the truly violent to the subtly bullying to the simply gross and juvenile. The focus will be on helping men who offend or are confused, as well as offering strength-based strategies to help women confront sexual misconduct in personal, academic and professional settings. There will be a special emphasis on couples whose relationship and sexual dynamics have been impacted by #MeToo histories, with strategies for effective couples counseling that help each partner understand how #MeToo issues are undermining their relationship.

Based on Dr. Wexler’s new book (with co-author Dr. Holly Sweet) the presentation will help men realize the causes and consequences of their #MeToo behavior, as well as how to make “real” apologies for sexual misconduct they have engaged in. Men will learn to examine male entitlement. consider ways they may have unknowingly “crossed the line” with women, and intensify empathy for the confusion and paralysis that many survivors of sexual harassment experience.

Bio

David B. Wexler, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in private practice in San Diego, specializing in the treatment of relationships in conflict. He is the Executive Director of the non-profit Relationship Training Institute, which provides education and treatment internationally for relationship development and the prevention and treatment of relationship violence.

Dr. Wexler is the author of seven books on men’s issues, including When Good Men Behave Badly, Men In Therapy, and the upcoming #MeToo-informed Therapy (with co-author Holly Sweet). Dr. Wexler has authored an internationally-recognized domestic violence treatment manual: the newly revised and updated The STOP Program—Fourth Edition, released by W.W. Norton in March 2020. He has also authored The STOP Program--For Women Who Abuse (Norton, 2016).

Dr. Wexler has been featured on the Dr. Phil show and the TODAY show, in the Wall St. Journal, Washington Post, “O” magazine, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Men’s Health, and on hundreds of radio and TV programs throughout North America to help educate the public about relationships in conflict and how to resolve them.