Statue with laurel wreath - Institute for Sex and Occupational Therapy

Welcome to the Institute for Sex & Occupational Therapy

ISOT has revolutionized occupational therapy by integrating sexuality and intimacy into comprehensive client care and providing community space for the most passionate OT clinicians. Discover our mission, meet our instructors, and join a community dedicated to holistic patient care through innovative sexuality OT practices.

227+
OT Professionals Enrolled

78+
Certified Sex Occupational Therapists

Our Mission at the Institute for Sex & Occupational Therapy...

… is to dismantle restrictive norms related to sexuality and intimacy that limit our clients and limit ourselves, both as clinicians and sexual beings.
Through professional education and an international community, we strive to grow the field of occupational therapy to position sexuality interventions as widespread and mainstream in OT service delivery.

Kathryn Ellis smiling, founder of the Institute for Sex and Occupational Therapy

Meet the Founder

Dr. Kathryn Ellis (she/her)

AASECT CERTIFIED | AOTA PROVIDER

Dr. Ellis is a change agent within occupational therapy, revolutionizing conversations about sexuality and relationships within OT education and professional development. Kathryn is well aware that addressing occupations of sex and relationship participation will only become a standard of care within OT through education and community. Kathryn got her start at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in 2011, where she developed the Military’s first Occupational Therapy Sexuality & Intimacy Clinic. She has experience addressing sex with patients in acute care, acute rehab, behavioral health, and sex therapy private practice, where she works currently in Delaware.

Kathryn founded The Institute for Sex & Occupational Therapy in 2016 to share knowledge and ignite conversation within the profession. In 2018, she drove the Institute to become an AOTA Approved Provider and began offering continuing education which in 2023 became the Certified Sexuality OT (CSOT) program. Her efforts have empowered 1,000s of OT professionals to confidently and effectively integrate discussions of sexuality into their practice, enhancing client outcomes and the power of occupational therapy.

In addition to being a clinician and educator, Kathryn is a researcher, consultant, author, and pleasure advocate! Kathryn was the lead instructor and clinical mentor for multiple interdisciplinary training projects, including, The Minneapolis VA Brain Injury Unit, Medstar Hospital in DC, and The Olena Pinchuk Ukrainian Veterans Sexuality Training Program. She is honored to be the Keynote Speaker for Columbia OT Program’s Janet Falk-Kessler Distinguished Lectureship and Day of Scholarship in January of 2025 and Northern Rehabilitation International Conference in Porto, Portugal in October 2025.

If you’re interested in booking Kathryn for a speaking engagement or to develop a sexuality training for your healthcare team, contact Kathryn.

Ellis, K., & Ungco, J. C. (Eds.). (2023). Sexuality and intimacy: An Occupational Therapy Approach. AOTA Press.
Ellis, K.M., & Hoffman, D. (Eds). (2023) Let’s Talk About It: Your Sex and Intimacy Guide. VA Amputee System of Care & Amputee Coalition.
Ellis, K., & Dennison, C. (2014). Sex and Intimacy for Wounded Veterans: A Guide to Embracing Change. Los Angeles, California: The Sager Group.

Disla, R., Pruziner, A. L., Sidiropoulos, A. N., Ellis, K. M., Bushnik, T., Hyre, M. J., ... & Maikos, J. T. (2023). Women with limb loss: rationale, design and protocol for a national, exploratory needs assessment to evaluate the unique physical and psychosocial needs of women with limb loss. BMJ open, 13(9), e071662.
Ellis, K. M., Nordstrom, M. J., Bach, K. E., Gover-Chamlou, A. N., Messinger, S., Isaacson, B., & Pasquina, P. F. (2021). Sexuality and Intimacy Rehabilitation for the Military Population: Case Series. Sexuality and Disability, 39(2), 231-243.

2024-2025 Graduate Community Speakers

Jess Bauzá de García, MOT, OTR/L (she/her)

September 19, 2024 @ 7pm EST

Lecture Series: Kinkclusive Practice: Identities, Places, and Community Spaces
Theme: What’s Your Fantasy?

Jess is an occupational therapist specializing in sexual and relational health accessibility. She primarily work in research through LAUREL (LGBTQIA+ Autism Research Collective) focusing on various aspects of community inclusion for the autistic LGBTQIA+ community. Additionally, she consult in private practice for kink accessibility for individuals or facilities.

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Elizabeth Schmidt, PhD, MOT (she/her)

October 15, 2024 at 6 pm EST

Lecture Series: Promoting Occupational Equity and Justice by Addressing Sexuality and Intimacy among Youth with Disabilities
Theme: Super Hero

Dr. Schmidt's clinical and research experiences are primarily in pediatrics, and she is most passionate about working with children and young adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Her primary research interests are in accessibility of sexual health education and LGBTQIA+ health and wellness.

Connect with Laurel Research
Dr. Jacob Greenfield, OTD, OTR/L, ATRIC, CSRS, CSOT (he/him)

November 18, 2024 @ 7pm
Lecture Series: The Ethics of Sexual Consent for Various OT Client Case Examples

Theme: Leather

Jacob has been an OT since 2018 where he worked in inpatient rehab prior to academia. Working as a neuro-inpatient OT, he became passionate about addressing sexual health and activity with his clients. He is currently working on creating ways to increase faculty’s confidence in teaching sexual health content.

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Devlynn (Dev) Neu, MS, OTR/L, CSOT, CCTSI (they/he)

February 2025

Lecture Series: Gender Euphoria & Queer Joy: Gender Affirming Care for OTs

Theme:Lavender

Dev is a Queer and Non Binary Occupational Therapist living in Ithaca, New York. Dev is passionate about educating others on the diverse needs of members of the LGBTQIA+ community online as The Rainbow OT, serving on the leadership board of the Network for LGBTQIA+ Concerns in Occupational Therapy, and through their contributions to AOTA Press’s Trauma, Occupation, and Participation and Sexuality and Intimacy texts, as well as co-authoring the Sex and Intimacy Educator Resource. Dev recently joined the Ithaca College OT Department.

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Jasmin Torres, OTD, OTR/L (she/her)

March 2025

Lecture Series: Maximizing Participation in Sex and Intimacy After Spinal Cord Injury

Theme: Confident

Jasmin specializes in the treatment of Spinal Cord Injuries/Diseases in the post-acute setting. Her clinical experience encompasses a wide spectrum of settings, including the neuro ICU, inpatient rehabilitation, day habilitation, and outpatient therapy. Her OT passions include neuro re-education, equipment adaptations, bowel/bladder management and community re-integration.

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Emily F. Rothman, ScD (she/her)

April 2025

Lecture Series: Pornography: What OTs Need to Know for Clinical Practice

Theme: Red

Dr. Rothman is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Boston University. Although, she is trained in public health as a social epidemiologist, she loves being part of an OT Department and teaching OTD students. She has worked closely with OTD students on evidence-based practice, reproductive health, and autism/neurodiversity.

Connect with Emily

Interested in becoming a Graduate Session Speaker for the 2025-2026 Academic Year?

We’re already looking ahead to Graduate Sessions 2025-2026. Are you passionate about sexual health and intimacy in occupational therapy and want to share your expertise with this vibrant community of OT professionals? We’re looking for speakers to host dynamic discussions and lectures on innovative topics within OT for 2025-2026 Graduate Sessions.

Contact the Founder