Clinical Blindspots series

Clinical BlindspotsTM:  Sexual Health Toys Part 1 (Materials, Lubes, Safety)

Alex Papale and Heather Edwards discuss sexual health toys so that clinicians can better understand:
  • materials
  • lubricant compatibility
  • barriers and safety


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We answer the questions you've had about sex toy materials, use, and safety.

In addition to working as an orthopedic and pelvic physiotherapist, Alex has had several years working as a sex educator in a sex toy shop where they unabashedly learned as much as they could to help clients and patients make the best decisions on choosing the right type of toy and understand how to take the best care of it. 

Now they are here to give you the scoop on:
  • The materials that toys are made of and the pros/cons of each
  • The types of lubricants, when they should be used, and what ingredients to avoid
  • Safety with toys and barriers
  • What factors go into toy selection for common patient sexual health concerns
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Course reviews

This course is incredible for providing proper education about sex toys, lube, and barriers. This information is hardly talked about and the need for this education is so vital for clients and people in general. I really appreciate the information and how inclusive and non-judgmental this was!

Alex Papale, PT, DPT, Sex Educator (them/they)

Alex Papale PT, DPT (they/them) is a pelvic health physical therapist and sex educator based in Boston, MA. They treat patients at Flourish Physical Therapy, as well as develop and teach trainings and continuing education courses on sexual and pelvic health, BDSM, and LGBTQ+ healthcare. Alex began their professional career as an inclusivity consultant for a major medical institution in Boston, while co-creating and teaching one of the first national con-ed courses on pelvic health PT for the trans and gender non-conforming population. Since then, they’ve lead over 20 workshops and trainings to audiences ranging from a handful of people to national conferences on sex toys, kink, pelvic health, and gender, and they continue to expand their specialized training as a sex educator. Their pandemic hobbies include hanging out with Honey their 4ft snake, reading about kink and queer history and being an overbearing plant parent.
Patrick Jones - Course author

Tell me about the course: 

  • Objectives: 
    • Materials: Participants will be able to recommend specific material types to clients based on body safety, hygiene needs, and how therapeutic needs can be met with a particular material. 
    • Compatible lubricants/barriers : Participants will be able to counsel patients on the pros/cons of water-based, silicons-based, oil-based, and physical barriers with use of selected toy(s). 
    • Safety - what can go where and what can’t : Participants will be able to counsel patients on what type of toys are safe to use internally (vaginally and anally) as well as barrier compatibility and usefulness with toys and lubricants. 

Who is this for?

Clinical Blindspots is a course series for professionals (medical and mental health) who work with pelvic and sexual health. 

About Clinical BlindspotsTM

This series focuses on the psychosocial aspects of caring for other humans in all of their glorious complexity. 

Clinical Blindspots is set of short courses that dive into topics that aren't usually part of the discussions in pelvic health. Some of them talk about bigger concepts of communication and clinical reasoning, while some offer specific instructions for kink and sex acts that can help clinicians navigate advising clients who enjoy doing these things. All of these courses are sex-positive, pleasure-positive, and trans-inclusive. 
Meet the Host!

Heather Edwards, PT, Sex Counselor & Educator, Founder of Clinical BlindspotsTM (she/they)

Heather Edwards, PT, CSC has been a pelvic physical therapist for 18 years and is an AASECT certified Sexuality Counselor as well as a Sex Educator. They achieved their dual certificate at the University of Michigan Sexual Health Certificate Program. They founded Vino & Vulvas in 2015 and it quickly became their favorite thing to do. They have presented at APTA and AASECT conferences and teaches for Pelvic Guru Academy on the topic of Trans-Inclusive Sexual & Pelvic Health. In addition to education and clinical work, Heather is an artist and illustrator of the coloring book series "Coloring Books for the Crotch Enthusiast". To connect with Heather, email [email protected]
Patrick Jones - Course author
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