M. Francesca Gentille
27 Portsmouth Rd
Piedmont, CA 94610
510-759-3839
RelationshipDiva@gmail.com
www.LifedanceCenter.com

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Curriculum Vitae

Overview of Qualifications

Nationally recognized relationship coach, communications coach, & sex counselor, AASECT West Coast Section Leader, 2008 AASECT Conference Exhibit Chair with a Private Practice specializing in sexuality, relationship, and emotional healing in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA, and Reno, Nevada.

Professional Qualifications

Over 10 years of experience as a relationship, sexuality, health education, cross cultural spirituality, compassionate communication and life counselor for normative and alternative love relationship styles. This has included successful assisting of individuals, and couples. Presenting problems have included such things as pre-orgasmic conditions in women, erectile difficulties, painful intercourse, orgasm dysfunction, sexual desire discrepancy in couple, emotional disconnects, communication challenges, childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual trauma.

She conducts workshops and trainings on couples’ communication, relationship enhancement techniques, flirting and dating techniques for singles, and the use of cross cultural sacred sexuality to support intimacy & healing. She has taught & presented extensively at public forums across the country such as:

• University of California Berkeley, "Clinical Uses of Tantra & Sacred Sexuality after Abuse," October 2008
• Good Vibrations, Berkeley & San Francisco, CA, 1998-2001
• The Learning Annex, San Francisco, CA, 2002-2006
• Celebrations of Love Institute, Corte Madera, CA, 1998 - Present
• New College, San Francisco, CA, 2004
• Loving More Conference East, 2003
• Loving More Conferences West Coast , 2000-2003,
• Passion Flower, Oakland, CA, 1999
• One Taste Urban Retreat Center, San Francisco, CA, 2006-2008
• The Effulgent  Woman, Asheville, NC, 2007
• Montclair Women's Center, Oakland, CA, 1997
• Unitarian Universalist Church, Berkeley, CA, 1997
• The Nevada Center for Cultural & Martial Arts, Fernley, NV, 2002-2008
• Hale Akua Shrangrila Retreat Center, Maui, HI, 2005
• Health & Harmony Festival, Santa Rosa, CA, 2006
• New Living Expo, San Francisco, CA, 2006
• AASECT Conference, New Orleans, LA, 2008
• Presidio Chapel, for the United Religions Initiative, San Francisco, 1998

A sampling of the workshop titles she has presented over the past 10 years:

• Conscious Polyamory (Polyamory 101)
• Conscious Relating
• Creating & Nurturing Emotional Safety in Alternative Relationships
• Sacred Sexuality – Viva La Romantica: Life, Love, & Intimacy
• Passionate Monogamy
• Tantric Flirting & Dating
• Flirting Italian Style
• Gender, Body Image, & Sexuality for Women
• Becoming the Lover They Never Forget
• Revitalizing Sensuality for New Mothers
• Tantra and Sacred Sexuality in the Clinical Setting (co-presented with Stephen Braveman)
• Sexual Healing, Shamanism, and Shadow
• Sacred Intimate Dance for Men & Women
• Shamanic Healing Touch
• Shamanic Intimacy Coaching & Bodywork
• Tantra 101
• Cross-Cultural Sacred Sexuality and  the Use of Ritual
• Role Play for Lovers

Training

25 years training and expertise in Communication (NVC, Landmark, Cultural Diversity), Psychology, Addiction Recovery, Depression Recovery, Cross Cultural Shamanism,  Expressive Art Therapy. Eight years training and experience in Health Education, Human Sexuality. Four years training and expertise in Anti-Aging.

8 years training and experience in Health Education with Kaiser Permanante, Human Sexuality through Marquette University, Loving More Conferences, Alternative Love Styles Research, and The American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. 4 years training and expertise in Anti-Aging through the Anti-Aging Medicine Conferences and with her mentor Lori Grace Star.

Human Sexuality

• BA Psychology: Gender, Sexuality, Development, Death & Dying
• Body Electric Training, Celebrating the Body Erotic, Dancing with Fire, Five-Day Intensive, Oakland, CA, Guerneville, CA, 2003
• AASECT Training – 2006-2008 (various classes)

Myers-Briggs

• Bay Area Professional Training Association, San Francisco, CA

Non-Violent Communication, North America

• International Intensive Training Institute, Maui, HI (11/06, 10 days)
• Growing More Loving with Compassionate Communication, Corte Madera, CA (2002 - 2006)
• Empowering Effective Communication, Fernley, NV (2003 - 2006)
• Bay NVC, San Francisco, CA (2003-Present)

Landmark Education, San Francisco, CA

• Team Management Leadership Program (5/99 - 5/00)
• Communication: Power and Performance (10/98)
• Communication: Access to Power (5/98)
• Introduction to the Forum Leadership Program (2/97-9/97)
• Curriculum for Living: The Advanced Course (8/96)
• Curriculum for Living: The Forum (3/96)

Bay Area Association of Psychological Type, Palo Alto, CA

• Cross-Cultural Utilization of Psychological Type (6/98))
• Introductory Workshop on Psychological Type Testing (4/98)

Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, CA

• Cultural Diversity Training (1996)
• Behavioral Change Theory
• Health Education and Disseminating health information, including sexuality, for culturally diverse, Developed and Presented training, created standards

Society of Public Health Educators, Oakland, CA

• Workshop on Behavior Change Theory (1995)

Cecilia and Leonard Doke, Los Angeles, CA

• Training in Teaching Patients with Low Literacy (1994)

Personal training in Tantra & Sacred Sexuality from several teachers:

• Deborah Anapol, Eros Conference, 1998
• Lori Grace Star, "Sexual Energetics", "Tantra, Healing & Sacred Sexuality," " Erotic Aging" 1998-Present
• Carla Tara "Inner Tantra"
  
• Robert Fry " The Heart & Breath of Tantra"
  
• Marilyn King "King, Queen, Warrior, Amazon"
  
• True Fellows, " Beginning Tantra"
  
• Lisa Schrader, "Awakening Shakti"
• The Body Electric School, "Celebrating the Body Erotic," "Dancing The Fire Within 5 day Intensive" 1999, 2000

Attended Anti-Aging Medicine Conference, 2003, 2005

Various workshops on BDSM through Good Vibrations at Eros Conferences, Loving More Conferences

Employment History

Director (1994-present)
LifeDance Center for Integrative Arts, Piedmont, CA
Founded successful workshops and support groups bringing together people of varied races, ages, religions and sexual preferences to address common issues of empowerment and creative expression.

Highlights of accomplishments and functions:

• Presented nationally at conferences on spirituality, communication, sexual wellness and movement.
• Designed, developed and promoted ongoing workshop series on:
• Empowered Living for Women
• Empowered Relationships for Women
• Body Image, Sexuality and Self Esteem for Women
• Relationship and Communication Building for Men and Women
• Presented at the Interfaith Chapel in the Presidio on Native European Shamanism.
• Developed and presented a series of multicultural workshops on Sacred Spirituality, Music and Movement of Africa, India and the Middle East.

Patient Publications Coordinator (1989-1997)
Kaiser Permanente, Regional Health Education, Oakland, CA
Consultant to health education subject area specialists on literacy, pamphlet development, and integration into internal publication systems and dissemination of print materials to staff and members.

Responsible for the coordination, dissemination, cost effectiveness and quality of the internal publication system (CORE) which purchases and produces health education handouts for over 2 million members.

Highlights of accomplishments and functions at Kaiser Permanente:

• As coordinator of the CORE Publication System, developed the system into a collection of health education handouts that saved the Northern California Region of Kaiser Permanente $14 million in 1996.
• Creator and manager of a bi-annual group order of patient handouts in English, Spanish and Chinese. This system saved the region over $100,000 per year.
• Created collaborative relationships and cross cultural publication projects with Asian Health Services, La Clinica de la Raza, San Francisco General Hospital, and Group Health of Puget Sound.
• Implemented and maintained extensive statistical database concerning utilization of over 200 separate items from multiple departments in 30 facilities.
• Developed collaborative multi-disciplinary and interdepartmental partnerships to provide training materials and present workshops on:
• Creating Culturally-appropriate Health Information Materials
• Creating Readable Health Information Materials

• Committee Service:
• Chaired the Regionwide Health Education Publications Team
• Co-chaired the Cross Cultural Publication Task Force
• Member of the National CORE Publications Committee
• Chaired CORE Publications subcommittees on goals, accomplishments, evaluation, and on-line materials

Education

University of Creation Spirituality, Oakland CA
Master’s program in Spirituality and Culture (1997-present)

Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Post Graduate Study in Communications and Theatre
Master’s program in the College of Speech, emphasis in Broadcast Communications and Theatre (1982-1984)
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology (1980)

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Post-Graduate study in Oral Interpretation and Radio/TV/Film (1980-1981)

Loyola University of Chicago: Rome Center, Rome, Italy
Psychology and History (1977-1978)

Sherman Oaks Experimental College, Los Angeles, CA
Post graduate training in Theatre & Expressive Arts (1979-1980)

Professional Memberships

She serves on the board for the Sunrise Center and The Nevada Center for Cultural & Martial Arts.

• American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), Section Leader
• Public Health Educators
• Bay Area Association of Psychological Type
• United Religions Initiative
• Society of Public Health Educators (SOPHE)
• Psi Chi (National Honor Society in Psychology)

Awards & Honors

• Kaiser Permanente Service Improvement Awards:
• EZ Flyer System (1995)
• Summer/Winter Group Order of Recommended Non-stock Publications (1994)
• Marquette University Graduate College of Speech Scholarship (1982-1984)
• Northwestern University Graduate Study in Oral Interpretation Scholarship (1981)

Publications

Award-winning co-author/editor of "The Marriage of Sex & Spirit"
Contributing expert to "Rites of Pleasure"
Contributing expert to "The Idiot's Guide to Tantric Sex"

Media Appearances

Host of the #1 weekly radio show "Sex: Tantra & Kama Sutra." 2006 to  present
Host of "Take 2:Movie Reviews" weekly syndicated television show 1983-1985
View from the Bay (Channel 7)
Channel KRON 4 San Francisco Saturday morning show

Print Interviews

Oakland Tribune
International Herald Tribune
Marin Independent Journal
Connect Magazine
Salon.com
POV Men's Magazine

Podcast Interviews

Chip August "Sex, Love & Intimacy"
Alisa Kriteman " Just for Women"
Karen Tate -" Divine Feminine Radio"
Maryanne Camarato " The Maryanne Camarato Show"
Veronica Monet
Playboy Radio
Carla Tara "Tantra Today "
Caryn Colgan

Presentations

Keynote speaker at Singles Conventions in northern CA
Tantra and Sacred Sexuality in the Clinical Setting (co-presented with Stephen Braveman), AASECT Conference, New Orleans, LA, 2007

Interests

Field research into various alternative lifestyles for 20 years, in sacred sexuality and Tantra for 10 years, cross culturally spirituality and shamanism for 20 years, initiated as a shaman in 4 traditions.