Reclaiming Desire - An 8 week support group

An 8-week online therapy group for women healing from purity culture, sexual shame, and disconnection from self.

You may have grown up with messages that taught you:

  • your body was dangerous

  • desire was shameful

  • pleasure needed to be controlled

  • sexuality belonged more to others than to yourself

Even years later, those messages can continue to shape how you relate to your body, relationships, creativity, sensuality, and sense of aliveness.

This therapy group, led by Katie VanderWeide, LMSW, is designed to support women in gently untangling purity culture, reconnecting with themselves, and cultivating a more grounded, embodied, and self-directed relationship with sexuality and pleasure.

This group is open to all women, 18 years and older, residing in Michigan.

Reconnect to your body desire and aliveness after purity culture.

you are alive

This group may be a good fit if:

  • You grew up in purity culture or sex-negative religious environments

  • You experience shame, fear, numbness, or confusion around sexuality

  • You feel disconnected from your body, desire, or creativity

  • You struggle to identify what you want

  • You want to feel more alive, expressive, grounded, or free

  • You desire healthier connection in intimate relationships

  • You have navigated religious deconstruction or identity change

  • You long for a more compassionate relationship with yourself

This group is open to all women, 18 years and older, residing in Michigan.

Topics We’ll Explore Together

  • Healing sexual shame

  • Understanding purity culture’s impact

  • Reconnecting with the body

  • Embodiment and nervous system awareness

  • Desire, pleasure, and self-trust

  • Boundaries and communication

  • Creativity and self-expression

  • Relational intimacy

  • Healthy sexuality in long-term relationships

  • Self-compassion and inner healing

What the Group Experience Will Be Like

We will meet together for 8 weeks from 6-7:30pEST, on Wednesdays starting on September 23, 2026.

Each 90-minute session will include:

  • grounding and mindfulness practices

  • psychoeducation and discussion

  • experiential exercises

  • reflective journaling or embodiment practices

  • opportunities for connection and processing

Participants are invited to attend from a comfortable, private space and may wish to bring tea, a candle, comfortable clothing, or grounding items that help them feel present and supported.

Prior to agreeing to the group, each participant will meet with Katie to discuss goals, hopes, and help determine if this group fits for what you are looking for.

Group Details

Dates: Wednesdays beginning September 23, 2026
Time: 6:00–7:30 PM EST
Length: 8 weeks
Participants: 8–10 women
Format: Closed Therapy Group (meaning no one will be able to join mid-group)
Participants: 8–10 women
Location: Online via secure telehealth platform
Group Facilitator: Katie VanderWeide, LMSW
Investment: $300 total, paid once initial consult with Katie complete, and informed consent is received
Open to all women, 18+ who live in Michigan

Important Note

This group is a psychotherapy process group designed to support healing, reflection, education, and embodied self-exploration. At The Flourishing Collective, we believe that healing happens in community. The hope of the group is that this can help connect you with yourself and others who have a desire for aliveness and healing. While conversations around sexuality and pleasure are welcomed and encouraged, the group will maintain clear therapeutic boundaries and a trauma-informed framework throughout. If you desire to continue to work deeper in a 1:1 way, the facilitator of the group will assist you with a referral to continue your deep work. The hope of this group is that you can reconnect to yourself in the presence of others in a safe, affirming, and healing way.

Ready to meet with Katie to learn more?

If you are interested in joining the group, please complete the interest form below and our Intake Coordinator will help you get scheduled for an initial (free) consultation with Katie VanderWeide, LMSW.