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Sex talk is often taboo, but licensed marriage and family therapist Jenn Kennedy is changing that through a new group therapy program.

Kennedy, the owner of Riviera Therapy in Santa Barbara, has launched The Pleasure Project, a six-week program “for women to cultivate an erotic template.”

A group of about six women meet virtually online to talk about sex, with a focus on sexual satisfaction with themselves and their partner.

“The clitoris is so important, and most male partners don’t understand that,” Kennedy said. “They neglect it. They are so focused on vaginal penetration that they really don’t understand it’s not a great experience. Women aren’t going to have orgasms, for the most part, without some sort of attention to their clitoris.”

Kennedy has a doctorate in sexology, is a board-certified sex therapist, and has served as president and past president of the Santa Barbara Chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Her research spans many topics related to sexual health with a focus on lesbian sex therapy.

“We don’t know that much about women’s sexuality,” Kennedy said. “It’s crazy. We know more about men’s because there’s just more male researchers. We don’t know a ton about women.”

While women of all ages seek therapy, many of them are between the ages of about 40 and 65, Kennedy said, when they start to ask questions about sexual satisfaction.

“That tends to be when parenting has happened, there are shifts in their body, there are shifts in their relational picture. They are tired, they are busy, they are stressed out, or they have been just kind of getting by with their partner, but they’ve never really been that satisfied.”

She said various things could affect a woman’s sexual desire, including age, menopause, prescription drugs, and connection with their partners.

Her new Pleasure Project allows women to share their views and experiences with other women in a nonjudgmental setting.

“I really enjoy the connections, helping people have the a-ha moments — ‘Oh, this is what’s been going on,'” Kennedy said. “And one of the takeaways last week from a participant was, ‘I feel less alone.’ It’s normalizing — ‘Oh, I have been feeling this way.'”

She said that being unhappy sexually is kind of a bummer to be in that space, but the therapy sessions help women find the words and information to express themselves about their needs. The program allows women “to feel less alone and to also feel some hope.”

Click here for more information about The Pleasure Project. To learn about three upcoming related events, click here.

Pascucci Anniversary Update

Pascucci Restaurant owner Laura Knight said she is adjusting the anniversary celebration because of the weather.

“Due to the weather forecast of a week of rain upcoming, Pascucci Restaurant will be extending our 30th anniversary celebration for a week until March 23rd,” the company announced. “Our top selling 30 items will be 30% off, thank you to all of our loyal customers! Dine-in and take-out.”

New Owner Sought

Crush Bar & Tap in Santa Barbara is looking for a owner, according to the company’s Instagram post.

“Save Crush Bar!! And help find a new owner to keep our beautiful queer bar growing and glowing! We are saddened to share that we need to hand the queen’s reign to another but need to focus on family and personal obligations. Serious inquiries contact crushbarsb@gmail.com,” the post stated.

Crush Bar & Tap is part of the Crushcakes family and opened in 2021.

Owner Jema Heaton sent Noozhawk this message when asked the reason for selling:

“Crush bar is a really special place to us and a vision realized for creating a safe space for the queer community and everyone marginalized or just looking for a fun clean fresh good quality experience,” Heaton said. “Over the last couple years we’ve put a lot into building a foundation and have a great community of supporters and regulars for our weekly karaoke nights, RuPaul watch parties, drag shows, and parties. We also have lots of growth happening in our special events and private bookings. It’s really an exciting time for us, however, we also realized as it grows that with three children in the home under 11 years old and other work and business obligations we cannot give the bar and community the attention it needs to continue the growth. We decided that the best thing to do is sell it and we are really hoping and willing to work with any potential buyers that want to keep the vision of Crushbar alive.”

— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.