About the Authors

Ericka Goerling, PhD

From an early age, Ericka remembers wondering all sorts of things about people; from why our bodies do certain things to why we behave the way we do. Thankfully, even as a young kid, her mom answered a whole lot of questions about bodies in a way that was absent of shame and that allowed Ericka to develop vocabulary that isn’t always comfortable for most folks. This expanded and grew to ongoing curiosity of,  and respect for, human experiences. A lifelong learner of psychology, she received her BS in psychology from Portland State University in 2000, her MS in counseling psychology from Lewis and Clark College in 2003, and her PhD in psychology from Fielding Graduate University in 2016, with an emphasis in media psychology. Ericka had the incredible fortune of working with crime and trauma survivors for nearly 15 years, which emphasized the importance of fluency in speaking candidly about our bodies, sexuality, shame, resiliency, and post-traumatic growth. In 2010, Ericka turned to teaching full-time and in her instructional capacity at Portland Community College, she teaches Intro to Psych courses, Personality, Social Psychology and Human Sexuality. She enjoys time with her family- both human and fluffy, traveling and exploring, being in the outdoors, and a decently embarrassing amount of pop-culture.

Emerson Wolfe, MS

As a non-binary transgender person living with a physical disability, Emerson did not always see themself reflected in textbooks and course curriculum. They wanted to create this resource to provide representation in a way that normalizes the vastness of possibilities that exist based on each individual’s intersecting identities. Emerson’s passion for criticality was sparked during their experience at UC Berkeley where they received their BA in Peace and Conflict Studies with an emphasis in conflict resolution in 2011 followed by obtaining an MS in Counseling Psychology from CSU, Bakersfield in 2015. Emerson worked as a therapist associate primarily with foster care youth and developed community peer support groups for the transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive community in central California. They began teaching psychology classes in 2017 and are now teaching at Portland Community College, Clark College, and Pacific University. They teach Human Sexuality, LGBT Psychotherapy, Personality, Human Development, and Intro to Psych classes. Emerson loves gardening with his partner and watching the hummingbirds. They have 2 cats and 2 dogs who provide endless amounts of joy. Emerson would like to thank those who have come before and shared their wisdom leading to the present and for those who will continue to expand our understanding of human sexuality into the future!