Leslie Ruhe Lesko wants local singles to benefit from her online dating experience.

She is offering a free online dating boot camp series from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Tuesdays, Aug. 3, 10 and 17, at the Rehoboth Beach Public Library’s second floor. 

After several years of online dating experiences, she collected a wealth of qualitative data, hilarious anecdotes and illustrative screen shots. Lesko will help attendees navigate the world of online dating from setting up a great profile to sharing her proven method for detecting social catfish, fakes and scammers.

In this highly entertaining and honest series, Lesko will share her knowledge and insights with others so they can avoid the emotional rollercoaster ride she experienced. She draws from both her personal experience and her professional training as a psychologist to help participants begin or improve their online dating adventures.

The first class Aug. 3 will cover getting started, why to look for online dates, comparing online dating sites, creating and appealing and clear profile, identifying scammers, setting preferences and more. 

The second class Aug. 10 will cover what to do before, during and after the first date. Topics include communication progression, time-saving hacks, transparency, online dating safety, first date dos and don’ts, and navigating the minefields.

The third and final class Aug. 17 will cover finding a match without losing ones mind. Topics covered will be managing expectations, knowing and sticking to ones comfort level and values, messaging multiple people, the emotional roller coaster of ghosting, not taking it personally, written rules of intimacy and what to do after finding someone who seems relationship-worthy.

After 28 years of marriage, Lesko, a psychologist, divorced in 2015. Finding herself single again after so many years was daunting. Wanting a second chance to find her person, Lesko spent her first two post-divorce years hoping to meet a man organically at work or during her athletic or artistic pursuits. Finding a local match who was single, heterosexual, age-appropriate and with shared interests and life views, proved very difficult. While being alone on the weekends was unfulfilling, the idea of joining an online dating website terrified her. Lesko’s friends encouraged her to give online dating a try and she is glad that she did.