Morning Session: Kinky Sex Ed for Clinicians (9:00 AM-12:00 PM Pacific) 

In graduate school, many programs offered a very limited education on human sexual development. The topics covered were largely typical, normative experiences. This type of education leaves out so many other ways of being and leaves large gaps in our education about alternate ways of engaging with sex and relationships. 

Both sessions of this one-day workshop--Kinky Sex Ed and Poly 101--are intended to help fill the gaps in clinical education and understanding. The goal is that the clinicians who attend will be more fully informed, more inclusive in their approach, and better able to support clients with “non-normative” sexual identities and experiences. 

Kink refers to any sexual interest or behavior that is outside what is considered normative. Research indicates that many people have explored kinks at some point in their lives, with many people having a kink as a core component of their sexual experiences. This course will identify common kink terms, concepts, and identities so that the clinicians who attend can better support kinky-identified clients.

OBJECTIVES

Course attendees will:

-learn how kink is defined and connected to social constructs of normativity

-have a basic understanding of common kink identities

-learn basic kink terms and cultural norms

-know the differences between and among kinks, fetishes, and BDSM

-explore how kinks develop and change over time and sexual development

-define healthy and ethical kink 

-identify ethical concerns in kink culture

Afternoon Session: Poly 101 for Clinicians (1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Pacific)

In graduate school, many programs offered a very limited education on human sexual development, and the topics covered were largely typical, normative experiences. This type of education leaves out so many other ways of being and leaves large gaps in our education about alternate ways of engaging with sex and relationships. Kinky Sex Ed and Poly 101 are both intended to help fill the gaps in clinical education and understanding so that clinicians can be more informed and able to support clients with “non-normative” sexual identities and experiences.

The socialization that prioritizes monogamy starts very early in Western culture, with messages about faithfulness, loyalty, jealousy, and love all being inexplicably intertwined. The reality is that--for many people--monogamy simply doesn’t work well for them. This course will explore key terms and concepts of Ethical Non-Monogamy (ENM) and how to offer support to our clients in the clinical setting.

OBJECTIVES

-Learn monogamous and non-monogamous relationship types

-Explore basic terms and concepts of ethical non-monogamy (ENM)

-Identify the role of monogamy culture on all relationship types

-Define the differences between envy, jealousy, and trauma responses when navigating ENM

-Understand common ethical concerns in ENM

-Identify benefits associated with non-monogamous relationship dynamics