Working with Fetish, BDSM, and Kink Practices
Kink-Affirmative Therapy
NOW CLOSED
Saturday 25 February 2023
A live webinar with Dr Lori Beth Bisbey, Dominic Davies, Anna Randall, Dr Richard Sprott, and Dr Ryan Witherspoon
CE Credits: 4 hours
- Includes a subtitled recording of the event and a transcript, with access for a year (14 days post the event)
- Bookings close at 4:00am EST Wednesday 22 February
Many therapists struggle with their responses when working with clients who engage in kink, fetish, and/or BDSM. However, research suggests that a vast number of people, both clients and therapists, engage in, or fantasise about, BDSM and kink practices and pathologising is still dominant with therapists reporting not feeling competent with this work.
READ MORE...It has been a number of years since BDSM was declassified from the psychiatric nomenclature, yet knowledge and understanding of how to work with clients with erotic interests, behaviours, and identities is still not commonly found in trainings. In this conference we offer a space for deeper understanding and holding to demystify and de-stigmatise such practices.
During a therapeutic session with clients that engage in kinks, fetishes or BDSM, the therapist may experience disgust or embarrassment, shame dynamics may take over, and a need to objectify and distance from the client may emerge. They may feel deep concern if fetish activities include rough sex or bondage and not know when, or if, they should intervene.
Our speakers will address these concerns and consider ways of being with clients in order to create a safe space and understanding, without fear and judgement. We welcome therapists and mental health practitioners of all modalities and disciplines to join us to learn more about how to work in this area.
FULL PROGRAMME
09.00 EST
Introductions
09.05
Dominic Davies
Developing knowledge and skills in working with BDSM
Far from being rare and unusual, between 2.5% and 70% of people engage in, or fantasise about, BDSM. In a recent study of 766 clinicians (Kelsey et al. 2012), 25% automatically pathologised their clients based just on self-disclosure, and 30% thought kink desires should be eliminated by therapy. This presentation will share insights into how therapists can develop their cultural competency to work in a kink-affirmative way and make use of the new “Clinical Practice Guidelines for Working with People with Kink Interests”.
09.40
Dr Lori Beth Bisbey
Working with Clients Who Have Humiliation Kinks
Therapists often find kinks in which the person desires to be humiliated particularly difficult to respond to in a neutral manner. They can evoke disgust and are also often shame-inducing (eroticising shame) and can provoke therapists to be pre-occupied with abuse and the impact of this shaming in the long term. Disgust is one of the least studied emotions. In this presentation, Dr Bisbey will highlight the necessary skills to work with such clients without shaming or trying to cure them of their kinks. Lori Beth will also discuss the places where gently challenging the client as to the impact of these kinks in their lives is appropriate.
10.25
Q&A
10.40
Break
11.00
Dr Ryan Witherspoon
Strange Situations: Provocative kink/BDSM client material and the primacy of process
Despite the near-normative prevalence rates of kink-related fantasies the frequency, depth, and nature of people’s actual engagement in kink varies tremendously. Clinicians with less expertise in kinky sexualities and relationships may therefore find no trouble working effectively with one kinky client, only to feel alarmed and perplexed by another. This presentation will explore how a process-oriented approach can provide an affirming and respectful way to consider kink-related material as a vehicle for illuminating attachment dynamics, object relationships, empathic capacities, and boundary management skills relevant to a client’s presenting issues. Resources for further learning will be provided.
11.45
Q&A
12.00
Break
12.20
Dr Richard Sprott & Anna Randall
Preliminary findings from the first International Kink Health Study
Kink-involved people engage in atypical erotic activities such as bondage, rough-sex, and other fetish activities that might risk injury or medical complications. Anticipated stigma leads to non-disclosure of kink involvement and delays in seeking care, thereby creating barriers to health and well-being. To date, however, no one has examined healthcare usage by people who engage in kink activities. The objective is to describe the use of healthcare by kink-involved people, including how many people disclose their involvement in kink when seeking care. The findings of the current study point to the need for clinicians to address barriers to culturally competent care for kink-involved people.
13.05
Q&A
13.20
Panel Discussion and Q&A
14.00
End
FEES (USD)
Bookings close at 4:00am EST Wednesday 22 February
Live Webinar:
$110 (Member $55)
(Click here to become a member)
Includes a recording of the event.
CE
This event is accredited by:
- NBCC
- NYSED (Psychology)
- NYSED (Psychoanalysis)
- NYSED (Social Workers)
Certificates of attendance for 4 hours will be provided.
To receive the full CE credits, you are required to attend 100% of the live event. No partial credit will be given.
This event is NOT accredited by the following organisations:
- ASWB
Please note that if you are unable to attend all of the live event, you will need to undertake our event specific test in order to receive the CE certification. This will be made available soon after the live event has taken place.
Please contact events@conferonline.org for any further questions.
Confer has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7136. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Confer is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Confer is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0169
Confer Limited is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychoanalysts #P-0059.
Confer Limited is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0729.
VENUE
This is a live online webinar using Zoom software. Zoom is free to download and use.
For more information about Zoom click here.
To download Zoom free of charge click here.
For special accommodations for individuals with disabilities see our FAQs.
SCHEDULE
Saturday
09.00 EST Introductions
09.05 Dominic Davies
09.40 Dr Lori Beth Bisbey
10.25 Q&A
10.40 Break
11.00 Dr Ryan Witherspoon
11.45 Q&A
12.00 Break
12.20 Dr Richard Sprott & Anna Randall
13.05 Q&A
13.20 Panel Discussion and Q&A
14.00 End
CONTENT LEVEL
- Intermediate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Discuss the skills needed to work with such clients without shaming or trying to cure them of their kinks.
- Give examples of how a process-oriented approach can provide an affirming and respectful way to consider kink-related material as a vehicle for illuminating attachment dynamics, object relationships, empathic capacities and boundary management skills.
- Discuss how therapists can develop their cultural competency to work in a kink-affirmative way and make use of the new “Clinical Practice Guidelines for Working with People with Kink Interests”.
- Describe the use of healthcare by kink-involved people, including how many people disclose their involvement in kink when seeking care.
TARGET
AUDIENCE
- Psychologists
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychotherapists
- Addiction Professionals
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Psychiatrists
- Other related mental health professions.
BOOKING CONDITIONS
Regrettably, refunds cannot be given in any circumstances except as follows:
- You cancel in writing to info@conferonline.org 60 days before the first date of the event you have booked, in which case you will be entitled to a 100% refund.
- You cancel in writing to info@conferonline.org 30 days before the first date of the event you have booked, in which case you will be entitled to a 50% refund.
This does not apply to parts of an event such as a seminar within a series but only to a whole event or complete series. You may give your place to another person if you let us know that person's name at least 24 hours before the event begins.
We reserve the right to change a speaker at one of our conferences without offering a refund. However, if a solo presenter cancels we will offer a full refund OR transfer of your fee to another Confer event. If the entire event is canceled we will offer you a full refund.
We reserve the right to change our prices at any time. Regrettably, discounts offered after you made your booking cannot be claimed or applied retrospectively.