Working with sexually and relationally diverse clients and supervisees in the clinical setting can present challenges to new and established therapists alike. Sexually diverse clients and supervisees can include those who present with sexual orientation factors, issues, and concerns, such as those that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual/aromantic, demisexual, graysexual, kinky, vanilla, and beyond and the relationships that they are in. Relational diversity include those who deviate from compulsory monogamy, such as ethical non-monogamy, consensual non-monogamy, polyamory, swinging, open relationships, kinky relationships, relationship anarchy, and other alternative or "designer" relationships. This can also include "mixed orientation" relationships or relationships where sex and intimacy is impacted by intersecting identities.
Many Marriage and Family Therapy training programs either don't have a sex therapy course or the course that was taught leaves therapists unprepared to deal with sexual and relationship diversity issues. Many of us who were educated and trained decades ago and were trained in ways that were steeped in bias and discrimination against sexually and relationally diverse clients and supervisees. Most current models of "couples therapy" are designed for just that- "couples" and have very little research or practice in working with non dyadic relationship structures or those with sexual diversity. This can lead to pathologizing non-monogamous identities or applying monogamist ideals that are rooted in colonialism and capitalism to non-monogamous relationships. This two-day training with focus on providing ethical and culturally competent therapy and supervision to sexual and relational diverse clients and supervisees and include 3 hours of ethics CEUs and 3 hours of supervision CEUs.