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Doing Affirmative Sex Therapy with LGBTQ+ Clients

Title of Event:
Doing Affirmative Sex Therapy with LGBTQ+ Clients
 
Description of Event:
In the nearly fifty years that have passed since homosexuality was de-classified as a mental illness, an entire field of ‘gay affirmative therapy’ has developed. At the same time, the ‘queer’ tribe has evolved from a community of gay men and lesbians to one which includes bi, pan and asexuals, transgender and gender diverse people, those whose sexual orientation is kinky, and people who practice various forms of consensual nonmonogamy.  Queer affirmative therapy has correspondingly expanded to encompass the prevalent issues of all these communities.
 
In this comprehensive webinar, participants will be given the historical and cultural context with which to understand these changes and they will learn principles of affirmative care.  Research on these various minority communities will be presented, with the implications for treatment.  Finally, the special clinical issues of each subgroup will be described and explained.  Didactic/PowerPoint presentation will be supplemented with case examples and video. The presenter has worked as a therapist and sex therapist in queer communities for over forty years.
 
Learning Objectives
1) Discuss the historical and cultural context of the evolution of the queer community and concomitant development of affirmative therapy principles
2) Describe issues common to all subgroups of the LGBTQ+ community such as principles of minority stress, family and community support, self-disclosure vs. ‘the closet,’ and stresses on couples and children.
3) Explain current research on these communities, especially research related to mental health, relationships, and sexuality.
4) Discuss the strengths and challenges of same sex couples and sex therapy issues common to these couples; become familiar with problems common to bi/pan/asexuals
5) Describe basic issues of transgender/nonbinary clients, kinky clients, and those engaging in consensual nonmonogamy
 
Activity Schedule (15 minute segments)
 
Hour One 
Introductions of speaker and the topic
Evidence of diverse sex and gender in animal kingdom and early humans
Contemporary evolution of same sex identities
Recent expansion of ‘queer’ community
 
Hour Two 
Implications of paradigm change: from ‘sick’ to ‘normal’
Minority stress and its connection to mental health
Research on same sex oriented people and sexuality, including sexual fluidity and asexuality
Research on gender identity, BDSM, and CNM
 
Hour Three 
Working with male couples
Working with female couples
Sexual fluidity, bi’s and pan’s
Aces and aros
 
Hour Four 
Transgender clients
Nonbinary people
BDSM clients
CNM clients
 
Speaker:
Margie is a queer-identified psychotherapist, writer, activist, and educator with forty years of experience working in the LGBT+ community. She is a licensed psychologist, AASECT certified sex therapy supervisor, and WPATH GEI (Global Education Initiative) Mentor. In 1983 Dr. Nichols founded the Institute for Personal Growth, a multi-site psychotherapy center in New Jersey that centers the LGBTQ+ community both as clients and therapists, and directed IPG until 2018. 
 
Date of Event: Saturday, June 21, 2025
 
Time of Event: 9AM - 1PM EST
 
Location: Online Synchronous or Online Asynchronous following the live webinar 
 
Sex Therapy (ST) Training:
ST1. Theory and methods of sex-related psychotherapy, including several different models.
 
Presenter/Speaker: Margie Nichols, PhD
 
Company/Organization Sponsor: Modern Sex Therapy Institutes (MSTI) 
 
Contact Name: Rachel Needle
 
Contact Telephone Number: (561) 379-7207
 
 
 
AASECT Approved CEs: 4