When Kink and Parenting Collide: Negotiating Kink and Parenting
As kink is becoming more mainstream, mental health and medical providers are seeing increased numbers of individuals and relationships in which being a kinkster and a parent intersect. These intersecting identities come with their own set of challenges and benefits. Parents who are kinky (or kinksters who are thinking of becoming parents) may turn to both mental and physical health clinicians who are well-versed in kink-affirming care, to discuss their varied concerns, family-related dreams, and relationship challenges. They seek assistance on everything from navigating less traditional family arrangements, complex co-parenting and care plans, to providing age-appropriate and sex-positive environments.
Providers need to be prepared to support these clients in both identities as the various stages of those identities. This training will provide a brief overview of some of the challenges and benefits of being a Kinkster and a Parent and how a Provider can best support those individuals in a clinical setting. This training will outline research and support for parenting when the adults are kinky, how to build resiliency against discrimination, and emerging new legal protections for relationships and individuals and their families.
At the end of this presentation, learners will be able to:
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Summarize three of the common parenting concerns brought by kink-involved parents and how clinicians can assist their clients/patients in determining and practicing parenting that is consistent with their client’s unique ethics and parenting goals.
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Outline two recent potential developments in legal protections for kink and non-traditional relationship family settings.
Zita Nickeson and Julie Lehman
Zita Nickeson is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in WA and CO and is a Telehealth Provider in ID and FL. She is a Certified Sex Therapist and a Kink Knowledgeable Professional.
Zita is the owner/director of NW Sexual Counseling, a private practice specializing in sexual, gender and relationship therapy, education and advocacy. She has maintained her private practice for over a decade, providing sex positive services to many underserved and rural communities. Counselor training and education in inclusive sexual healthcare is one of Zita’s passions. This has led her to supervise Master’s Level Counseling Students and Pre-Licensure Counseling Professionals for the past 8 years. Additionally, as one of the few Certified Sex Therapists in her region, Zita has also been an Instructor for the Healthy Loving Institute as well as providing sex and Kink positive presentations to the local Mental Health, Medical and Kink communities.
Having worked in the Mental Health field for over 20 years, Zita has also seen the significant need and importance of reducing stigma associated with sex and Kink in the healthcare field. With this in mind, Zita delightfully joined the TASHRA International Kink Health Survey team in January of 2019. Since then, she has enjoyed being a part of a larger, interdisciplinary team working towards creating a more Kink inclusive healthcare system!
You may find Zita at http://www.nwsexualcounseling.
Julie Lehman, MS, LMFT lives and works in San Rafael, Ca. They own and operate a private practice of psychotherapy and sex therapy, with specialization in attachment trauma and all things sexual. They approach their work oriented in somatic, relational, and experiential healing from their studies with the AEDP Institute, and they have studied human sexuality as a doctoral student at CIIS, as well as through their ongoing involvement with TASHRA (The Alternative Sexualities Health Research Alliance) as a sexological researcher, consultation group leader, and student. Julie brings with them a background in medical healthcare, medical research, biological anthropology, and prenatal and children’s yoga instruction.
AASECT CE credit and APA CE credit
AASECT Credit
This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 2 CE credits. These CE credits may be applied toward AASECT certification and renewal of certification.
AASECT Certification Disclaimer
Please note, AASECT Certification is not automatic. In all cases, the Certification Committee determines whether AASECT certification is awarded.
APA Credit
The complete event of two hours is eligible for 2 CE units. The Center for Positive Sexuality (CPS) is the organization that will sponsor the CE credit. CPS is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CPS maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Center for Positive Sexuality.
Many states honor APA CE credits for other licensed health professionals, please check with your own state licensing board.
Scholarships
Scholarship covers 50% of registration
The application asks:
Why do you want a scholarship for this training?
Do you currently work with kinky clients/patients?
Do you intend to specialize in serving the kink community?
Clinical Training Team approves 3-6 scholarships per training depending on level of registration and the types of tickets being requested. The more Non/pre-licensed professional tickets requested, the more total scholarships can be provided.
Deadline for applying is one week before training
Only one scholarship per calendar year per participant
Scholarship prices are sent as invoices via PayPal, not as discount codes on the website.
Group Rates:
Tiered
minimum group size: 4
Group size: 4-9 10% off registration price
Group size: 10 or more, 15% off registration price
A group liaison sends a list of names and email addresses of group members to [email protected]
An individual discounted invoice for registering for the event is sent to each group member listed. Registration and payment can be made that way, rather than registering through the website here.
TASHRA Grievance and Complaint Policy
TASHRA is committed to conducting all activities in compliance with the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) Code of Conduct. TASHRA will adhere to all legal and ethical responsibilities to be nondiscriminatory in promotional activities, program content, and the treatment of program participants. Monitoring and assessment of these standards will be the responsibility of the TASHRA Clinical Training Team ([email protected]).
While TASHRA makes every attempt to assure fair treatment for all participants, occasionally complaints will arise about continuing education programs. This does not include complaints or comments received on course evaluations.
The person with a grievance will first try to informally resolve their grievance by contacting TASHRA with the issue concerning the training, its delivery, the evaluation method, technological issue, other student(s), and/or any other concern.
When a participant files a complaint, either orally or in written format, and expects action on the complaint, the following actions and procedures will be taken:
- If the grievance concerns a speaker, the content presented by the speaker, or the style of presentation, the individual making the complaint will be asked to put his/her comments in written format. The Professional Development Services Manager will then pass the comments on to the speaker, assuring the confidentiality of the complainant.
- If the complaint concerns a workshop offering, its content, level of presentation, or the facilities in which the workshop was offered, Professional Development Services Manager will mediate and attempt to resolve the complaint promptly. If the participant requests action, the Professional Development Services Manager is empowered to:
- Attempt to move the participant to another workshop, or
- Provide a credit for a subsequent year’s workshop, or
- Provide a partial or full refund of the workshop fee.
- Actions 2b and 2c will require a written note, documenting the grievance, for record keeping purposes. The note need not be signed by the grieved individual.
- If the complaint is made after the program has occurred or concerns the TASHRA CE programming more generally, the Professional Development Services Manager will address it as follows:
- Request that the complainant submit a written complaint and propose an appropriate remedy.
- Provide the instructor(s) with the opportunity to respond to the complaint and propose an appropriate remedy,
- Review these documents, make a final determination, and decide on any remedy.
- TASHRA’s Clinical Training Committee will then consult regarding this grievance in an effort to find fair methods of resolving the grievance.
- If the aggrieved person is not satisfied with the solutions put forth, then they may put their grievance in writing and contact the American Association of Sexuality Educator, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT). The appropriate AASECT personnel can be reached at [email protected].
- TASHRA will abide by any decisions made by the APA or AASECT regarding resolution of the grievance.
For further information, contact the Research Director of TASHRA, Richard A. Sprott,
at [email protected] or at 510-919-4488. You can also contact us at
TASHRA, P.O. Box 812, Rio Vista, CA 94571.