Working with Fetish, BDSM, and Kink Practices

Working with Fetish, BDSM, and Kink Practices

Kink-Affirmative Therapy

NOW CLOSED

Saturday 25 February 2023

A live webinar or In Person event with Dr Lori Beth Bisbey, Dominic Davies, Anna Randall, Dr Richard Sprott, and Dr Ryan Witherspoon

CPD Credits: 4 hours

  • Attend live webinar OR in person at Confer’s premises (Please see our FAQ)
  • Includes a subtitled recording of the event and a transcript, with access for a year (14 days post the event)
  • Bookings close at 9:00am GMT 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...

FULL PROGRAMME

13.30 GMT
Registration and Coffee (attending in person only)

14.00
Introductions

14.05
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”.

14.40
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.

15.25
Q&A

15.40
Break

16.00
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.

16.45
Q&A

17.00
Break

17.20
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.

18.05
Q&A

18.20
Panel Discussion and Q&A

19.00
End

FEES

Bookings close at 9:00am GMT Wednesday 22 February

Live Webinar:

£80 (Member £64)
(Click here to become a member)

Includes a recording of the event.

In person at venue:

£130 (Member £104)
(Click here to become a member)

Includes refreshments a recording of the event.

CPD

Certificates of attendance for 4 hours will be provided.

To receive the full CPD credits, you are required to attend 100% of the live event. No partial credit will be given.

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 CPD certification. This will be made available soon after the live event has taken place.

VENUE

Live webinarZoom

Zoom is free to download and use.

For more information about Zoom click here.

To download Zoom free of charge click here.

In person:

Confer
Strype Street
London
E1 7LQ
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SCHEDULE

Saturday
13.30 GMT Registration and Coffee (attending in person only)
14.00 Introductions
14.05 Dominic Davies
14.40 Dr Lori Beth Bisbey
15.25 Q&A
15.40 Break
16.00 Dr Ryan Witherspoon
16.45 Q&A
17.00 Break
17.20 Dr Richard Sprott & Anna Randall
18.05 Q&A
18.20 Panel Discussion and Q&A
19.00 End

BOOKING CONDITIONS

Regrettably, refunds cannot be given in any circumstances except as follows:

  • You cancel in writing to info@confer.uk.com 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@confer.uk.com 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 cancelled 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.