By Ruby B Johnson LCSW Talia scheduled an appointment to determine “what is needed to help her decide if she can be in an open relationship?” I asked Talia several inquisitive questions about the “when, what, and how” of her journey prior to sitting in my office. She informed me …
by Elisabeth Sheff, PhD, CASA, CSE CEO, Sheff Consulting Why? A few reasons people choose to come out are: · Increased intimacy – Hiding important relationships means closing off parts of your life, and being honest about significant things allows greater authenticity and emotional connection. · Explanation for person in …
by Ruby B Johnson LCSW “Inviting others in is the practice of accepting the discomfort of fear.” -Ruby Johnson The Myth What does “good at poly” mean? I hear this statement often. The scenario that typically precedes this self-judging statement is the person criticizing their own feelings of “jealousy, envy, …
by Keely Kolmes, Psy.D. In the fall of 2009, I started Bay Area Open Minds a clinician networking group for psychotherapists and psychotherapy students who affirm that sexual and gender diversity are natural expressions of the human experience. Our psychotherapy practices welcome and serve clients who engage in consensual sexual …
A look at Lawrence v. Texas and Doe v. George Mason U By Richard O. Cunningham, Esq. NCSF Legal Counsel  In Doe v. George Mason University, the District Court judge’s discussion of BDSM and of Lawrence v. Texas—which is an opinion, not a ruling—is yet another example of how …
by Dulcinea Pitagora  Prior to starting my practice as a therapist, I was confronted with contradicting perspectives on the therapist’s disclosure of personal information to their clients. The prevailing thought behind this in the mental health field is that the therapeutic environment is not a place for therapists to disclose too …
by rockstar dinosaur pirate princess http://rockstardinosaurpirateprincess.com/2015/03/02/consent-not-actually-that-complicated/comment-page-5/#comment-1185 A short one today as my life is currently very complicated and conspiring against my preference to spend all of my days working out what to blog. But do you know what isn’t complicated?  Consent.  It’s been much discussed recently; what with college …
Guest Blogs do not represent NCSF but are the opinion of the blogger. NCSF provides space for activists to post their opinions in order to get feedback from the kink and nonmonogamous communities on the work they are doing and the information they are providing to the mainstream. Please leave …
by Susan Wright You CAN go to law enforcement to report assault even if you’re kinky. I get so mad when I hear people say, “You can’t go to the cops,” or “They’ll treat you badly because you’re kinky.” Really? You tell your friend to crawl in a hole when …
By Bjorn Paulee  Accepting this assignment for NCSF has been a difficult time, but not for reasons you may assume. One of the members of our poly family has been ill and in and out of the hospitals locally, and time has been precious more so than normally.  …
