When Therapy Gets Spicy: Navigating Sex, Alt. Relationships, and Gender in the Therapy Room

Sex, sexuality, gender and relationship structure are frequent themes in cultural discourse, but how often do they move from subtext to explicit conversation in therapy? Chances are, both you and your clients are thinking about these topics more than you're talking about them. This training explores the complex, often unspoken dynamics that shape the therapeutic space, especially when it comes to identity, desire, and relational diversity.

We’ll examine how our own experiences of sex, gender, and relationships inevitably show up in the room, and how to work with that reality skillfully and ethically. We'll also review common DSM-5 diagnoses related to sexual functioning and gender identity, and consider alternative, affirming frameworks that expand clinical understanding.

The training will include an introduction to alternative relationship styles and sexual practices, with a focus on culturally responsive and non-pathologizing care. Designed for clinicians ready to move beyond avoidance, this workshop invites you to lean in, get curious, and build greater nuance in your work with clients navigating sexuality and identity.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this training, participant will be able to:

1. Describe how their personal experiences related to sex, sexuality, gender, and relationships may influence the therapeutic process.
2. Demonstrate increased skill in recognizing and navigating the intersection of therapist and client subjectivities in clinical work.
3. Identify the most common DSM-5 diagnoses related to sexual dysfunctions and gender dysphoria, and compare them with alternative, affirming frameworks for understanding human sexuality and gender diversity.
4. Describe common alternative relationship structures and alternative sexual practices/identities, and apply strategies for working with clients from these communities with greater cultural responsiveness and clinical nuance.

Instructor Credentials

Greg Kilpatrick, LMFT, CST is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Sex Therapist (AASECT) in private practice in Pasadena, California. He specializes in working with clients navigating sexuality, gender, religious trauma, and alternative relationship structures, with a particular focus on queer individuals, people recovering from purity culture or religious fundamentalism, and those exploring kink or non-monogamy.

Greg’s clinical approach is relational, affirming, and grounded in a deep respect for complexity, particularly the messy intersections of identity, desire, and belief. He has advanced training in sex therapy, alt-sex and alt-relationship frameworks, and religious trauma, and these areas form the core of both his clinical and research work.

In addition to his practice, Greg teaches and facilitates trainings for mental health professionals on working with sexuality and relational diversity. He is a member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists and is committed to expanding cultural responsiveness and clinical nuance around topics that are often under-discussed, especially in the therapy room.