Description of Training:
Most graduate therapy training programs provide minimal or no education on how to effectively work with clients engaged in consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships. There are many reasons why people may choose to enter into CNM relationships, and this training will provide an overview of some of these reasons in order to deepen therapists' understanding and compassion. After reviewing some common motivations for pursuing CNM relationships we will discuss common challenges that show up in CNM relationships. We will also identify examples of client strengths that can be harnessed to navigate these challenges. Attendees will be asked to reflect on their own personal and professional development in relation to this topic in order to identify strengths and growth edges for working with members of the CNM community. This training will be grounded in recent empirical research conducted and published by the presenter.
Learning Objectives:
Identify three motivations that precipitate the decision to enter into CNM relationships.
Evaluate therapists' own biases and assumptions about CNM relationships.
Identify three strengths that can be harnessed in therapy sessions when working with clients who are coping with common relational challenges.
Identify three challenges commonly associated with engagement in CNM relationships.
Presenter:
Alex Tatum, PhD, CST-S
Assistant Professor | Practice Owner: Radical Authenticity & Wellness (RAW)
Dr. Alex Tatum earned his PhD in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University Chicago in 2018. He completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in sexual health and sex therapy at the University of Minnesota’s Medical School in 2020. Dr. Tatum is currently employed as an Assistant Professor of Clinical-Counseling Psychology at Illinois State University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate coursework. His research program studies factors that promote the health and well-being of queer full-time workers and people in consensually non-monogamous relationships. Dr. Tatum is an AASECT Certified Supervisor of Sex Therapy and currently serves on AASECT’s Ethics Advisory Committee. He maintains a small private practice in Chicago called Radical Authenticity & Wellness (RAW) that primarily serves the queer community, and he trains and supervises graduate psychology students seeking sex therapy certification.