The taboo about open relationships in the West has been reducing as a growing trend towards CNM is being observed (BBC, ScienceDirect), both in societal and academic domains. A greater mainstream acceptance coupled with a growing public understanding of non-monogamous relationships is making it possible for people practising CNM to be open about their sexual choices. Dating apps such as OkCupid for example have reported 31% of their 1 million respondents saying Yes to open relationships, whilst the dating app Feeld is designed exclusively for unconventional relationships.

All relationship styles have challenges and CNM relationships come with their own set of unique challenges including societal stigma and relationship minority stress. What has changed is that now clients are bringing these challenges to us as therapists rather than keeping them hidden for fear of being judged. Clients are increasingly looking for our support and guidance as they navigate their open relationships.

Yet counselling and psychotherapy training and relationship therapy courses rarely discuss relationship diversity. No wonder many therapists feel unprepared and challenged by the client’s relationship style fluidity in the face of our society’s norming of monogamous relationships.

• Can therapists adapt to the changing socio-cultural landscape and the increasingly fluid relationship structures that many of our clients are living in?
• Are therapists who hold mainstream values and beliefs about relationships, at risk of imposing normative beliefs, standards, and expectations onto their more flexible and diverse clients?
• How do we adapt existing narrow therapeutic frames in relationship therapy to meet the unique requirements of multi-partnered relationship constellations?

This contemporary training draws on the concepts of Sexology: the up-to-date knowledge of gender identities, sexuality, relationship styles and behaviours, which is crucial knowledge for psychotherapists, psychologists and counsellors so that we don’t unduly pathologise some sexual behaviours that may be unusual, yet not problematic. It focuses on helping relationship therapists work with diverse relationship styles which go beyond the traditional dyad of ‘couples therapy.’

Through presentations, handouts, experiential exercises and case scenarios, in this interactive and practical webinar, we cover:

• An introduction to diverse relationship styles
• Common issues that people in consensual non-monogamous relationships may face – including the topics of compersion, jealousy, gender and sexual fluidity, boundary setting and violations, and anxiety – the shadow side of freedom
• An introduction to models that support the therapist and clients in open and polyamorous relationships – including Niki D’s 7-STAGE MODEL of co-creating an open relationship, Jessica Fern’s HEARTS model for polysecure practice and ‘checking-in’ examples which aid relational negotiation in more complex relationship structures
• Noticing and working with the strengths of those in CNM relationships
• Addressing mononormative bias in the therapist or client

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