Not All Sex Therapists Have to be Kinky
There are many professionals in the sexual health industry who practice sex therapy, and many of them list kink/BDSM as an area of expertise. Sex therapists who work with individuals in the kink/ BDSM community do not always practice kink/ BDSM in their personal lives. So no, sex therapists do not have to be kinky! Midori, an internationally acclaimed sexologist, educator, performer, and bondage expert believes that sex therapists should be provided with adequate kink certifications regardless of if they participate in the lifestyle or not. Midori, who has been referred to as the “supernova of kink” (Dan Savage), notes that sex therapists and other sex professionals or educators can still be kink aware/ kink knowledgeable without actually participating in any sort of kink or BDSM lifestyle. As a sexuality professional, it’s important to be educated on all expressions of sexuality to ensure that you can provide your clients with the help that they need. Midori defines her goal around working with mental health professionals, such as sex therapists, as follows:
“Today, as I continue to teach and coach individuals, I am actively working with mental health providers, therapists, and therapist training organizations to increase education and cultural competency around alternative sexuality and compassion among clinicians.” (sexualhealthalliance)
Recently, Midori led a conference for SHA students in which we talked about Kink for the Professional.
Kink Informed Certification (KIC)
If you’re a professional in the sexuality field and you aren’t a member of the kink/ BDSM community (or if you are) and you want to be kink informed, we at SHA have a NEW kink informed certification program in partnership with Midori:
“The Certified Kink Informed Certification focuses on preparing providers to be aware of various aspects of kink lifestyles.” (sexualhealthalliance)
It’s known that “even with the best of intentions, many professionals lack access to additional training that would allow for their practice to be truly kink-aware or kink positive. Lack of current education can potentially lead to causing harm to the client by unknowingly introducing sex-negative stereotypes or misinformation into session.” (sexualhealthalliance) The last thing a sexuality professional should do is put forth any type of sex-negative stereotype regarding any type of consensual alternative sexual lifestyles; pleasure can be felt in infinitely different ways and it’s a sex therapist’s job to provide you with a safe and knowledgeable space to explore any sexual expression. However, it’s important to note that sex therapists and all other sexual health professionals are human beings and so nobody is perfect. In order to prevent the advancement of negative stereotypes in session, you can enhance your education with programs such as our Kink Informed Certification. This program will leave “you with all the tools needed to truly become a kink-aware or kink-positive therapist or professional.” (sexualhealthalliance)
If you are looking for more information on seeking Kink Informed Therapy, visit Respark’s Kink Therapy page to learn more.
By: Alyssa Morterud