By Essie Shachar-Hill, LCSW and Cindy Trawinski, Psy.D
On a warm summer evening in 2014, over forty clinicians gathered at a networking event for therapists of kinky and polyamorous clients in Chicago. As the late day sun streamed in, the group mingled over drinks and appetizers in the office of LifeWorks Psychotherapy Center, the host for the evening. There was a feeling of excitement, warmth, and connection.
Hello, my name is Jen Rafacz and I am a co-lead on the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 44 Consensual Non-monogamy Task Force working on the Inclusive Demographic Forms Campaign. I am really excited to have been asked to write about this campaign…
Eli Sheff, PhD is a sociologist and researcher who has compiled the only longitudinal study on polyamorous relationships. For over 20 years, Dr. Sheff has followed, interviewed and published her findings about polyamorous families to gain and share perspective about what polyamory looks like, and how it affects people. On July 6th, Dr. Sheff joined
by Elisabeth A. Sheff Ph.D., CASA, CSE Eli Sheff is considered a leading expert when it comes to polyamory and stigma. Eli is the CEO and Director of Legal Services at the Sheff Consulting Group, a think-tank of experts specializing in diverse subcultures and under-served populations. The following is an article she wrote for Psychology Today about polyamphobia
by Elisabeth A. Sheff Ph.D., CASA, CSE This fifth and final blog in the series on children in polyamorous families focuses on custody. The first looked at age-dependent experiences and why the kids are in such great shape, and the second detailed some of the advantages and disadvantages in polyam family life. Third in the series
This is the fifth in a series of articles about the intersections of polyamorous identities and psychotherapy, adapted from Rami Henrich and Cindy Trawinski’s article in Sexual and Relationship Therapy, “Social and therapeutic challenges facing polyamorous clients,” as well as supplemental materials that didn’t make it into the final research paper. In this installment, we
by Elisabeth A. Sheff Ph.D., CASA, CSE In this fourth part of the series on children in polyamorous families I offer a sneak peek into my preliminary findings from my ongoing research on polyam families with kids. Part one explains the age-dependent experiences that children experience in polyamorous families, part two of this series explores the advantages
This is the fourth in a series of articles about the intersections of polyamorous identities and psychotherapy, adapted from Rami Henrich and Cindy Trawinski’s article in Sexual and Relationship Therapy, “Social and therapeutic challenges facing polyamorous clients,” as well as supplemental materials that didn’t make it into the final research paper. In this installment, we
by Elisabeth A. Sheff Ph.D., CASA, CSE This is the third in a series of blogs on children in polyamorous families. The first looked at the age dependent experiences of children in polyamorous families and why they appear to be doing so well, and the second detailed the advantages and disadvantages these children identified in polyam family life. Third in
by Elisabeth A. Sheff Ph.D., CASA, CSE In the first part of this series on children in polyamorous families, I explained how these kids have age-dependent experiences and why they appear to be doing so well in general. This second blog in the series details the advantages and disadvantages that children report in my study of