As a counsellor, it’s always important to meet the client where they are. As a person seeking counselling, it’s important to be able to establish trust and understanding.
One facet of counselling which arises again and again is the client wondering if their issues are ‘too much’ for the counsellor or if they will be judged for some of what troubles them.
Enter Kink-Aware Counselling.
This is simply a way of saying that the counsellor is comfortable discussing aspects of sexuality perceived to be out of the norm.
The BDSM community is partially hidden, given society’s taboos around all manner of sexual practices. BDSM can stand for different things, depending on who you ask, but broadly includes Bondage and discipline, Dominance and submission and Sadism and masochism.
Many people take a long time to find the lifestyle which allows the to be true to themselves. Many struggle with acceptance, with guilt and with confusion.
Engaging in counselling with a kink-aware counsellor means that they have taken time to try to understand the community in its various guises. They have read the literature, explored the sub-culture and can bring some mainstream therapeutic approaches to this very specific area of some people’s lives. Sadly, BDSM has traditionally been approached with assumptions of pathology.
More recent research dispels this myth, de-pathologising BDSM practices, and highlights the need for equal sexual and mental health services for this community. A client deserves a clinician who is interested in BDSM issues, trained and competent in addressing common BDSM-related concerns and, most importantly, whose own personal and professional values align with the client’s own values. (McCarthy, B. Professor of Psychology, American University)
If you feel you would benefit from focussed discussion and support in such aspects of your sexuality or relationship dynamic, we can meet for a free 15 minute consultation. From there, you can decide if I would be a good match for you.