Kink Clinical Practice Guidelines Project 

Charles Moser, PhD, MD received his PhD in Human Sexuality from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Franciscoin 1979.  He received his MD from Hahnemann University (now Drexel University) in Philadelphiain 1991.  He is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California and maintained a private psychotherapy practice specializing in the treatment of sexual concerns prior to his medical career.  He is board certified in Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine and HIV Medicine by American Academy of HIV Medicine.  He is a Fellow of the European Committee of Sexual Medicine (FECSM).   He is President of Diverse Sexualities Research and Education Institute, a 501(c)(3) charity, https://dsrei.org He maintains a private practice specializing in Sexual Medicine (the sexual aspects of medical concerns and the medical aspects of sexual concerns). He has authored or co-authored over 70 scientific papers or books.  His complete CV can be accessed at http://docx2.com/

As a Trans and GenderQueer-identified psychotherapist, activist, writer, and public speaker in the NYC area working with transgender and gender nonbinary, LGBTQ+, and sexual/gender diversity issues, I am a firm believer in body autonomy as a fundamental human right and that gender and sexuality are arenas of the human experience through which we can explore identity, relationships, power, intimacy, cultural constructs, and even existential questions of meaning.

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I work toward helping others and propagating this message on multiple levels: micro in my private practice, mezzo and macro through my activism and speaking.  

Currently I serveas Chair of the Board of Directors for the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center whose mission is to provide high quality, compassionate healthcare to LGBTQ+ and other marginalized populations of New York City regardless of ability to pay.  I also have spoken in the media on NPR, MSNBC, NBCNews Online, SiriusXM, CBSNews, in The New York Times and The Huffington Post, and have educated countless therapists and allies through public speaking at organizations, conferences, and universities.  

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I am the recipient of the2017 Dorothy Kartashovich Award by the Community Health Center Association of New York State, "In recognition of your dedication and advocacy to ensure high-quality health care for all", and of a 2018 Gay City News Impact Award.  

"‘You’re In The Wrong Bathroom!’ and 20 Other Myths and Misconceptions About Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People”, a book co-authored with Laura Erickson-Schroth, was published in May 2017 by Beacon Press.

As Lawrence Jacobs I worked as a musician, composer, photographer, and less glamorous corporate middle management. 

Richard Sprott received his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from UC Berkeley in 1994. His early work was on social and language development in early childhood. In addition, he has a long history of conducting program evaluations for educational programs for migrant farmworker families, which highlight the ways in which social organizations and communities help and hinder the educational achievement of migrant farmworker children. 

As a researcher he has examined in detail the relationship between professional identity development and the development of professional ethics in medical doctors, ministers and teachers, and professional identity development in emerging fields of work. 

He is currently directing research projects focused on identity development and health/well-being in people who express alternative sexualities and non-traditional relationships, with a special emphasis on kink/BDSM sexuality, and polyamory or consensual non-monogamy.  All of these efforts highlight the ways in which stigma, prejudice, minority dynamics, health, language, identity development and community development all intersect and affect each other. 

Richard currently teaches courses in the Department of Human Development and Women's Studies at California State University, East Bay and graduate level courses at various universities in the Bay Area, including UC Berkeley, the California Institute of Integral Studies, and Holy Names University.

He currently is Executive Director of CARAS – Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternative Sexualities. CARAS is dedicated to the support and promotion of excellence in the study of alternative sexualities, and the dissemination of research results to members of alternative sexuality and research communities and to the general public. 

He is also currently the Research Director of TASHRA – The Alternative Sexualities Health Research Alliance. TASHRA is a community-based research organization, with a focus on the health of kink-identified and BDSM-involved people.

Ruby Bouie Johnson is a clinical social worker and sex therapist who has 16 years of experience in a variety of behavioral health settings. Currently, she is private practice in Plano, Texas.

Over the last 5 years, Ruby has been specializing in kinky, polyamorous, and open relationships as well as sexually- and gender-fluid clients. Ruby has a strong family and group theoretical and intervention skill set. She is able to work with triads, quads, and polycules with power dynamics and communication problems.  

Ruby has published in various journals and in the African American Encyclopedia on Criminology, she has presented at Kinky Kollege, Consent Summit, Association of Black Sexologists and Clinicians, American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, and recently, she awarded the AASECT 2018 Professional Excellence Award. Ruby has been featured in Playboy Magazine and Women’s Health and interviewed on Cunning Minx, Dawn Serra, Living a Sex Positive Life, and Inner Hoe Uprising podcasts.

Ms. Johnson authored the forward for Kevin Patterson’s inaugural book, Love’s Not Colorblind. Previously, Ms. Johnson was a contributor for Huffington Post. Currently, she is on faculty for the Kink Knowledgeable Program, and serves on the board for the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom. Ruby is the CEO, Founder, and organizer for PolyDallas Millennium LLC.

Ruby has a hub of information at www.blacksexgeek.net or www.facebook.com/blacksexgeek

Anna Randall, MSW, DHS, MPH is a psychotherapist, sex therapist and sex researcher in the San Francisco Bay Area. In her robust private practice, she has the honor of supporting sexual explorers as they courageously find their way toward more juicy, authentic and self-determined lives. Her goal is to provide a safe and judgment-free space to talk about sexuality in all its flavors and expressions, including our vast fantasies, desires, urges and behaviors. She is passionate about helping partnerships stay curious, increase their teamwork and learn ways to move from pain and disconnection back to safety and connection.

She is a nationally known researcher and educator on sexual interests and expressions that are out of the mainstream and the non-traditional relationship structures that are often misunderstood and stigmatized. When she is not crunching data from some new research project, she trains therapists and other healthcare professionals to deliver competent, compassionate and knowledgeable care to sexual minorities. 

Aida Manduley is an award-winning Latinx activist, international presenter, and trauma-focused clinician known for big earrings and building bridges. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, they hold a Bachelor’s in Gender and Sexuality Studies from Brown University and a Master’s in Social Work from Boston University. With a dedication to community accountability processes and a liberation health framework, they center anti-oppression and resilience in their work. As a Boston-based clinician, they primarily serve communities marginalized due to gender, sexuality, and race—shaking up the landscape of mental health with specialties in trauma, pleasure, gerontology, and alternative relationship paradigms. 

From The New York Times to The Rainbow Times, Mx. Manduley has been interviewed by a variety of media outlets for over a decade of work, and they’re a frequent presenter across North America. Mx. Manduley is also known for launching Rhode Island's first Sexual Health Education and Advocacy Program housed at a domestic violence agency in 2011, which included groundbreaking data-collection on LGBTQ domestic violence and building the infrastructure to provide on-site HIV testing. Past projects include crisis-response with victims of sexual assault, consulting with state departments on LGBTQ health, and leadership on a number of national and regional coalitions on HIV & STI prevention, sexuality education, and anti-violence. 

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You can find out more about their work and the organizations they innovate with at www.aidamanduley.com or by following them on Facebook (bit.ly/FBaida), Instagram (@aidamanduley), and Twitter (@neuronbomb). As one of the queer and trans people of color in this workgroup, they are dedicated to bringing on more voices from these communities onto the project.

Shane’a Thomas, LICSW, M.Ed. (he/she pronouns) is a Senior Lecturer for the University of Southern California’s Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work’s Virtual Academic Center, as well as a Youth Psychotherapist at Whitman-Walker Health in Washington D.C. Clinically and educationally, he commits time toward supporting LGBTQI youth and those affected by HIV/AIDS through trauma-focused care, as well as training social workers, educators and service providers around building safer therapeutic, service, and educational spaces for clients and students, especially those working and existing in communities who are underserved, are Black and people of color, and/or LGBTQI folks. She is an Advisory Board Member to the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network. Thomas is proud alumnus of Virginia Tech, Howard University, and Widener University holding a Bachelors of Science in Psychology, a Masters of Social Work degree with a concentration of Direct Services (Families and Children), and a Masters in Education with a concentration in Human Sexuality Studies, as well as an Advanced Certificate in Human Sexuality Studies, respectively. Thomas is currently working towards an Ed.D. in Organizational Change and Leadership through the University of Southern California's Rossier's School of Education.

I welcome people of all orientations, identities, and relationships, including heterosexual, LGBTQIA, POC, fetish, kink and alternative relationships (such as consensual non-monogamy, swinging, and polyamory) and those who are working through issues related to sexuality.

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If you struggle with sexual identity, or long to be accepted for who you are, it is important to have a place where your identity can be explored and affirmed. Therapy can provide a safe and open relationship where you can find comfort with your sexuality, experience freedom from shame or fear and discover the conscious, creative sexual expression that is right for you.

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I also help people who have survived traumas, either recent or past. Traumatic experiences can affect relationships, moods (being anxious, irritable or angry, feeling sad or fearful), and daily living including eating, sleeping and self-care.  Therapy can help you access the power that comes with healing trauma, find peace and meaning, as well as enrich your relationships.

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Life may feel like uncharted waters, if you are not sure of where you are, where you are going, or even where you want to be.  Underlying these experiences may be feelings of not belonging, being broken, not worthy (of success, love, peace), or fear of being abandoned or left. Together we can explore what belonging and/or self-worth means and the kind of life you want to be living. Therapy can heal wounds, create more rewarding relationships (with self and others), help you to accept yourself, while appreciating that you are a constantly changing being.

Braden Berkey, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and an Associate Professor in the Clinical Psy.D. Program at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology where his coursework focuses on professional ethics, clinical practice, diversity training and human sexuality. He received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Berkey has worked in university settings, community based healthcare, managed care organizations and private practice. His clinical work has focused on serving sexual minorities and those impacted with HIV/AIDS. Braden has been a consultant at Test Positive Aware Network and The University of Chicago’s Department of Medicine.

Dr. Berkey served as the Director of Behavioral Health and Social Services at Howard Brown Health Center, where he expanded graduate training opportunities and developed a comprehensive substance abuse program. In 2006 Braden joined the Center on Halsted, where he served as the founding director of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Institute. Recognizing the unique clinical dilemmas faced by providers within the leather community, he created the Kink-Identified Clinicians Discussion Group at International Mr. Leather twenty years ago. During his tenure at the Center Braden built on the success of this annual gathering to create the Alternative Sexualities Conference in collaboration with CARAS.  The conference has grown and expanded beyond the Center since its inception, and Dr. Berkey is currently working with other sexuality professionals from across the country on plans for theMultiplicity of The Erotic (MOTE) Conference which will be held in Chicago on May 24th. 

In 2011 Dr. Berkey created Projects Advancing Sexual Diversity (PASD), which applies the practice of psychology to further the understanding and acceptance of diverse sexual and gender identities, practices and cultures. PASD explores narratives of healthy, normative development in these populations.

bberkey@thechicagoschool.edu 

I am the CEO of Kink Knowledgeable,  a comprehensive online academy combining extensive APA approved continued education courses with coaching and clinical supervision aimed at mental health professionals looking to move from being kink-aware towards being kink knowledgeable. In February 2019, together with our partners we will be hosting the first international online conference on current thinking in kink and BDSM research and practice for mental health professionals.

My background is in clinical psychology (in Australia) but I identify as a Jungian, depth and liberation psychologist.  I draw on a unique cross cultural, international perspective on kink and BDSM dynamics, communities and practices.  I am driven to end the othering, stigmatization and pathologizing of people who practice BDSM by professionals through psychopathological misinformation, and kinkophobia about BDSM and MS dynamics. To this end, Peter Chirinos and I wrote “Becoming a Kink-Aware Therapist” published by Routledge; the first of its kind aimed at mental health professionals.

I feel called to the intersectionality of individual, social, and political spheres in which our personal, collective professional and institutional conscious need to step up and shine a light on what needs to change. I am passionate to serve our professional community collectively reframe professional and training standards for defining what constitutes clinical best practice on how to practice with clients who are kink identified or practice BDSM. This has profound implications for our profession going forward in terms of research initiatives as well as training in the area of kink and BDSM.

I founded the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom in 1997, and currently serve as Spokesperson and Director of Incident Reporting & Response. I have presented at over a hundred professional organizations, Universities, service agencies and community groups on consent, discrimination against consenting adults, and sexuality & the media.

I chaired the successful DSM-5 Revision Project which helped result in the consensual paraphilias being delineated from Paraphilic Disorders in 2013. I also coordinated the SM Policy Reform Project for the National Organization for Women (NOW) that replaced the Delineation of Lesbian Rights with one that embraced diversity of sexual behaviors at the national conference in 1999.

I have also conducted six surveys on discrimination and violence against BDSM practitioners; consent practices and attitudes; and the mental and physical health of BDSM and non-monogamy practitioners.

My research has been published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, Journal of Sexual Medicine, Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, International Journal of Social Psychiatry, Journal of Trauma and Dissociation and Journal of Homosexuality. www.ncsfreedom.org

Shadeen Francis, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist, professor, and author specializing in sex therapy and social justice. She has been featured as a relationship expert on several major media platforms (including 6abc, NBC, CBC, the New York Times, and Fox), and speaks internationally on topics like sexual self-esteem, intimacy, and relationship negotiation. Shadeen’s belief is that the world is built on the strengths of communities. This worldview has propelled her to focus on underserved populations: ethnic and cultural minorities, the kinky/poly/queer communities, and victims of economic hardship. Her work allows people of all backgrounds to improve their relationships and live in peace and pleasure.

I am the Director of Research for the Center for Positive Sexuality in Los Angeles and an Associate Professor of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminology at Idaho State University. My education includes M.S. and M.S.W. degrees from the University of Utah, and a Ph.D. and postdoctoral research fellowship from the University of Alberta.

I am a multidisciplinary social and behavioral scientist with a focus on deviance as leisure experience, and my scholarship intersects sexology, leisure science, and criminology and forensic behavioral science. Specifically, my academic work has focused on topics such as BDSM and alternative sexualities, self-identified vampires, gambling in prisons and jails, sexual crime, and (more recently) serial and mass homicide. I have given numerous research presentations at national and international conferences in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom; and my work has appeared in dozens of academic books and journals, including Journal of Sexual Medicine, Sexualities, Leisure Sciences, Deviant Behavior, Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, Social Work, Critical Criminology, International Journal of Comparative Criminology & Offender Therapy, and Journal of Forensic Sciences.

My research has also been featured in hundreds of media outlets across the world. I have served as an editorial board member for multiple academic journals and have been an invited guest reviewer for 20 others. In 2015, I cofounded (with Emily Prior) the online Journal of Positive Sexuality. 

Peter Chirinos is president of Capital Counseling Services, LLC, where he provides online professional coaching, counseling and supervision as well as expert legal consultations on alternative sexualities including BDSM and kink. Together with his wife and partner, Caroline Shahbaz, he co-authored “Becoming a Kink Aware Therapist” (Routledge 2016), the first academic text instructing clinical best practices in working with kink and BDSM involved clients.  He also cofounded and is the president of Kink Knowledgeable which is the first completely online accredited eLearning training academy to teach and mentor psychotherapists in developing their skills, knowledge and competency in being able to work with clients who practice BDSM.

Peter’s professional experience in the field of behavioral health began in 1993 and continued after earning a graduate degree in Mental Health Counseling from Gallaudet University, class of 1999. In addition, he has worked administratively and clinically in varied capacities, ranging from community-based services agencies, in-patient and out-patient drug and alcohol treatment facilities, and emergency medical service response teams as well as a level-one trauma emergency department.

Peter’s professional interests and research currently include but are not limited to male bisexuality and Queer studies as well as socio-political and gender influences on conceptualization and clinical implementation of male victims of intimate partner violence.

Personally, Peter identifies as a bisexual, cis-gender male in an ethically, conscious and consensually non-monogamous mixed orientation relationship. 

Emily E. Prior is the Executive Director for the Center for Positive Sexuality. Since 1996 she has been teaching formal and informal classes about a variety of sexuality-related topics including Gender, Deviance, Relationships and Family, and Feminism. She is an adjunct professor at several colleges and universities, has over a dozen publications, and has presented at conferences around the U.S. She is frequently interviewed about her research, the Center, and positive sexuality in general. She also won the Vern Bullough Award for research. To contact Emily, please email at emily@positivesexuality.org.

Peggy J. Kleinplatz, Ph.D. is Professor of Medicine, and Director of Sex and Couples Therapy Training at the University of Ottawa, Canada. She is  AASECT Certified as a Sexuality Educator and Consultant and as a Diplomate and Supervisor of Sex Therapy. Kleinplatz has edited four books, including Sadomasochism: Powerful Pleasures with Charles Moser, Ph.D., M.D.  and notably New Directions in Sex Therapy: Innovations and Alternatives, (Routledge, 2nd Edition), winner of the AASECT 2013 Book Award. In 2015, Kleinplatz received the AASECT Professional Standard of Excellence Award. Her clinical work focuses on eroticism and transformation. Her current research focuses on optimal sexual experience, with a particular interest in sexual health in the elderly, disabled and marginalized populations. Her research team is currently conducting clinical trials on “curing” low desire by creating optimal erotic intimacy (see optimalsexualexperiences.com). 

Lori Michels has an extensive history working with the LGBT, Kink/BDSM communities in understanding safe and consensual practice. Her previous experience drew her into the therapy field and is a license psychotherapist and certified sex therapist. Currently, Lori has a private practice in Connecticut, at the The Center for Intimacy and Sex Therapy, with a focus in alternative sexualities.

Dr. Levine received her MA and Doctorate in clinical psychology from Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. Currently, she approaches her work with a Narrative theory lens while also integrating empirically validated treatments including; CBT, DBT and Mindfulness. Dr. Levine utilizes Feminist, Social- Justice and Trauma- Informed theories in order to allow the individual to access and express their most authentic self while in treatment.

Prior to working at Bayside Marin, Dr. Levine completed her pre-doctoral hours working for UCSF/ ZSFG Trauma Recovery Center in the psychosocial medicine training program. There she worked with survivors of religion and gender- based persecution, refugees and trauma survivors living in San Francisco.

Dr. Levine has 5 years of experience in the mental health field working predominantly with women, the LGBT community, people of color, and those in pursuit of sobriety.

In addition to working in the addiction and recovery field, Dr. Levine specializes in working in the areas of sexual orientation, gender transition, alternative sexuality, sex work, trauma and sexuality, trauma, culture, race, social class, homelessness, body positivity and personal empowerment.

In addition to working as a residential treatment therapist, Dr. Levine works as a consultant, providing education and consultation to psychologists and psychology trainees. Dr. Levine works as an educator, providing lectures to community based organizations, psychology students and private groups. She provides consultation and education in the areas of sex, sexuality, alternative sexualities, trauma, trauma and sexuality, the LGBTQ community, and working with Trans and Transitioning individuals. 

Dr. Levine believes that therapy begins with human to human connection and can be used as a safe space to empower the individual to make change.

Margaret Nichols, Ph.D. is a psychologist, AASECT Certified Sex Therapy Supervisor, and WPATH Certified GEI Provider.  She is the  founder and first Executive Director of the Institute for Personal Growth, a psychotherapy organization in New Jersey  specializing in sex therapy and other clinical work with the sex and gender diverse community.  Dr. Nichols currently works independently through Nichols Counseling and Psychotherapy in Jersey City.  She is an international speaker on LGBTQ issues and author of many articles and papers on LGBTQ sexuality and mental health issues. Current projects include her work as a new Board Member of AASECT and Chair of the Public Relations, Media, and Advocacy Committee, and the development of a certification program for transgender mental health through Modern Sex Therapy Institutes.. She is the author of the forthcoming book from Routledge Press titled “Gender Expansive Kids, Polyamorous Couples, and Mostly Heterosexual Men: A Modern Therapist’s Guide to the LGBTQ+ Community.”  Her main areas of focus now are transgender care and working with the ‘+’ in ‘LGBTQ+’, such as people involved kink and/or consensual nonmonogamy.  She identifies as queer, which is shorthand for pansexual lesbian mother who is kinky and nonmonogamous.

Patrick Grant, MA, MPH is a fourth year Doctor of Clinical Psychology (PsyD.) candidate at LaSalle University, whose interests include examining the intersections of sexual health, mental wellness, an religiosity among Black sexual and gender minorities. As a sexual health educator in St. Louis, MO, Grant worked to promote sexual wellness among young Black men who identified as gay, bisexual, and queer; as well as among individuals of varying sexual identities with cognitive disabilities. As a sexual health educator in Philadelphia, PA, Grant collaborated with self-identifying Black LGBT youth to develop a teen pregnancy prevention curriculum for sexual minority emerging adults.

A podcaster, presenter, and group facilitator, Grant has provided an array of domestic and international presentations. His liberation focused workshops, such as “We Should All Be ‘Finger in the Bootyhole Ass Bitches,’” has afforded him the opportunity to engage with audiences in Chicago, IL, St. Thomas, and Cape Town, South Africa. His recent published works have focused on the ethnographic and autoethnographic study of Black same sex attracted men; and have examined various topics related to this cohort, such as the availability of truly sexually liberating spaces for Black queer men in metropolitan areas. Grant is currently working on his dissertation, which will center on Black queer men’s experiences with internalized homonegativity. In his downtime, Grant enjoys food, wine, and singing.

Bio forthcoming.