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 polyphobia and discrimination. Prejudice is making judgements about […] Read more “Polyphobia: Anti-Polyamorous Prejudice and Discrimination”
Polyphobia: Anti-Polyamorous Prejudice and Discrimination
Posted:
Estimated: 6 minutes to read
Navigating the Relationship Journey
Posted:
Estimated: 10 minutes to read
Santiago Delboy is a colleague and friend to LifeWorks who brings insight and thoughtfulness to his work and collaboration. We are pleased to share some of his writing. This post appears in Santiago Delboy’s blog, which can be found here. Just to state the obvious, relationships are not easy. While we are “wired” to be in relationships and they […] Read more “Navigating the Relationship Journey”
When We Go Inside Ourselves And Stay — Finding Still Center
Posted:
Estimated: 11 minutes to read
Lisa Marks is a colleague and Process Work Diplomat who spends half her year in the Pacific Northwest and half the year in the upper Midwest. Where ever she is, she is strongly aligned with the environment and natural world — both within and without. We are pleased to re-post this essay at this time of […] Read more “When We Go Inside Ourselves And Stay — Finding Still Center”
Children in Polyamorous Families Part 5
Posted:
Estimated: 8 minutes to read
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 poly family life. Third in the series came poly families’ strategies for dealing […] Read more “Children in Polyamorous Families Part 5”
Domestic Violence: Power and Rank Dynamics
Posted:
Estimated: 5 minutes to read
I practiced family law for 10 years, some 20 years ago now, taking on several domestic violence cases. The police would be called to a house because a man had physically beaten a woman. By the time the police got there, he had released his anger freely, privately; publicly, he presented as calm and rational. The woman, being less powerful, was less free to fight back and express her anger privately; feeling safer once the police had arrived, she was now free to express her terror, anger, and viewpoint.
Read more “Domestic Violence: Power and Rank Dynamics”
Misgendering: When You Make a Mistake
Posted:
Estimated: 6 minutes to read
Understanding Misgendering Misgendering is the act of attributing the wrong gender to someone. Using the wrong pronoun when talking about someone in the third person is a form of misgendering. The verb misgender can also describe any reference to a person in which they are gendered incorrectly. For example, saying “yes sir” to someone who […] Read more “Misgendering: When You Make a Mistake”
Children in Polyamorous Families, Part 4
Posted:
Estimated: 2 minutes to read
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 poly families with kids. Read more “Children in Polyamorous Families, Part 4”
Loving Bravely – Book Review
Posted:
Estimated: 1 minute to read
Clients are often interested in ways that they can do their own self-awareness and relationship work outside of their weekly hour of therapy. A great way to do this is by reading books that help you explore your inner experience and the relationships in your life.
With that in mind, I am really excited to share with you all a book that I had the pleasure to help create with it’s author Dr. Alexandra Solomon. The book is Loving Bravely: 20 Lessons of Self-Discovery to Help You Get the Love You Want. Read more “Loving Bravely – Book Review”
10 Things Happy Couples Do Differently
Posted:
Estimated: 5 minutes to read
[soliloquy id=”6983″] Kent Julian is a professional speaker and business owner. This slide show is an adaptation of his original post on his website, Live It Forward. Photo Credits: Photo 1 – A Smile Shared by Chi Tranter via Flickr CC CC BY 2.0 Photo 2 – couple by bambe1964 via Flickr CC BY-ND 2.0 Photo […] Read more “10 Things Happy Couples Do Differently”
Children in Polyamorous Families Part 3
Posted:
Estimated: 5 minutes to read
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 poly family life. Third in the series, this blog explains four strategies these kids use to deal with the disadvantages found in poly family life, including blending in, being careful who they told about their families, avoiding the issue completely, and negotiating with parents. Read more “Children in Polyamorous Families Part 3”
How to Establish Sexual Values
Posted:
Estimated: 7 minutes to read
This post was published by Sexology International, and can be found here. When it comes to sex and sexuality, everyone has an opinion. Some affix their ideas to a personal or political agenda; others use convenient generalizations to further less noble pursuits—to encourage people to buy pretty French lingerie or pricey sports cars, for example. […] Read more “How to Establish Sexual Values”
Children in Polyamorous Families Part 2
Posted:
Estimated: 4 minutes to read
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 polyamorous families. Advantages Children and young […] Read more “Children in Polyamorous Families Part 2”
Assertive Communication 101: Finding Your Assertive Voice
Posted:
Estimated: 8 minutes to read
I am passionate about interpersonal boundaries, and in order to have good boundaries, you need to tell others about them! Assertive communication is crucial to being able to set, clarify, and defend your boundaries and their consequences in relationships. I’m also motivated to write due to how many times I talk about this topic in therapy […] Read more “Assertive Communication 101: Finding Your Assertive Voice”
Children in Polyamorous Families Part 1
Posted:
Estimated: 6 minutes to read
Eli Sheff is considered a leading expert on polyamorous families with children. The following is the first in a series of five articles she wrote for Psychology Today about children in poly families. As public awareness of polyamorous families has risen over the past 20 years, so has concern over their impact on children. In order to […] Read more “Children in Polyamorous Families Part 1”
The Conflict with Conflict in Polyam Relationships
Posted:
Estimated: 7 minutes to read
Ever had conflict? Most people have had more conflict than they care to recall. Conflict is important to everyone and every relationship but when you are in a multi-partnered relationship good conflict skills become even more critical. On May 6, 2017, Rami Henrich, LCSW and I presented a workshop on applying the principle of deep […] Read more “The Conflict with Conflict in Polyam Relationships”
More to Love: Polyamory in the Real World
Posted:
Estimated: 8 minutes to read
On May 30, 2017, LifeWorks partner Rami Henrich, LCSW was part of an interview for Chicago Tonight which aired on Chicago’s PBS station WTTW regarding polyamorous relationships. In the on air interview, Rami shares her experience of being in a polyamorous relationship for over 34 years. She is joined in the interview by Caroline Kearns of Chicago Polyamory Connection […] Read more “More to Love: Polyamory in the Real World”
Shaming Methods in Popular Psychology
Posted:
Estimated: 6 minutes to read
David Bedrick, J.D., Dipl. PW, is a speaker, counselor, attorney, and teacher. He is the author of the acclaimed Talking Back to Dr. Phil: Alternatives to Mainstream Psychology and the forthcoming title Revisioning Activism: Bringing Depth, Dialogue, and Diversity to Individual and Social Change (Belly Song Press, 2017). The following article is posted with permission from David Bedrick, J.D., Dipl. PW. […] Read more “Shaming Methods in Popular Psychology”
What Basson’s Sexual Response Cycle Teaches Us About Sexuality
Posted:
Estimated: 9 minutes to read
The following article has been adapted from “Taking a Closer Look at Basson’s Model of the Sexual Response Cycle,” Jo Flannery’s article for Sexology International. It has been edited from its original format. To read the original article, click here. There is no one reason people choose to have sex. Rather, human beings become aroused […] Read more “What Basson’s Sexual Response Cycle Teaches Us About Sexuality”
How to Create Fulfilling Relationships After Experiences of Abuse
Posted:
Estimated: 8 minutes to read
We are pleased to share this article by our friend and colleague, Niyati Evers, MAPW, and diplomate in Process Work. Niyati is a sex-positive therapist with Alchemy of Eros, a Portland, Oregon-based professional counseling services organization that seeks to create a welcoming, non-judgmental space where people can explore issues around relationships, intimacy, power, passion, desire, […] Read more “How to Create Fulfilling Relationships After Experiences of Abuse”
Anam Cara: Soul Lessons From Anxiety & Panic
Posted:
There is a phrase in Gaelic, anam cara, which means “soul friend.” According to the Anam Cara Therapy Center in California, anam cara is: A teacher, companion or spiritual guide … where consciousness is dulled, distant or blind, its presence grows faint and vanishes. Therefore awareness which brings integration and healing, is one of the […] Read more “Anam Cara: Soul Lessons From Anxiety & Panic”