"Without pleasure there is no life;
the struggle for pleasure is the struggle for life."
- Human, All Too Human by Friedrich Nietzsche
"After self-preservation, sex is the most important thing in life"
- Sex in Human Loving by Eric Berne
Too often, sex and sexuality only enter the therapy room when something’s gone wrong.
But many clients’ questions, fantasies, or struggles around sex are entirely normal—just hidden beneath layers of shame and misunderstanding.
If we can’t talk openly about desire, we cut off access to an entire realm of human experience.
And without that space, our clients are left stuck—longing for pleasure, connection, and freedom they never get to name.
Kink-Aware Clinical Training for Therapists and Mental Health Professionals
Work confidently with clients exploring k!nk, BD$M, desire, shame, and relational power dynamics
You’ve been trained to meet your clients with empathy, curiosity, and clinical skill.
But when k!nk, BD$M, or non-traditional power dynamics enter the room, many therapists hit a wall—not because they lack compassion, but because they were never given a roadmap. Instead there was silence. Maybe there was stigma, or vague warnings. Maybe there was discomfort in your own body. Or there still is.
Whether your clients bring fantasies of submission, lived D/s relationships, or shame-laced questions about their desires, your role isn’t to fix or flinch—it’s to understand. And to be a space where your clients don’t have to shrink to feel safe.
This isn’t about turning you into a k!nk expert.
It’s about expanding your presence so clients don’t have to collapse theirs.
This training is for you if:
You've ever frozen in the face of client erotic material.
You’re ready to expand your capacity—not your judgment.
You want to stop subtly shaming what you don't understand.
You want tools, language, and clarity—not just theory.
This is not a training in k!nk participation.*
This is a professional training in clinical competence, ethical inquiry, and non-shaming therapeutic presence.
Your clients don’t need you to be into it.
They need you to stay present.
* Trainings in k!nk and BD$M are available from the STIR. Contact us for details, or go here.
Why This Training Matters
Many clinicians receive little to no formal training in working with k!nk-aware, BD$M-practicing or sexually exploratory clients.
Without adequate training, therapists may unintentionally:
Reinforce shame
Misread healthy consensual dynamics as pathology
Miss signs of abuse
Avoid important conversations
Rupture trust with clients
This training will close these gaps.
What You'll Learn
This training helps you work with k!nk-aware and k!nk-curious clients—without moral panic, subtle shaming, or clinical shutdown.
You’ll walk away with tools to:
Better understand your clients' desires and interests.
Navigate power dynamics in therapy with clarity and confidence
Differentiate healthy consensual dynamics from coercive, exploitive, or abusive patterns.
Conduct k!nk-informed intakes and contracting conversations
De-shame desire while staying within your clinical role
Track your own somatic and emotional responses in session
Engage ethically with erotic transference and taboo material
Presented by Matthew Riven
Matthew is a coach and educator known for his candid, compassionate work around power, desire, and emotional integration. Drawing from 17+ years of experience with Transactional Analysis, Re-decision work, and Conscious K!nk, he supports clients and clinicians alike in navigating relational patterns, reclaiming agency, and engaging with desire as a source of growth—not pathology. And he does so while keeping you—and your clients—safe.
Matthew’s training as a Professional Dom offers a rare, embodied insight into power dynamics—without sensationalism. His teaching invites clinicians into deeper emotional intelligence, k!nk-competence, and grounded therapeutic presence. He provides you the means to maintain balance, especially when the material gets edgy.
Join the Waitlist for Upcoming In-Person Trainings
Limited in-person trainings are hosted in collaboration with therapy agencies and professional networks.
Trainings typically range from 10-20 participants.
If you're interested in hosting an in-person training, we’d love to collaborate. A minimum of 10–15 participants is typically required, depending on your location. Contact us for details.
"Without pleasure there is no life; the struggle for pleasure is the struggle for life."
- Human, All Too Human by Friedrich Nietzsche
"After self-preservation, sex is the most important thing in life"
- Sex in Human Loving by Eric Berne
Too often, sex and sexuality only enter the therapy room when something's gone wrong.
But many clients' questions, fantasies, or struggles around sex are entirely normal, just hidden beneath layers of shame and misunderstanding.
If we can't talk openly about desire, we cut off access to an entire realm of human experience.
And without that space, our clients are left stuck, longing for pleasure, connection, and freedom they never get to name.
K!nk-Aware Clinical Training for Therapists and Mental Health Professionals
Work confidently with clients exploring k!nk, BD$M, desire, shame, and relational power dynamics
You've been trained to meet your clients with empathy, curiosity, and clinical skill.
When k!nk, BD$M, or non-traditional power dynamics enter the room, a lot of therapists hit a wall. It's not something most were ever trained in. Instead, there was often silence. Sometimes stigma. Sometimes vague warnings. And sometimes a level of discomfort in your own body that's hard to name. Or that's still there.
Whether your clients bring fantasies of submission, lived D/s relationships, or shame-laced questions about their desires, your role isn't to fix or flinch, it's to understand. And to be a space where your clients don't have to shrink to feel safe.
This isn't about turning you into a k!nk expert.
It's about expanding your presence so clients don't have to collapse theirs.
This training is for you if:
You've ever frozen in the face of client erotic material.
You want to stop subtly shaming what you don't understand.
You're ready to expand your capacity, not your judgment.
You want tools, language, and clarity, not just theory.
This is not a training in k!nk participation.*
This is a professional training in clinical competence, ethical inquiry, and non-shaming therapeutic presence.
Your clients don't need you to be into it.
They need you to stay present.
* Trainings in k!nk and BD$M are available from STIR. Contact us for details, or go here.
Why This Training Matters
Many clinicians receive little to no formal training in working with k!nk-aware, BD$M-practicing or sexually exploratory clients.
Without adequate training, therapists may unintentionally:
Reinforce shame
Misread healthy consensual dynamics as pathology
Miss signs of abuse
Avoid important conversations
Rupture trust with clients
This training will close these gaps.
What You'll Learn
This training helps you work with k!nk-aware and k!nk-curious clients, without moral panic, subtle shaming, or clinical shutdown.
You'll walk away with tools to:
Better understand your clients' desires and interests.
Navigate power dynamics in therapy with clarity and confidence
Differentiate healthy consensual dynamics from coercive, exploitive, or abusive patterns.
Conduct k!nk-informed intakes and contracting conversations
De-shame desire while staying within your clinical role
Track your own somatic and emotional responses in session
Engage ethically with erotic transference and taboo material
Presented by Matthew Riven
Matthew Riven is a trained Pro-Dom and Certified Practitioner of Transactional Analysis, specializing in the intersection of k!nk, personal power, and conscious relationship. His work bridges psychology, play, and deep erotic embodiment, helping individuals and couples safely explore the parts of themselves that long for permission, intensity, surrender, and expression.
Matthew brings over 15 years of experience in group facilitation, emotional process work, and erotic education. Whether he's working with a couple exploring dominance and submission or guiding a group through somatic rituals and scene-building, his priority is always safety, consent, and co-regulation.
His approach centers on attunement, trust, and connection. Conscious K!nk creates a space where individuals and partners can explore power, sensation, and desire in ways that deepen emotional safety and strengthen relationships, not just in scenes, but in everyday life. It's about finding more honesty, more permission, and more pleasure, together.
Join the Waitlist for Upcoming Trainings
In-person trainings are hosted in collaboration with therapy agencies and professional networks.
Trainings typically range from 10-20 participants.
If you're interested in hosting an in-person training, we'd love to collaborate. A minimum of 10–15 participants is typically required, depending on your location. Contact us for details.
How Can I Support You Today?
Questions, logistics, bookings, or ideas for a training? Whether you’re looking to schedule a session, organize a workshop, or need help accessing your account, just send us a message. We’re here to help.
Copyright ⓒ 2026. All rights Reserved.
While the activity here may sound like ‘therapy’ it is not, and should not take the place of working with a licensed therapist.