Heath Schechinger, Ph.D.

Practice consensual non-monogamy & have one or more intersecting identities (e.g. identify as a person of color, as LGBTQIA+, as disabled or neurodivergent, and/or of a religious minority)? Please consider taking this anonymous survey by researchers involved with @div44cnm. The goal is to better understand intersectional CNM issues. Survey length ~ 20 minutes. ... Knowing that media coverage of polyamory tends to privilege white, heteronormative, able-bodied, class-privileged narratives, we are undertaking this study with the following intentions: -to visiblize the lives and experiences of people who identify as polyamorous or non-monogamous, and are who marginalized within this dominant lens; -to understand their lived experience of anti-CNM stigma, as well as their level of social support; -to document, in their own words, what they experience as positive, meaningful, and affirming about CNM relationships and identity. We appreciate your help in getting this study out the world, and forwarding it to individuals or communities for whom it is relevant. https://baruch.az1.qualtrics.com/j/form/SV_aWdVH2K8kO4Mm3P #polyamory #CNM

Informative and concise article in Men's Health about what #Polyamory is and and why it's gaining popularity. https://www.menshealth.com//what-is-polyamory-gaining-pop/ #CNM #Diversity

Pleased to announce that the APA Division 44 Consensual Non-monogamy Taskforce's request that the APA online Psychologist Locator (https://locator.apa.org/) add categories for CNM & Kink/BDSM/Fetish Sexualities was approved by the APA Committee on Sexual Orientation & Gender Diversity (CSOGD). The CSOGD was asked by the APA Psychology Locator leadership to review our request (http://bit.ly/APAPsychologistLocator) and make a recommendation. The CSOGD recently wrote a letter to... the APA Chief of Professional Practice recommending categories for Sexual Orientation and for Sexuality/Relationships and adding subcategories for Consensual Non-monogamy and Kink/BDSM/Fetish Sexualities, which aligns with our request. This historic step toward inclusion acknowledges the legitimacy of the CNM and kink communities and (assuming the recommendations are accepted) will help eliminate a barrier and improve access to culturally-affirming healthcare. This also enhances the strength of our requests to Psychology Today and other healthcare/therapy directories in our ongoing efforts to make it easier for these communities to find therapists who are equipped to meet their needs. My sincere thanks to all the members of our team who collaborated on this project and to the Division 44 APA: Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity leadership for their ongoing support. #Polyamory #Diversity

Excited to pass along an update about our request add CNM and Kink-inclusive language to the APA Psychologist Locator. #consensualnonmonogamy #CNM #diversity #relationships #inclusive #apadiv44cnm #polyamory

I wanted to pass along that Psychology Today (finally) added "Open Relationships Non-Monogamy" as a search term on their find a therapist directory! We've been reaching out to Psychology Today on behalf of the Consensual Non-Monogamy Task Force - APA Division 44 about adding a CNM-inclusive category to their therapist locator directory since February 2018 so I couldn't be more thrilled about this update. While we do not know the specific influence our emails had and there ma...y have been other allies requesting this change as well, we know their leadership was made aware of our arguments and had been taking it into consideration for some time. They also made a number of other inclusive changes, such as adding "Sex Positive, Kink Allied." While we do not know the specific influence our emails had and there may have been other allies requesting this change as well, we know their leadership was made aware of our arguments and had been taking it into consideration for some time. They also made a number of other inclusive changes, such as adding "Sex Positive, Kink Allied." This feels like a historic moment and another poignant shift in our cultural acceptance of diverse forms of sexuality and relationships. We now have a team of seven on our Healthcare Provider Locator Team and having the largest therapist directory on board will make our requests to other provider directories much easier to make. Therapists with Psychology Today profiles who have training in these areas, please update your profile to reflect this, making it easier for folks in the community to find you. You can read more about the arguments that I put together for Psychology Today and other healthcare provider locator directories on my blog: https://www.drheathschechinger.com//cnm-on-healthcare-prov You can also access our resources, including brochures for your therapist and medical providers, as well as best practices for therapists on our website: https://www.div44cnm.org/resources A very sincere thanks to Dr. Amy Moors for all the feedback on drafts and strategy along the way- there's nobody I'd rather be doing this work with. A special thanks as well to Dr. Elisabeth Sheff for connecting us with her contact at Psych Today, and to Cris Beasley for reviewing and editing my blog post. #polyamory #therapy #psychology #CNM #inclusivity #love #relationships #diversity

Honored to have our work with the APA Division 44 Consensual Non-Monogamy Task Force covered by Polyamory in the News. We also recently had a high-ranking official in the APA express interest in the Task Force. The landscape regarding love & relationships is changing as #Polyamory & #CNM are being taken seriously. This is just the beginning as the world continues to consider the impact of assuming that we all are or should be monogamous.

Here's a great review of some the key 2018 research findings on consensual non-monogamy. https://www.psychologytoday.com//consensual-non-monogamy-y #polyamory #CNM #relationships #monogamy

I was recently interviewed by Goop on consensual non-monogamy and polyamory. I'm excited that the topic is starting to reach such a broad audience. As I mention in the article, nearly half of marriages end in divorce and infidelity is consistently listed as one of the top reasons for separation. It seems we are all likely to benefit from creating more space and safety in relationships to discuss our desire for novelty or connection with others, regardless of whether the individuals involved decide to open their relationship. If we remove judgment around extradyadic attraction, it will be easier to be fully honest with each other. CNM is not the enemy; it is an effort to promote honesty and integrity about our authentic experience. https://goop.com//a-therapist-on-polyamory-and-consensual/

Here's a summary by Dr. Justin Lehmiller on our article about the unique and shared benefits of CNM & monogamy: https://www.lehmiller.com//the-unique-benefits-of-a-consen

If you haven't already, please consider signing our petition to support relationship diversity in mental health, medical health, and the legal profession: https://airtable.com/shrdP9C8TTR7Vdm8e This is part of our ongoing effort to normalize ethical non-monogamy and justify our calls for greater inclusivity in these fields.... We've also compiled resources related to CNM that you get access to for signing the petition. The petition also provides an option to sign up for our mailing list so you can stay informed on updates from the APA Division 44 Consensual Non-monogamy Task Force.

Delighted to have my recent blog post picked up by the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF): http://www.ncsfreedom.org//guest-blog-what-therapists-need https://www.facebook.com/NCSFreedom/posts/1986069374765784... Thank you for the support! #polyamory #therapy #relationships #psychology #nonmonogamy #NCSF

In an interview with Vogue Australia, I was also asked if #polyamory is immutable. I referenced Diamond & Rosky (2016), who fundamentally question the utility immutability (i.e., "born this way") arguments because they consider them to be (1) unscientific because longitudinal studies find changes in sexual attraction over time, (2) unnecessary because justifying rights of sexual minorities can be found outside immutability, & (3) unjust because of potential to privilege "consistent" identities. What do you think?