Aspec, Autism & Kink: Supporting Therapy Clients

ABOUT

Join Dr. Kade Sharp (he/they) and Heidi Nielson (any), mental health professionals with lived experience, as they explain what research tells us about the intersection of kinky folks who are autistic and are somewhere on the asexual/aromantic spectrum… and how to apply that knowledge to supporting our therapy clients! This presentation will cover foundational knowledge, specific professional counseling ethics, and relevant clinical considerations that are important when supporting these intersecting populations. Special attention will be given to clients that are also trans, non binary, and many more non-cis.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Participants will identify the professional ethics surrounding supporting autistic, kinky, and a-spec clients.
Participants will analyze the unique needs of kinky autistic clients who are on the asexual/aromantic spectrum.
Participants will design a plan for continued education and honing their skills in regards to these intersecting populations.

Heidi Nielson (any)

Connect with Heidi:

Meet the Presenter:

Heidi Nielson is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associate (LMFTA) in the state of Washington who graduated from Capella University with a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in spring of 2024. They enjoy working with neurodiverse and queer individuals and couples. Heidi is familiar with many aspects of the CNM/ENM community as well as the BDSM community. Additionally, she is passionate about sex education, which includes education about asexuality and the aspec umbrella. Lived experience: white, queer, ace/aro, non-monogamous, adult diagnosed neurodivergent, anxiety, depression, trans, non binary and many more non cis people, secular Buddhist, TTRPG nerd, childfree, loss of loved ones to addiction. Learn more about Heidi at shortresttherapy.com.

Dr. Kade Sharp (he/they)

Connect with Kade:

Meet the Presenter:

Dr. Kade Sharp (he/they) is a queer autistic trans Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, Certified Sex Therapist, and Child Mental Health Specialist practicing in Washington state. He has his PhD in Clinical Sexology through Modern Sex Therapy Institutes. He specializes in supporting queer, trans and non binary autistic and AuDHD clients of all ages, as well as neurodivergent supervisees. Kade loves helping people figure out they’re autistic, playing board & card games, roleplaying, reality TV, true crime, and his 2 adopted senior cats. He also co-hosts a podcast called Aces Up Your Sleeve, where he and his co-host answer listener questions from an autistic and asexuality spectrum lens. You can find Kade at kadesharp.com, his podcast patreon.com/AcesUpYourSleevePodcast, and his training platform at cryptidlearns.com.

Rave Reviews from Previous Conferences

I learned more from this conference than I did from most of my grad school classes. As a queer nonbinary provider working with primarily queer and gender nonconforming folks, it is so important to hear from others who share these identities in how to best support and affirm my clients. I also really appreciated the letter writing training as it has allowed me to help so many clients access affirming care. I look forward to attending this upcoming year and continuing to listen and learn!

Every presenter was amazing and brought a wealth of information and experience to each session. I continue to use what I learned in the conference and in Van’s other trainings as a jumping off point to do my own self work and to better support my clients and the community. I've gotten so much out of previous conferences and I can't wait to attend this year's!

Attending this conference was a game-changer for me. It took me from being informed to embracing an affirming lens and practice, and I couldn't be more grateful for the experience. If you're looking to level up your understanding and support of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, trust me, the Do Something Identity(ies) conference is where it's at. You won't regret it!

As a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and addiction specialist, I was blown away by the quality of content and selection offered during the conference. The robust selection of top-notch presenters was impressive and the topics covered a wide array of timely and relevant material. I would strongly encourage anyone working in any helping profession to attend this conference if at all possible. It is exactly this kind of content and presentation that is needed in order for us to heal ourselves and those around us.