November 9, 2015
Contact:
Michael Aaron, PhD 646.580.8640
Dulcinea Pitagora, MA, LMSW 917.675.3446
info@AltSexNYCConference.org
AltSexNYConference.org/register
New York, NY—The organizers of the AltSex NYC Conference have announced that the first annual conference will be held in April of 2016 in midtown Manhattan, where clinicians, academics, and alt lifestyle community members will come together for a full day of sex-positive, alternative lifestyle affirmative, cutting edge research-based, and current practice-informed seminars and discussions presented by a stellar collection of New York City educators and mental health providers.
New York City prides itself on being a place that fosters diversity and intensity. Because there has not yet been a local conference organized around the needs of those who live in the alternative sexuality communities that thrive here, the AltSex NYC Conference will provide an arena to fill the gap in the clinical and educational discourse around alternative sexual practices and lifestyles.
The conference is pleased to host six distinguished speakers: Michael Aaron, Phd; Rosalyn Dischiavo, PhD; Margaret Nichols, PhD; David Ortmann, LCSW; Dulcinea Pitagora, MA, LMSW; and Zhana Vrangalova, PhD. The conference organizers and presenters are experts and professionals currently working clinically, teaching and conducting seminars, and/or conducting much needed research on the populations that have historically had access to minimal support and understanding of their lifestyles, behaviors, and relationship structures.
The phrase “alternative sexuality” is purposefully broad, and inclusive of non-conforming gender identifications and sexual orientations and an intersectionality of gender and sexual expressions. The AltSex NYC Conference is a forum designed to disseminate information in a respectful, sex positive, and affirmative manner, including but not limited to kink and BDSM, polyamory and consensual non-monogamy, non-binary identifications, and non-traditional relationship and kinship structures.
Conference organizer and sex therapist Dr. Michael Aaron’s mission is to: “empower individuals to enhance their sexual functioning through the expansion of sexual knowledge, emotional and relational awareness, and comfort and confidence in their own relationship to their sexuality.” He asserts, “Sexuality is at the core of our human identity. Being able to experience pleasure, creativity and fulfillment through sexual expression lies at the heart of our human existence.”
Conference organizer and therapist Dulcinea Pitagora adds, “I work with people in alternative lifestyles communities that have previously encountered biased care that has—in worst-case scenarios—pathologized them and reinforced internalized stigmatization and heterosexism, and—in best-case scenarios—missed opportunities for culturally competent care unrelated to their sexual practices. It’s time for New York City to become a place where every individual is recognized with respect and empowered to live their lives with dignity.”
The AltSex NYC Conference welcomes clinicians and educators both in and outside of these communities, and provides an environment in which to address personal biases around and lack of awareness of alternative lifestyles in order to create a strong local community of culturally competent providers of mental health support and education.
A portion of the AltSex NYC Conference proceeds will be donated to the Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternative Sexualities (CARAS) in appreciation of their continued dedication to supporting and promoting excellence in the study of alternative sexualities.
Program Approved: The AltSexNYC Conference has been approved by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as a continuing education provider (# 0314) for licensed social workers.
Program Approved: This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 6.5 AASECT CE Credits. These CE Credits may be applied toward AASECT certification and renewal of certification.
For more information and to register for the conference, visit AltSexNYCconference.org/register.
