A non-traditional approach to effectively working with the Age-play and AB/DL communities Rhoda Lipscomb, PhD, LPC, CST AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, Alternative Sexuality Specialist and Coach Who am I? • PhD in Clinical Sexology – Dissertation on the mental health experience of those who identify as AB/DL • Been working with this population for almost 10 years • Actively speak to the AB/DL community to dispel the negative image of the mental health community • Actively speak to train/educate therapists/educators how to understand and effectively work with this unique community • Working to help create and launch the first AB/DL focused research institute What are the unique challenges of working effectively with the AB/DL community? • Lack of trust in the mental health community • Practitioners have little to no education about the AB/DL community • Practitioners often have little education about sexuality in general and even less about alternative areas of sexual expression • Traditional psychotherapy approaches often are counter-intuitive (and cause more harm) when working with this community Understanding Adult babies, diaper lovers, age-play • AB/DL is a continuum • AB: can be sexually fetishistic, yet also possible to be non-sexual. More of an ego state or identity • DL: a sexual fetish by classic definition • Majority of AB/DL: 93% report finding diapers to be sexually arousing, yet most, 57% find a human sexual partner more arousing than diapers Issues most commonly seen in Therapy • Shame • Guilt • Embarrassment • Fear of being judged or thought pedophile • Learning self-acceptance • Explaining it to partner/family Benefits of therapy • Self-acceptance • Stress/anxiety reduction • Improve depression • Anger reduction • Sleep • Acceptance of partner/family • Balance between Big and Little side How did I figure this out? •Story of “Bob” Acceptance Approach to Therapy • More the a “Carl Rogers” approach – need to be knowledgeable of AB/DL community, activities, mind-set so you can know what unique behaviors are healthy vs. unhealthy • Understand how using unique AB/DL behaviors can actually treat the issues of anxiety, depression, anger, sleeplessness • Focus on acceptance of a wide range of alternative sexual behaviors as healthy, beneficial and more common than typically thought Traditional psychotherapy approach vs. Acceptance approach Connie Rhoda • Thoughts about wanting to “stop or • Help him find balance in amount of time taper” wearing diapers • Uncomfortable with him wearing 24 hours • Explore thoughts of punishment/spanking. a day Could there be other kink/BDSM areas of enjoyment? Normalize kinky desires • Belief that enjoyment of • Explore porn & masturbation use. Does he punishment/spanking must be related to have a sexual partner and is there a desire to upbringing have a partner? If so, work on dating/finding • Concerned about porn use and kink accepting partner. masturbating 2x a day • Help him find balance between AB and adult side to give him better success Questions?.