Winner of the 2021 AASECT Book Award!

Winner of the SSTAR Professional Book Award 2021!

Winner of the SASH Media Award 2022!

The Leather Couch provides a comprehensive overview of the BDSM and kink community and guides clinicians on how to meet the unique relational and mental health needs of its members.

The text offers a 101-style introduction to BDSM before delving into topics ranging from intersectionality within the kink community, to conducting a kink-affirming risk assessment and how to discern between domestic violence and consensual power-exchange. The author explores differential diagnoses and clinical concerns that are relevant to health care providers, including social workers and therapists as well as primary care physicians and sex educators.

Interwoven throughout with real-world case studies, each chapter presents practical suggestions, tools, and handouts the reader can use to inform their practice and serve clients in ways that meet the needs of each individual, couple, or partnership.

Written in a conversational, accessible style for clinicians and members of the BDSM community alike, The Leather Couch is the go-to resource for any mental health professional or educator looking to transform their practice from kink aware to kink affirming.

Kink-Affirming Practice is an essential guide on how clinicians can ethically and effectively integrate elements of their client’s BSDM identities and practices into their treatment planning, creative interventions, and client self-care.

Embracing both an anthropological understanding of this diverse yet still marginalized community, as well as a sex-positive approach to mental health, Stefani Goerlich recognizes the ways in which specific power exchange dynamics can evoke positive behavioral changes in clients, and guides the reader in how to integrate these concepts into their clinical work. Chapters discuss the foundations of BDSM, what is meant by kink-affirming practice, the purpose of claiming power and ceding control, integrating and reclaiming identities, dominant/submissive personas, and the benefits of caregiving kink, such as pet play. It practically discusses how to conduct a kink-affirming risk assessment, as well as exploring topics like ethical and health boundary setting, how to gain informed consent, and the unique issues that arise when clinicians catch themselves romancing the kink.

This book is invaluable reading for professionals working with clients who engage in BDSM activities, such as marriage and family therapists, sex therapists, clinical social workers, and counselors. It may also be useful reading for students on both undergraduate and graduate level human sexuality and sexuality courses.