Practical Polyamory #6: Handling Relationship Transitions

The final session of this practical skills series for polyamorous/ENM folks new or experienced is about navigating change in relationships

The Practical Polyamory class series goes beyond the common ethical non-monogamy 101 topics like jealousy and vocabulary, offering ENM love and life skills in a warm, inclusive, irreverent atmosphere Taught by relationship educator and coach and lifelong polyamorist Rebecca Rose Vassy, it’s perfect for those new to ENM who want the tools to succeed. It’s also great for those more experienced in the polyamory/ENM worlds who want to dive deeper into skill-building or find solutions to thorny problems. Drop in on just the sessions that interest you (see the full series), or sign up for all six. Missed sessions you were interested in? Purchase the recordings and receive the notes and resources.

Relationships are never static– change is the only constant. We don’t spend enough time talking about some of the big transitions we can experience in ENM, so let’s start fixing that. How do you navigate a breakup, especially if you still have a shared polycule? What happens when two partners decide to get legally married when they also have other partners? Can you transition from lovers to friends (and maybe back again)? Is it a good idea for metas to become partners as well? This session will explore some very common situations and ways to handle them, but it’ll be heavy on the discussion– so bring your life experiences and the situations you’re worried about or wrestling with.

Your guide on this journey is Rebecca Rose Vassy, The Pincus Center’s resident educator as well as a sex, relationship, and body image coach with almost three decades of experience in polyamory. Her compassionate, inclusive style is down-to-earth and sometimes downright earthy. She meets you where you are, because she’s been there herself.

During this session, we’ll talk about:

• Why breakups don’t have to be a bad thing
• Managing the fallout when a breakup IS bad
• How to talk about it when two or more partners want to get married, move, nest, or have kids, and other partners don’t
• Relationship transitions that are more fluid without the escalator in place
• Making big decisions as partners or as a polycule
• Why it’s good to rarely say “never”

There will be time at the end of the session for Q&A and discussion, with an anonymous form for submitting anything you’re too shy to say out loud. Join us for this final session to explore how to make the most of all the seasons of love.

This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 2 CE credits. These CE credits may be applied toward AASECT certification and renewal of certification. Please select the CEU option at registration if you are eligible and wish to receive the certificate. You MUST attend the live session and confirm your attendance in the session to complete the requirements. Workshops offered by non-AASECT affiliated educators have been supervised and reviewed by an AASECT-certified supervisor. Completion of this program does not ensure or guarantee AASECT certification. For further information please contact info@aasect.org.

This class is virtual and will be recorded, with the link to the recording provided to all registrants. Sliding scale tiers are available, and you may also inquire about sliding scale accommodations at events@tamarapincus.com. Don’t forget to check out the other sessions in this series, and make sure to join our mailing list for workshop announcements, Ask a Sexpert, and free sexual and mental wellness resources!

Rebecca Rose Vassy is a sex, relationship, and body image educator and coach with The Pincus Center, creating blog posts and web-based resources in addition to her other work. As her alter ego Diva Darling, she is the host and producer of the erotic storytelling open mic Smut Slam DC, a burlesque performer and teacher, and the editor of Anonymous Sex Vol. I. She created and wrote the Blooms Blog for education-based adult store Lotus Blooms, where she was a resident educator; she has also taught for Black Rose, DC After Dark, Joe’s Movement Emporium, and numerous sex-positive and sacred sexuality festivals.

The Pincus Center for Inclusive Treatment and Education specializes in working with queer, transgender/nonbinary, kinky, and ethically non-monogamous/polyamorous people. We value sex positivity (including asexuality), body positivity and fat liberation, and racial justice.