Lunch & learn: BDSM & ethics

Описание: On February 14, 2024, the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW) invited members to join sex educator and Dalhousie MSW student Madeline Rae to consider BDSM (i.e. bondage, discipline; domination, submission; sadism, masochism) through the lens of social work ethics.

The session included a brief history of the pathologization and cultural formation of BDSM, followed by ethical considerations and community standards, and implications in law and the therapeutic context.

What do social workers need to know when engaging with community members and clients interested or involved in BDSM? How has pathologization harmed this community? Where do our assumptions and concerns around BDSM come from, and how should social workers respond?

Speaker profile

Madeline Rae (she/her) is a sex educator and writer living in K’jpuktuk, Mi’kma’ki. Rae holds a BFA honors and a BA in Psychology from Treaty 1 (Winnipeg, Manitoba). She is completing her clinical MSW at Dalhousie University, with plans to work as an AASECT certified sex therapist. Rae is trained in client-centered sex education, pro-choice reproductive and sexual health counseling, WPATH gender-affirming care, and harm reduction. Her work and research investigates the therapeutic potentials of BDSM, the ritual space of performance, pleasure activism, and the sensual reclamation of bodily autonomy.

Tracking professional development

For members of NSCSW, viewing and reflecting on this recording is eligible towards their annual requirements for formal professional development; a sample attestation template can be downloaded at https://nscsw.org/nscsw-attestation-o... for optional use as a verification document.

Participants may also choose to follow up after watching the webinar to participate in advocacy related to the session's content; such advocacy activities are eligible towards the requirement to complete annual training or activities related to social justice.

Visit https://nscsw.org/pd for more information about the professional development requirements for Nova Scotia social workers.

Resources

The webinar includes an excerpt from this longer video featuring gender theorist Judith Butler:    • Berkeley professor explains gender theory ...