This three-hour workshop provides an overview of what you need to know to work with sex workers affirmatively and effectively in your practice. It will provide a brief overview of the laws that regulate sex work in Canada, and the impact these laws have on the lives of sex workers. Whorephobia and internalized whorephobia will be explored to understand how sex workers navigate complex interpersonal relationships with friends, family, lovers, dates, partners and clients. All workshops are approved by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association for Continuing Education Credits.
Katherine Van Meyl is a former sex worker and sex workers' rights activist with over 15 years of experience in the industry. As part of her work with POWER (Prostitutes of Ottawa-Gatineau, Work, Educate, Resist), CASWLR (Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform) and NSWP (Global Network of Sex Work Projects), she advocated for the full decriminalization of sex work and supported sex workers through community building and development. As a clinician, Katherine adopts a psychodynamic perspective in the treatment of couples and individuals with non-normative lifestyles and/or identities such as those in the kink/BDSM, sex worker, poly and/or queer community.