Heather M. Garner is a Licensed Certified Social Worker Clinical (LCSW-C) with a private psychotherapy practice in Towson, Maryland where she provides individual and couples therapy and sex therapy. Heather is a kink and consensual non-monogamy/ “poly”-knowledgeable sex therapist with extensive experience treating couples and individuals in the kink community. She has found that while most people worry about the first step of contacting a therapist, members of the kink and poly communities often have a more difficult time entering into treatment. Members of these communities need to find a therapist who will not make his or her lifestyle choices an issue when it is not one. They also should not be responsible for educating their therapist about his or her interests, sexual activities or desires. In working with Heather, you will find a kink and consensually non-monogamous/ “poly”-knowledgeable, non-judgmental, compassionate sex therapist who has worked with a wide variety of clients with varying interests, roles, gender identities, sexual orientations, and relationship structures. As a member of AASECT, Heather values her clients’ individuality and sexuality and works with clients to encourage consensual, exploitation-free, honest, protected, and pleasurable encounters. In addition to her direct work with clients, Heather also believes strongly in education for the mental health, poly and kink communities. She teaches consensually non-monogamous and kink-based continuing education courses for mental health professionals and regularly presents at kink community and group events. Along with her work with consensually non-monogamous/ polyamorous persons, Heather has training in Trauma-Focused Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Grief Recovery, is a Certified Relational Life Therapy clinician (RLT), and she holds a certificate from the University of Michigan Sexual Health Certificate Program, Sex Therapy Track.
