ndividuals with marginalized sexual orientations and/or sexual identities (MOGI) encounter numerous interrelated challenges, including stigma, discrimination, and violence in social, educational, and professional environments; heightened risk of mental health issues due to social isolation and abuse; barriers to accessing vital health and support services; and rejection from families or communities, often resulting in homelessness and further marginalization. These challenges are compounded by cultural misunderstandings, intersecting forms of exclusion, and gaps in societal and institutional support. Addressing them requires a collective effort to advance inclusion, equity, and community acceptance for people of all MOGI, ensuring their dignity and rights are respected and upheld.

In response to these realities, we invite those supporting MOGI-diverse individuals and members of their communities to join us for this series of professional dialogues moderated by Jimmy Widdifield, Jr., and David Prescott. Created to foster meaningful and respectful conversations, these sessions provide a space for professionals to openly explore the challenges faced by individuals with diverse MOGIE. Through shared experiences, expert insights, and practical guidance, attendees will gain strategies to strengthen advocacy, promote inclusive practices, and build effective allyship—helping to foster environments where all people can live authentically and thrive.

In this training, Dr. Kate Lucre—an expert in treating relational trauma and attachment issues—explores the relationship between safeness and play, and why both are central to meaningful therapeutic work across client populations. Her approach is grounded in compassion-focused therapy and related modalities.

Drawing on the work of Donald Winnicott, particularly his contributions to developmental psychology and early parent–infant relationships, Dr. Lucre conceptualizes therapy as a shared “play space”: a relational field in which insight, experimentation, and integration can emerge. When safeness is absent, however, therapy can quickly constrict, leaving clients entrenched in rigidity, over-intellectualization, or emotional withdrawal. Moreover, both safeness and play may themselves feel threatening, particularly in the context of complexity and vulnerability.

ndividuals with marginalized sexual orientations and/or sexual identities (MOGI) encounter numerous interrelated challenges, including stigma, discrimination, and violence in social, educational, and professional environments; heightened risk of mental health issues due to social isolation and abuse; barriers to accessing vital health and support services; and rejection from families or communities, often resulting in homelessness and further marginalization. These challenges are compounded by cultural misunderstandings, intersecting forms of exclusion, and gaps in societal and institutional support. Addressing them requires a collective effort to advance inclusion, equity, and community acceptance for people of all MOGI, ensuring their dignity and rights are respected and upheld.

In response to these realities, we invite those supporting MOGI-diverse individuals and members of their communities to join us for this series of professional dialogues moderated by Jimmy Widdifield, Jr., and David Prescott. Created to foster meaningful and respectful conversations, these sessions provide a space for professionals to openly explore the challenges faced by individuals with diverse MOGIE. Through shared experiences, expert insights, and practical guidance, attendees will gain strategies to strengthen advocacy, promote inclusive practices, and build effective allyship—helping to foster environments where all people can live authentically and thrive.

Moderated by Robin Wilson—an internationally recognized expert in this area—and David Prescott, these sessions offer a structured yet supportive forum for professionals to explore assessment, diagnostic formulation, and treatment considerations related to sexual interests involving minors. Each session will begin with a focused topic and expand into an interactive, participant-driven discussion grounded in clinical experience and current research.

ndividuals with marginalized sexual orientations and/or sexual identities (MOGI) encounter numerous interrelated challenges, including stigma, discrimination, and violence in social, educational, and professional environments; heightened risk of mental health issues due to social isolation and abuse; barriers to accessing vital health and support services; and rejection from families or communities, often resulting in homelessness and further marginalization. These challenges are compounded by cultural misunderstandings, intersecting forms of exclusion, and gaps in societal and institutional support. Addressing them requires a collective effort to advance inclusion, equity, and community acceptance for people of all MOGI, ensuring their dignity and rights are respected and upheld.

In response to these realities, we invite those supporting MOGI-diverse individuals and members of their communities to join us for this series of professional dialogues moderated by Jimmy Widdifield, Jr., and David Prescott. Created to foster meaningful and respectful conversations, these sessions provide a space for professionals to openly explore the challenges faced by individuals with diverse MOGIE. Through shared experiences, expert insights, and practical guidance, attendees will gain strategies to strengthen advocacy, promote inclusive practices, and build effective allyship—helping to foster environments where all people can live authentically and thrive.