Byrd

Hi there! I’m Byrd (they/them/theirs/elle), a sex educator and relationship guide devoted to supporting diverse individuals and partnerships in co-creating fluid, personalized paths toward their goals, whether that means cultivating a more pleasurable sex life, improving communication, reducing conflict and more! I hold space for clients to explore topics around sexual health, relationships, and intimacy in an empathetic, collaborative environment. My goal is to be a collaborative advocate: someone who empowers people with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed, embodied decisions about their bodies, desires, and connections. 

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My specialities include troubleshooting pleasure, supporting communication and conflict navigation, working with queer and trans identities, and offering informed, empathetic care around disability, chronic illness (including ME/CFS, Long COVID, hEDS, POTS, and more), and neurodivergence. That said, you don’t need to fit into any specific category to work with me. I welcome individuals and relationships/couples of all identities, bodies, backgrounds, and relationship structures. If you’re looking for a nonjudgmental, collaborative space to explore sex, intimacy, or connection, you’re in the right place. My approach is always person-centered and relational, adaptable, through a culturally aware lens and grounded in your unique lived experience.

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I’ve received professional training from the Institute for Sexuality Education and Enlightenment (ISEE), the Sexual Health Alliance (SHA), and the Gottman Institute. I’m also committed to ongoing learning, regularly expanding my knowledge to stay current, inclusive, and responsive to the evolving needs of the communities I serve.

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I believe in creating nonjudgmental, affirming spaces. My work is deeply rooted in values that challenge oppressive and colonial systems. I operate from an anti-racist, anti-capitalist, queer and trans liberation, disability justice, trauma-informed, and Health at Every Size (HAES) framework, as well as being guided by empathy and radical acceptance. I am also a polyaffirmative and kink-knowledgable provider. Some of the ways we work together are somatic, body positive/neutral, sex positive, and relational.

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I consciously work outside of the therapy model. The typical therapeutic model has historically upheld systems of harm, particularly for marginalized communities, through structures like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). For example, the DSM had pathologized queerness and transness well into the 21st century. Moreover, many of the people I work with wouldn’t qualify for a diagnosis under the DSM, and they shouldn’t have to in order to receive support. As a sex and relationship educator, I’m able to meet people as they are, without requiring a diagnosis or a “problem to fix.” Together, we co-create expansive, adaptable paths that center lived experience. Because I’m not a therapist, I don’t bill insurance, and that comes with many benefits: your work with me stays entirely private, off insurance records, and outside of medicalized systems that can feel stigmatizing or invasive. This allows for greater autonomy, confidentiality, and choice in how you explore your sexual health and relationships. Moreover, there are many non-medicalised ways of healing that we can work on together, such as community-building, activism, self-diagnosis, education, sex-positivity, analysing the world around us through reading or social media, and more.