The Pincus Center

What Happens in Vagus: An Introduction to Polyvagal Theory
2025-04-03 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Online Event

DC Sex Positive Professionals Networking Happy Hour
2025-04-04 17:00 - 19:00 | as you are, 500 8th Street SE, DC, WA, 200003, United States
Come and meet other DC sex positive professionals.

April Drop-in Support Group for Mono/CNM Relationships
2025-04-09 20:00 - 21:30 | Online Event
Our coaching support group for relationships where one partner wants monogamy and the other wants nonmonogamy, led by an expert coach. Open to people who are considering enrolling in the 6-week structured support group, but designed primarily for alumni of that 6-week program who want ongoing support. Sign up on Eventbrite.

May Drop-in Support Group for Mono/CNM Relationships
2025-05-14 20:00 - 21:30 | Online Event

Queer Community Connections Happy Hour
2025-05-16 17:00 - 19:00 | Her Diner, 2004 18th Street Northwest, Washington, DC, 20009, United States
A community-building event for queer people to come together and create lasting connections in a positive, inclusive space. Hosted by the Queer Mental Health Initiative.

Make a Splash! A Fabulous Fat Pool Party
2025-06-21 14:00 - 17:00 | Private Residence, VA, United States
Come play in the sun with other fab fatties & allies at a private, inclusive party for adults by body-affirming professionals & activists.

Alexandria LGBTQ+ Pride Fair
2025-06-28 15:00 - 18:00 | Alexandria City Hall, 301 King St, Alexandria, 22314, United States
Find our table at Alexandria’s LGBTQ+ Pride Fair for free goodies!

Creating and Maintaining Polyamorous Families
2025-07-10 19:00 - 20:00 | Online Event
In celebration of the Week of Visibility for Non-monogamy, the Pincus Center is collaborating with Sheff Consulting to offer a workshop on creating and maintaining polyamorous families. We will discuss issues such as how people manage multiple partnerships, how to come out in various settings, where it makes sense to come out or not, how to raise children in poly homes, and legal issues facing polyamorous families.
Elisabeth Sheff, author of The Polyamorists Next Door, will present the results of her Longitudinal Polyamorous Family Study. Following this we will have an open discussion where questions from attendees are welcome.
Tamara Pincus is a licensed clinical social worker and AASECT certified sex therapist who runs The Pincus Center which offers therapy, coaching and sex education. She specializes in working with kinky, polyamorous and LGBTQ clients. Tamara has been working in the field of sex therapy since 2011 and since then has built a practice with a team of 11. Tamara is passionate about racial justice, fat justice and LGBTQ rights. She also co-authored a book titled “It’s Called Polyamory: Coming Out About Your Non-Monogamous Relationships” with Rebecca Hiles. She lives in Virginia in a queer polyamorous household of chaos.
Dr. Eli Sheff is the foremost academic expert on polyamorous families with children, and has more than 25 years’ experience researching consensual nonmonogamies. Dr. Eli has a PhD in sociology and is a Certified Sexuality Educator who has written four books and 30+ academic articles on CNM and BDSM/kinky sex. She serves as a relationship coach, educator, and expert witness. She has appeared on hundreds of podcasts, television shows, and media interviews with outlets from NPR, National Geographic, and the New York Times, to Cosmopolitan and Savage Love. Dr. Eli blogs for Psychology Today and always wants to make friends with dogs.
The Pincus Center for Inclusive Treatment and Education specializes in working with queer, transgender/nonbinary, kinky, and ethically non-monogamous/polyamorous people. We value sex positivity (including asexuality), body positivity and fat liberation, and racial justice.
The Week of Visibility is a shared, movement-wide activity being coordinated by OPEN, a grassroots advocacy nonprofit working to advance rights and acceptance for non-monogamous families and relationships.

Sex Positive Professionals Pool Party
2025-07-12 14:00 - 17:00 | Private Residence, VA, United States
Come network at our body positive pool party for therapists, educators, and others in the sexuality field.

Monthly Drop-in Support Group for Mono/CNM Mixed Relationships
2025-09-10 20:00 - 21:30 | Online Event
This drop-in group is designed to offer support for people who are in mixed dynamic relationships in which one partner wants an exclusive relationship, and another partner wants an open or multiple partner relationship. Designed for individuals, couples, and polycules/collections of associated people who are searching for a way to manage differences in what form of relationship they want, this group offers a judgement-free zone to explore exclusive and open relationships without pressure to choose either one.
About your facilitator
Dr. Elisabeth “Eli” Sheff (she/her) has researched polyamorous families with children for over 25 years. She is the author of four books, 30+ peer-reviewed publications, and 130+ blogs on Psychology Today, with 10+ years’ experience coaching people facing challenges with CNM and BDSM. Dr. Eli specializes in the mono/CNM mismatch because she intellectualized her fear, and has been the mono partner in two CNM/mono marriages. Her super-power is combining research findings and trends gleaned from her coaching practice with personal insights to understand if, when, and how mono/CNM relationships can work or not.
This group is virtual and will be recorded, with the link to the recording provided to all registrants. Sliding scale tiers are available, please inquire about sliding scale accommodations at events@tamarapincus.com
The Pincus Center for Inclusive Treatment and Education specializes in working with queer, transgender/nonbinary, kinky, and ethically non-monogamous/polyamorous people. We value sex positivity (including asexuality), body positivity and fat liberation, and racial justice.

Mono/CNM Mixed Dynamic Relationship Structured Support Group
2025-09-17 20:00 - 21:30 | Online Event
Are you are in a mixed-dynamic mono/CNM relationship, where one person wants exclusivity and another person wants multiple partners? Could you use some support figuring out if/how to navigate that complexity? Then consider joining Dr. Elisabeth “Eli” Sheff for a 6-week structured support group. From September 17th, 24th, October 1, 8, 15,22 we will meet every Wednesday evening at 5 pm Pacific/8 pm Eastern time for information, discussion, questions, and support.
This is a hybrid support group/informational course that combines brief power point presentations on key ideas, large and small group discussions, and homework assignments. Each session lasts for six weeks, with live online meetings once a week.
Each week has a specific focus and homework, so the series is more structured than the usual support group, but it is more discussion-focused than a true class. For more information and registration see the link below. For questions, contact Dr. Eli at drelisheff@gmail.com. Sliding scale is available; please contact us at events@tamarapincus.com to discuss it.
About your facilitator
Dr. Elisabeth “Eli” Sheff (she/her) has researched polyamorous families with children for over 25 years. She is the author of four books, 30+ peer-reviewed publications, and 130+ blogs on Psychology Today, with 10+ years’ experience coaching people facing challenges with CNM and BDSM. Dr. Eli specializes in the mono/CNM mismatch because she intellectualized her fear, and has been the mono partner in two CNM/mono marriages. Her super-power is combining research findings and trends gleaned from her coaching practice with personal insights to understand if, when, and how mono/CNM relationships can work or not.

October Drop-in Support Group for Mono/CNM Relationships
2025-10-08 20:00 - 21:30 | Online Event
This drop-in group is designed to offer support for people who are in relationships in which one partner wants an exclusive relationship (monogamy) and another partner wants an open relationship (consensual non-monogamy / CNM). Open to individuals, couples, and polycules/collections of associated people who are searching for a way to manage differences in what form of relationship they want. This group offers a judgement-free zone to explore exclusive and open relationships without pressure to choose either one.
Sign up on Eventbrite.

About your facilitator
Dr. Elisabeth “Eli” Sheff (she/her) has researched polyamorous families with children for over 25 years. She is the author of four books, 30+ peer-reviewed publications, and 130+ blogs on Psychology Today, with 10+ years’ experience coaching people facing challenges with CNM and BDSM. Dr. Eli specializes in the mono/CNM mismatch because she intellectualized her fear, and has been the mono partner in two CNM/mono marriages. Her super-power is combining research findings and trends gleaned from her coaching practice with personal insights to understand if, when, and how mono/CNM relationships can work or not.
This group is virtual. Sliding scale tiers are available; please inquire about sliding scale accommodations at events@tamarapincus.com.
The Pincus Center for Inclusive Treatment and Education specializes in working with queer, transgender/nonbinary, kinky, and ethically non-monogamous/polyamorous people. We value sex positivity (including asexuality), body positivity and fat liberation, and racial justice.

Maximizing Pleasure: Sex and Neurodivergence
2025-10-29 19:00 - 20:30 | Online Event
People with ADHD, autism, and other forms of neurodivergence often struggle to get what they need out of sexual relationships and situations. In this workshop, we will discuss how neurodiversity can affect sexuality and give strategies for how to help navigate sensory, communication, and relational differences so you can have the best sex possible.
Sign up on Eventbrite.

Learning Objectives:
1. After completing this training, participants will be able to identify at least 2 ways to accommodate sensory sensitivities in sex.
2. Participants in this training will be able to identify at least 2 strategies for communicating with partners around sexual needs related to neurodivergence.
This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 1 CE credits. These CE credits may be applied toward AASECT certification and renewal of certification. Please select the CEU option at registration if you are eligible and wish to receive the certificate. You MUST attend the live session and confirm your attendance in the session to complete the requirements. Workshops offered by non-AASECT affiliated educators have been supervised and reviewed by an AASECT-certified supervisor. Completion of this program does not ensure or guarantee AASECT certification. For further information please contact info@aasect.org.

This class is virtual and will be recorded, with the link to the recording provided to all registrants. Sliding scale tiers are available, and you may also inquire about sliding scale accommodations at events@tamarapincus.com. Don’t forget to check out our other trainings, and make sure to join our mailing list for workshop announcements, Ask a Sexpert, and free sexual and mental wellness resources!

About your facilitators:
Tamara Pincus, LICSW (she/her) is a licensed clinical social worker and AASECT certified sex therapist who runs The Pincus Center which offers therapy, coaching and sex education. She specializes in working with kinky, polyamorous and LGBTQ clients. Tamara has been working in the field of sex therapy since 2011 and since then has built a practice with a team of 11. Tamara is passionate about racial justice, fat justice and LGBTQ rights. She also co-authored a book titled “It’s Called Polyamory: Coming Out About Your Non-Monogamous Relationships” with Rebecca Hiles. She lives in Virginia in a queer polyamorous household of chaos.
Reese Hebrank, LCSW-C (he/him) is a queer, polyamorous, transgender clinician with The Pincus Center for Inclusive Treatment and Education. He received his MSW from the University of Southern California and previously worked in public mental health care, as well as doing mobile crisis and emergency care. He specializes in trauma recovery, gender identity, neurodiversity, and– as a person with disabilities and the parent of a child with disabilities– the experience of ableism.
The Pincus Center for Inclusive Treatment and Education specializes in working with queer, transgender/nonbinary, kinky, and ethically non-monogamous/polyamorous people. We value sex positivity (including asexuality), body positivity and fat liberation, and racial justice.

Great Sex in Late Stage Capitalism
2025-11-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Online Event
Audre Lorde taught us that caring for ourselves is “not self-indulgence, it is an act of political resistance.” Late stage capitalism and the current political climate can cause toxic dynamics to infiltrate our sexual expression and experiences. In this class, we will discuss ways to use our sexuality to promote political and social justice, and to undo problematic dynamics we wish to avoid. We will center pleasure activism and define ways we can enact self-preservation against these systems. We will present tangible tools that can be used to promote pleasure and justice in our sexual worlds. Join us!
Sign up on Eventbrite.

Learning Objectives:
1. List 3 ways political stress and external systems can impact sexual pleasure and functioning.
2. Identify at least 2 ways to use sexual expression to undo problematic political ideas or capitalist concepts.
This program meets the requirements of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and is approved for 1 CE credits. These CE credits may be applied toward AASECT certification and renewal of certification. Please select the CEU option at registration if you are eligible and wish to receive the certificate. You MUST attend the live session and confirm your attendance in the session to complete the requirements. Workshops offered by non-AASECT affiliated educators have been supervised and reviewed by an AASECT-certified supervisor. Completion of this program does not ensure or guarantee AASECT certification. For further information please contact info@aasect.org.
This class is virtual and will be recorded, with the link to the recording provided to all registrants. Sliding scale tiers are available, and you may also inquire about sliding scale accommodations at events@tamarapincus.com. Don’t forget to check out our other trainings and make sure to join our mailing list for workshop announcements, Ask a Sexpert, and free sexual and mental wellness resources!

About your facilitators:
Tamara Pincus, LICSW (she/her) is a licensed clinical social worker and AASECT certified sex therapist who runs The Pincus Center which offers therapy, coaching and sex education. She specializes in working with kinky, polyamorous and LGBTQ clients. Tamara has been working in the field of sex therapy since 2011 and since then has built a practice with a team of 11. Tamara is passionate about racial justice, fat justice and LGBTQ rights. She also co-authored a book titled It’s Called Polyamory: Coming Out About Your Non-Monogamous Relationships with Rebecca Hiles. She lives in Virginia in a queer polyamorous household of chaos.
Ling-Yun Garada-Lin, MSW (she/they) is a queer, Chinese, neurodivergent activist and lifelong learner with a decade of experience in housing stability and emergency services in the DC-Northern Virginia area. Their therapeutic work includes facilitating group therapy for disordered eating, LGBTQIA+ peer support, mindfulness, and substance use disorder. They take an integrative approach rooted in Critical Race Theory, CBT, mindfulness, and creative expression, focusing on BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities while welcoming all navigating relationships, transitions, trauma, mental health, and identity.
The Pincus Center for Inclusive Treatment and Education specializes in working with queer, transgender/nonbinary, kinky, and ethically non-monogamous/polyamorous people. We value sex positivity (including asexuality), body positivity and fat liberation, and racial justice.

November Drop-in Support Group for Mono/CNM Relationships
2025-11-12 20:00 - 21:30 | Online Event
This drop-in group is designed to offer support for people who are in relationships in which one partner wants an exclusive relationship (monogamy) and another partner wants an open relationship (consensual non-monogamy / CNM). Open to individuals, couples, and polycules/collections of associated people who are searching for a way to manage differences in what form of relationship they want. This virtual group offers a judgement-free zone to explore exclusive and open relationships without pressure to choose either one.
Sign up on Eventbrite.

About your facilitator
Dr. Elisabeth “Eli” Sheff (she/her) has researched polyamorous families with children for over 25 years. She is the author of four books, 30+ peer-reviewed publications, and 130+ blogs on Psychology Today, with 10+ years’ experience coaching people facing challenges with CNM and BDSM. Dr. Eli specializes in the mono/CNM mismatch because she intellectualized her fear, and has been the mono partner in two CNM/mono marriages. Her super-power is combining research findings and trends gleaned from her coaching practice with personal insights to understand if, when, and how mono/CNM relationships can work or not.
The Pincus Center for Inclusive Treatment and Education specializes in working with queer, transgender/nonbinary, kinky, and ethically non-monogamous/polyamorous people. We value sex positivity (including asexuality), body positivity and fat liberation, and racial justice.

Tools for Pleasure: Sex Toys 101
2025-12-02 19:00 - 20:30 | Online Event
Are you an adult who’s never had a sex toy or you want to grow your current collection? Maybe you saw a certain mechanical rose trending on social media and are curious what all the hype is about. Maybe you’ve only ever used toys during solo time and are looking to use them with partners. Or maybe you’re thinking about gifting your significant other(s) an extra special something this holiday season, but you’re unsure where to start.
Join Bria Noelle, sex educator with The Pincus Center and Lotus Blooms, to learn the basics on adult toys. We’ll discuss different types of toys, tips for buying toys for yourself and others, and how to communicate to your partner(s) that you want to use toys. Content will be mostly discussion-based with at least 15 minutes of audience Q&A.
Sign up on Eventbrite.

This class is open to all genders, sexualities, and relationship structures. It is aimed at the general public and sex educators/therapists. AASECT CE’s are available. The event is virtual and will be recorded, with the link to the recording provided to all registrants. Sliding scale pricing is available. Please email events@tamarapincus.com with any questions.
About your facilitator:
Bria Noelle, MA (she/her) is a sex educator, marketing professional, and reproductive justice activist with a graduate degree in Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. She has worked in sexual & reproductive health for four years and brings lived experience as a bisexual woman who grew up in the Southern US. In her spare time, Bria volunteers as an abortion clinic escort with the Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force.
The Pincus Center for Inclusive Treatment and Education specializes in working with queer, transgender/nonbinary, kinky, and ethically non-monogamous/polyamorous people. We value sex positivity (including asexuality), body positivity and fat liberation, and racial justice.
Lotus Blooms is an adult boutique in Alexandria, Virginia that fosters a comfortable, sex-positive environment through education and body-safe products. They offer a diverse collection featuring body-positive lingerie and steel-boned corsets, vibrators & BDSM gear, as well as instructional books, hypoallergenic lubricants and massage products. They are welcoming of all identities and experience levels and the education-focused staff works hard to answer customer questions that meet customers where they are in a shame-free and easy-to-understand way.

Freaky Holidays: Managing Family as a Sex/Gender Non-Conformist
2025-12-04 20:00 - 21:30 | Online Event
Dealing with families of origin can be challenging for everyone and the difficulty level can be even higher for people who live outside of their family’s expectations around sexuality, relationships, and/or gender. What do you do when you are going to be with family members over the holidays who run the gamut from clueless but harmless to outright hostile? It is good to know that you are not alone in feeling nervous about spending time with family members.
This workshop offers participants strategies for what to do before, during, and after holiday visits with family members who might not understand sex and gender diversity. In this workshop we will discuss methods for how and when to come out if you haven’t yet told your family about changes in your life, cultivating allies to help each other during stressful interactions, and ways to set yourself up for successful survival. We will consider how to prepare for difficult conversations, avoid scenes you have no interest in entertaining, make escape plans if things get out of hand, and plan for aftercare once the visit is over. Participants will be able to bring up specific concerns and scenarios and we can brainstorm solutions using the power of group support.

Sign up on Eventbrite.

About your facilitator
Dr. Elisabeth “Eli” Sheff (she/her) has researched polyamorous families with children for over 25 years. She is the author of four books, 30+ peer-reviewed publications, and 130+ blogs on Psychology Today, with 10+ years’ experience coaching people facing challenges with CNM and BDSM. Dr. Eli specializes in the mono/CNM mismatch because she intellectualized her fear, and has been the mono partner in two CNM/mono marriages. Her super-power is combining research findings and trends gleaned from her coaching practice with personal insights to understand if, when, and how mono/CNM relationships can work or not.
The Pincus Center for Inclusive Treatment and Education specializes in working with queer, transgender/nonbinary, kinky, and ethically non-monogamous/polyamorous people. We value sex positivity (including asexuality), body positivity and fat liberation, and racial justice.

December Drop-in Support Group for Mono/CNM Relationships
2025-12-10 20:00 - 21:30 | Online Event
