Marla (they/them)
Workshops
Marla MSW, RSW (they/them) is a White, Queer, gender-defiant, neurodynamic, counsellor, and educator who has been practicing polyamory since 2005. They have been offering non-monogamy (NM) workshops and consultations in academic and professional settings as of 2009. Based in Toronto (Canada), their therapy practice centers the experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ and NM identities and relationships. In 2020, as alternative relationship structures were expanding into mainstream popularity, Marla introduced @polyamarla as an accessible, anti-oppressive, intersectional resource on social media. PolyaMarla has since grown into a team effort that offers education, training, and consultation for those who are practicing, or interested in understanding NM for personal and professional development. You can find Marla on Instagram, TikTok, & Clapper @polyamarla, or check out their educational programming through polyamarla.com
Self-Abandonment in Non-Monogamy (CEU)
April 14, 2024
Have you ever abandoned your own needs in order to maintain connection in a relationship? Have you ever felt internal or external pressure to self-abandon as part of participating in non-monogamy (NM)? In this workshop, we will discuss how the basics of attachment and trauma theories intersect with NM relationship dynamics. Participants will be invited to reflect upon the reasons we might abandon our authenticity in order to maintain connection in NM relationships.
Mononormativity's Impact on Non-Monogamy (CEU)
April 12, 2024
Mononormativity is a paradigm that highlights monogamy as the expected and ‘correct’ form of partnership in Western colonial societies. In this workshop, participants will be invited to investigate the ways that people who are engaged in non-monogamy (NM) are required to deconstruct and divest themselves of mononormativity’s impact on their relationship dynamics. Together we will explore how expectations of partnership are impacted by this paradigm, and how we can approach unlearning mononormative programming from a place of compassion and understanding.