Anthony Verdino (He/Him)

I'm a Queer person and I've spent my career working with Queer communities in various settings and levels of care. Also, I'm a PhD candidate focused on the experiences of Queer people in pursuing joy and healing. I consider my work with people to be Queer-centric in that it's by, for, and with Queer people and/or focused on expansive forms of sex, sexuality, and relationships.

Most of my work with people is relational. I have done a lot of clinical work, supervision, consultation, and presentations on working with relationship units. I work with individuals on exploring their sexual, romantic, and companionship needs, desires, and worries and actualizing their vision.

I think about sex expansively to include forms of sex and pleasure, explorations of sexuality, relationships dynamics, and gender expressions. All of these require exploration, experimentation, and practice in order to fully understand and appreciate our authentic desires, behaviors, and selves and how these influence the ways we show up in the world and our relationships.

As humans, much of our lives are centered on our relationships. How we’ve been impacted by and how we show up in relationships is influenced by many factors. My work with people is about reflecting on and responding to relationship dynamics both past and present. This may involve healing, grief, repair, limit-setting, restructuring, and connection. Additionally, many of us are trying to show up authentically and confidently while forming new and varied relationships to meet different needs.

As a relationship therapist, I work with individuals around their relationships as well as couples and polycules. In our work, we're trying to understand cycles of conflict, expressions of needs, exploration of structures (openness, kinky, separation, etc.), and mutual repair and healing. I believe that we all want to thrive authentically in all aspects of our lives, including our relationships. I have also provided consultation and trainings on exploring different relationships structures.

A humanist approach keeps us grounded in the present so as to reflect on the past without focusing all of our energy there. Our intention is both self-awareness and self-actualization toward living a life that works for you. For the former, we cannot affect change without recognizing what is no longer working and why. For the latter, we must realize what it means to live authentically and take action accordingly. And we all have that potential in us.