Welcome to Opening Up CPD
Welcome to Opening Up CPD
Working with clients in Open & Polyamorous Relationships?
Most therapy, psychology and coaching training overlooks relationship diversity.
Yet more clients are exploring consensual non-monogamy (CNM), also referred to as ethical non-monogamy (ENM).
This CPD training is for you if:
You want to feel confident supporting individuals and partners in contemporary open or polyamorous relationships.
You're ready to deepen your understanding of non-monogamy in today's evolving relationship landscape.
You’re committed to identifying, understanding and challenging your own biases about love, sex, sexuality and relationships.
You want practical methods and specific awareness to adapt traditional therapy models to support multi-partnered dynamics.
What you'll gain:
Through extensive pre-recorded seminars, live discussions, course texts, practice scenarios, experiential exercises and small group supervision, you’ll complete the course with:
A strong grasp of diverse relationship styles.
Insight into common themes in contemporary open and polyamorous relationships, such as compersion, jealousy, relationship de-escalations and transitions, boundaries, relationship agreements, mismatched expectations, and more.
Confidence using Niki D’s 7-Stage Model of Co-Creating an Open Relationship, to support clients in co-creating open relationships.
Skills and knowledge to identify and work with both the challenges and the strengths of polyamorous and open relationships.
Awareness of how mononormative bias can show up in the therapy room - for you and your clients.
Residential and online options are available. Find out more about the course costs here.
2026 Course Dates
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(6-days)
Fri 9.30am – 4.30pm
Feb 20th
Mar 20th
Apr 17th
May 15th
Jun 12th
Jul 10th
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Fri & Sat 9.30am – 4.30pm
& Sun 9.30am – 3pmAug 7-9th (3 days)
Oct 2-4th (3 days)
Why this course?
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Flexible Learning Options
Choose between our immersive residential format or fully online delivery. Opening Up is 6-day course taken online OR in-person.
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Earn up to 76 Hours of CPD
Receive a Certificate of Attendance recognising your commitment to professional development. (36 hrs in-person CPD plus 40 hrs study time from video seminars, coursebooks and recommended reading)
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Blended Learning Experience
Engage with a rich mix of video seminars, experiential exercises, group discussions, reading materials, coursebooks, and small group supervision.
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Specialist Training in Open and Polyamorous Relationship Therapy
Deepen your knowledge and clinical skills in this emerging and fascinating area of therapeutic work.
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Pioneering Approach to Relationship Diversity
Grounded in contemporary theory and practice, with a strong foundation in intersectionality, social justice, and queer-informed perspectives.
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Learn in Community
Whether online or in person, experience meaningful connection and collective growth in a supportive cohort of therapists, psychologists and coaches.
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Join a Growing Network
Become part of an expanding community of therapists committed to inclusive, ethical, and informed practice. As well as opportunities to stay connected with social events and online meet-ups.
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No Assessments, No Essays, No Presentations
Our focus is on nourishing, experiential, and connection-driven learning - not academic hoop-jumping.
Who is this for?
Who this course is for:
Experienced therapists, psychologists and coaches
Already working with open and polyamorous clients and looking to deepen skills, build networks, and join a specialist community.Therapists new to open and polyamorous relationships
Seeking confidence and competence in this area.Practitioners without relationship therapy training
Wanting to broaden their understanding of relationship diversity to enhance individual client work or to include couples, throuples, and other polycules in their practice.Newly qualified therapists
Ready to expand expertise and work confidently with diverse relationship styles.Trainee therapists
Preparing to support clients in diverse relationships with awareness and skill.
Course Content
Day 1
Welcomes & Introductions (Stage 1 – imaginings for the course)
Stage 2 - Discussing: Applying the Social Justice Throuple - understanding power and privilege using feminist, decolonising and gender, sexual and relationship diverse (GSRD) approaches to critique mainstream approaches to relationship diversity
Stage 3 – Group Contracting
Locate open relationships and polyamory in historical and cultural perspectives
Language: common terms, affirmative practice, therapist bias and cultural competence
Introducing the 7-Stage Model of Co-Creating Open Relationships
Working with Stages 1- 3 with observed practice demonstration by Niki and Alex
Practice sessions/supervision
Day 2
Critiquing hierarchical models and develop an understanding of co-created sexually open and/or multi-partnered relationships
Challenging monormativity and polyphobia in therapeutic modalities
Minority Stress Model – how does this apply to poly/open?
Cultivating an O & P Lens, challenging mononormativity and couple privilege in our practice
Discussion with Guest Speaker
Practice session/supervision
Day 3
Working with jealousy - considering Jessica Fern’s model
Understanding compersion, its potential and limitations in open and polyamorous relationships
Using stage 4 of the 7-Stage Model and learning to apply it in practice
Develop an ethics of experimenting & introducing the 3D’s
Practice sessions/supervision
Day 4
Roles and responsibilities in open/poly relationships (metamours, hinges, anchors)
Considering polyamorous families, children, domestic arrangements, and financial commitments
Consent and boundaries, including the role of therapist self-disclosure
Effective use of Check-Ins (Stage 5)
Practice sessions/supervision (working with more than two clients)
Day 5
Coming out as polyamorous/open
Common challenges in open and polyamorous relationships
Power and safety – attending to intimate partner abuse and mono and poly coercion
Joys and delights of open and polyamorous relationships
Practice sessions/supervision (high-conflict scenario)
Day 6
Addressing break ups and de-escalations within open relationships, polycules, and other multi-partnered relationships
Stages 6 & 7 - Fine-tuning & stabilising
Moving beyond mono and poly
Imagining the future, building community, developing resources, creating new paradigms
Endings and goodbyes – parallel processing of open/polyam transitions
Goodbyes and celebrations 😊
Meet the Team
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I hold labels lightly - as useful shorthand, not strict definitions - and it’s open that fits me best. I’ve always gravitated toward open relationships (though I’ve had fulfilling closed ones too), open sexuality (queer, bisexual, with a teenage detour into straightness), and open gender expression (I’m a cis, femme woman, but my gender identity, expression and experience has flowed and shifted since childhood).
Relationship Anarchy resonates deeply. Friends, lovers, family, clients, supervisees, neighbours, colleagues, peers, strangers, animals, spirituality and the natural world - they all matter in this rich tapestry of connection.
In recent years, my heart and energy have gone primarily to my parents, as they move through their precious end-of-life season.
I’m dual-nationality (Australian/English), an introverted extrovert, a lover of bold colours, fiercely independent and deeply interdependent. A not-quite-former hippie and a proudly paradoxical human.
My ethical compass is my internal cringe. A visceral response when I betray my values or bump into any falseness, rigidity, cowardice, insensitivity, or social niceness that feels hollow in me. That instinct keeps me grounded and honest with myself (mostly!).
My wish list:
✨ Smash the patriarchy
✨ Queer the norms
✨ Delight your senses
✨ Add your unique sparkle to the worldMore about Niki here.
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I’m a big old queer bear, living his best life in a (mostly!) happy polycule with my husband and boyfriend. I have many years of lived experience and have been active in queer liberation since the days of Section 28.
I work in private practice as a therapist, supervisor and educator committed to supporting diverse and marginalised communities. I bring a deep passion for social justice to my work and maintain involvement in grass roots, community engagement around GSRD issues.
Outside of work, I’m a cat dad of three! I keep myself busy but like to spend time relaxing with people I care about. And I think I should go to the theatre more, but rarely seem to!
More on Alex here.
ONLINE
CPD
Accessible, Affordable, and Fully Online
Our online course is designed for flexibility, affordability, and rich engagement. You'll prepare for each live webinar by watching our thought-provoking video seminars, giving you the foundation to dive into dynamic discussions, experiential exercises, and group supervision when your cohort meets online.
It’s an interactive, convenient way to grow your skills and knowledge.
RESIDENTIAL
CPD
Immerse Yourself in our Manchester Residential Course
Looking for a chance to step away from your practice and focus on your professional development? Our in-person residential course offers space to slow down, connect with others, and dive into your learning without distractions.
You'll explore the same detailed content as our online module, but with the added benefit of face-to-face conversations, socialising together, shared experiences, and a change of scenery. Whether you're drawn to group discussions or prefer quiet reflection, you can take it at your own pace.
It's a meaningful way to recharge, learn, and earn your CPD hours in a setting that stays with you.
Pricing Options
An initial deposit is required to secure your place and then 9 monthly payments (unless paying in total)
10% Early Bird Discount off the prices shown*
*We will send you a discount code after you have received your 30-minute consultation and course acceptance. This code can be used until 31st December 2025..
Inclusive Rates
We’re committed to making CPD opportunities more accessible to underrepresented communities. To support this, we’re offering a limited number of spaces at a 25% discount. If this applies to you, we’ll go over the details during your course consultation.
Register Your Interest
Get in touch to arrange an informal 30 minute consultation with Alex and Niki.
Please email:
info@openingupcpd.com
FAQs
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No, this is an independently run course and is not affiliated with any membership bodies.
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Yes absolutely, you will get a certificate detailing your hours of attendance and supplementary video seminar and reading hours.
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In order to enhance the experience we keep numbers low.
14 maximum online.
12 maximum in person.
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No it is an assessment free course.
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Yes, there will be video seminars to watch before each CPD day, along with reflective questions for group discussion. Additional reading materials are also available if you wish to explore further.
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We use roleplays in practice sessions, inviting everyone to participate and bringing the themes we introduce to life.
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No we welcome trainee counsellors/therapists/psychologists/coaches along side fully qualified individuals.
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All relationship styles are valid and we welcome them all.
Still have Questions? Contact us!
info@openingupcpd.co.uk