Empress Jessica is Ms. BULGE Ambassador 2025 and co-Head of Household for House Akanke. Since 2016, she has devoted herself to service within the Leather community through organizing gatherings, holding leadership roles, and offering formal mentorship. She is a Teaching Assistant and student at the Amina Institute, an organization focused on sacred sexuality and tantric practices.

Jessica also serves on the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom’s Consent Counts Committee, working to advance rights, protections, and safety for people in alternative sexual lifestyles. As a Black, queer woman, her dedication to social justice and intentional service shapes every aspect of her work. She is committed to creating spaces where education, healing, liberation, and community well-being can thrive, particularly for those who are marginalized or underserved.

https://fetlife.com/EmpressJessica

This class offers mental health and wellness professionals a culturally competent, neurodiversity-affirming framework for understanding clients who engage in BDSM and other alternative sexual practices. Using a bio/psycho/social lens, we explore how race, culture, trauma, sensory processing, and communication differences shape erotic expression and relational needs. Participants will learn how to differentiate pathology from preference, recognize the impact of masking and neurodivergence on negotiation and consent, and understand how sensory profiles influence play, arousal, and aftercare. Through case examples and reflective practice, the class provides practical tools for assessment, safety planning, and treatment that honors autonomy, identity, and lived experience. This training supports clinicians and healers in offering affirming, nonjudgmental care to clients whose sexualities, neurotypes, or lifestyles fall outside mainstream narratives.

 

Are you excited about the THRIVE experience and want to help it continue?

Consider donating to help PK/THRIVE continue to provide education.

PayPal - AffirmingMatters@gmail.com

CashApp - $AffirmingMatters

Venmo - @‌AffirmingMatters

Please include "THRIVE 2026" in the note.

Get your PK & THRIVE swag! https://www.redbubble.com/people/DevynStone/shop

Check out other events PK is hosting here:

https://www.facebook.com/PragmaticKink

https://fetlife.com/PragmaticKink

Find more info on THRIVE https://THRIVEVirtualCon.com/

Send a quick message if you would like to suggest topics, present, or support in another way. PKinkingEvents@gmail.com