Ethical Non-Monogamy & Open Relationship Therapy in NYC
Attachment-Based, Sex-Informed Therapy for Individuals and Couples at Our Kind Therapy
Ethical non-monogamy can bring a wide range of emotions to the surface. Curiosity, connection, jealousy, excitement, fear, and care may all surface at once, sometimes in ways that feel manageable and sometimes in ways that feel destabilizing.
You may already be practicing non-monogamy, opening an existing relationship, or questioning whether this structure fits your values and emotional needs. For some people, the challenges emerge around trust, jealousy, or boundaries. For others, the strain comes from unclear agreements, mismatched pacing, or feeling unsure how to name doubts without threatening the relationship.
At Our Kind Therapy, we offer ethical non-monogamy and open relationship therapy for individuals and couples who want space to understand their emotional responses, attachment needs, and relational dynamics without judgment or pressure to decide. We work with clients across New York City, including Manhattan and Brooklyn, both in person and virtually.
What Ethical Non-Monogamy Often Brings Into Focus
Ethical non-monogamy is not defined by a single structure. What matters most is how relationships are experienced and cared for.
Many people notice that non-monogamy brings attention to:
Communication patterns and emotional transparency
Boundaries and consent in real time
Power dynamics and responsibility
Attachment needs and fears of loss
Capacity for repair when discomfort arises
For many, these values make sense conceptually but feel much harder to live inside emotionally. Non-monogamy often intensifies attachment responses rather than eliminating them.
Why People Seek Ethical Non-Monogamy Therapy
Clients seek therapy at many points in this process, including when navigating:
Curiosity about non-monogamy or open relationships
Jealousy, insecurity, or fear of being replaced
Broken, unclear, or shifting agreements
Differences in readiness, pacing, or desire
Attachment wounds are activated by openness
Uncertainty about whether non-monogamy truly fits
Therapy offers a place to slow down and examine consent, power, emotional reactions, and boundaries with care, rather than urgency or self-judgment.
Attachment, Jealousy, and Emotional Safety
Attachment patterns show up in non-monogamous relationships just as they do in monogamous ones. Jealousy, comparison, anxiety, or emotional distance are not signs of failure. They are signals about safety, attachment, and meaning.
Clients often feel confused by reactions that persist even when agreements are clear or communication is frequent.
Therapy supports clients in:
Understanding how attachment patterns interact with non-monogamy
Building internal security rather than relying on constant reassurance
Differentiating fear, values, and desire
Creating agreements that feel stabilizing rather than rigid
Emotional safety grows through responsiveness, repair, and follow-through, not rules alone.
Couples Therapy for Ethical Non-Monogamy and Open Relationships
Couples navigating non-monogamy may experience tension around:
Unequal emotional readiness or enthusiasm
Different boundaries or interpretations of agreements
Fear of being deprioritized or replaced
Difficulty naming needs without control or defensiveness
Couples therapy supports partners in:
Clarifying shared intentions and values
Communicating honestly without escalation or collapse
Working with emotional reactions as they arise
Strengthening a felt sense of security within the relationship system
Often, both partners are trying to protect the relationship while feeling unsure how to protect themselves. Sometimes therapy supports continued exploration. Sometimes it supports clarity around incompatibility. Both outcomes are approached with respect.
Individual Therapy Within Non-Monogamous Relationships
Individual therapy supports clients who want space to understand themselves more clearly within open or non-monogamous dynamics.
This work may include:
Clarifying what you want versus what you agreed to under pressure
Working with jealousy, fear, or ambivalence without self-blame
Strengthening boundaries and self-trust
Exploring identity, autonomy, and desire at your own pace
Individual therapy offers space to listen to your emotional responses carefully, without rushing toward answers or outcomes.
What Helps Ethical Non-Monogamy Feel More Sustainable
Many clients describe doing everything “right” and still feeling unsettled. Sustainability tends to grow when emotional reactions are allowed to exist without being minimized, punished, or used as proof that something is wrong.
Over time, relationships often feel steadier when:
Fear, jealousy, or uncertainty can be named without consequence
Agreements are revisited as people and circumstances change
Attachment needs are acknowledged openly
Boundaries are respected with care rather than control
Repair remains possible during discomfort
Non-monogamy often feels less destabilizing when emotional safety is treated as ongoing work, not a fixed achievement.
Ethical Non-Monogamy & Open Relationship Therapy in New York City
Ethical non-monogamy deserves thoughtful, emotionally attuned support, especially when clarity is difficult to access on your own.
We offer ethical non-monogamy and open relationship therapy across New York City, including Manhattan and Brooklyn, with in-person and virtual options available.
If you are navigating openness, uncertainty, or emotional strain in a non-monogamous relationship, therapy offers a place to slow down and understand what is happening with care.
