Demystifying and Thriving: Understanding MAPs and Fostering Fulfilling Lives
May 2-4, 2025 in Ohio*
Although awareness of minor attracted persons (MAPs), their mental health needs, and effective therapeutic approaches to meet them is growing rapidly, many mental health providers feel unequipped to provide affirmative MAP therapy. This conference will allow attendees, both new and experienced, to have their questions and concerns addressed openly, and to become empowered to work confidently and affirmingly with MAPs. Day 1 will focus on fundamental knowledge and skills, including insight into best practice guidelines for affirming MAP therapy. Expert-led sessions will discuss the nature of attraction to minors, the multilevel stressors to MAPs’ mental health, their lived experiences and needs, and effective therapeutic approaches. Day 2 will build on this foundational knowledge and include thought-provoking and practical sessions about topics such as day-to-day issues MAPs face, self-acceptance, and thriving. The conference will include interactive presentations, panels, discussions, and processing opportunities led by uniquely experienced mental health professionals and MAPs.
Goals
- Increase competence and cultural humility in providing affirming, compassionate care for MAPs
- Recognize different levels of stigma and bias, and their effects on MAPs and providers
- Identify and discuss ways to promote wellness and thriving among MAPs
CEUs
Practitioners who attend both days will receive 11.25 CEUs through the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners. Professionals from outside of Maryland are encouraged to check whether their professional licensing board accepts these CEUs.
*The conference will be held at a conference venue convenient to a major airport in Ohio. (Unfortunately, we will be unable to offer online attendance.) Location and lodging information will be provided to attendees upon acceptance of their registration. A limited number of rooms for lodging will be available for reservation at reduced rates; the reservation deadline is April 4, 2025, but rooms may run out before that date.
Lunch and morning and afternoon snacks will be provided both days.
Read what others have said about the impact of our past conferences.
Holding this conference requires considerable financial resources, and B4U-ACT is a 501(c)(3) organization operated solely by volunteers on donations. If you believe in the value of this conference, please consider donating toward conference expenses or toward the financial assistance fund to permit attendance by those with multiple minoritized identities who otherwise would be unable to attend. Your donation will be doubled; donations up to a total of $1000 will be matched, and U.S. donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Presenters
Jessica VerBout (she/her), M.A., LMFT, CST, CST-S has over 16 years of experience as a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, AASECT Certified Sex Therapist & Supervisor, and Certified Brainspotting Therapist specializing in sex therapy, intimacy issues, and trauma. She provides compassionate, sex-positive, and strength-based therapy to individuals navigating complex sexual concerns, including problematic sexual behaviors, desire struggles, minor attracted people, and uncommon attractions. In addition to her clinical work, Jessica offers professional training and supervision, equipping therapists with the knowledge and skills to work with these populations in a research-informed, ethical, and compassionate manner. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Minor-Attracted Persons Special Interest Group of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists
Miles Parker (he/him), BA, is both a clinical psychology doctoral student and a MAP. He first discovered his attractions to younger minors in his early adolescence and later came to recognize these attractions as predominant when he was 16. His desire to work with MAPs professionally stems from his own mixed experiences seeking and receiving therapy for MAP-related issues as an adolescent and young adult. Since first understanding that he was a MAP, Miles has heavily involved himself in the online MAP community in a variety of leadership, peer-support, and advocacy roles, and he has sought and treasured opportunities to forge real-world connections with other MAPs. Although the topic of his dissertation is not yet finalized, he intends to focus his research on MAPs.
Theresa Robertson (she/her), PhD, LCPC, LPC is a licensed professional counselor in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Her expertise in therapeutic approaches include Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT). Dr. Robertson currently directs a ketamine-assisted psychotherapy program in Maryland, and is a research therapist in studies examining the potential mental health benefits of LSD, MDMA, psilocybin, and 5-MeO-DMT. Vetted by B4U-ACT, she has had the opportunity to provide individual therapy services to MAPs during the past 6 years.
Kristin Spooner (she/they), DSW, LICSW, CST received her B.A. in Psychology and Holocaust & Genocide Studies from Clark University, as well as her Master of Social Work with a concentration in Health & Mental Health from the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. She then trained at the South Shore Sexual Health Center where she worked towards her Certification in Sex Therapy through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT). Dr. Spooner then went on to receive her Doctor of Social Work degree in which she focused on antiracism, social justice, anti-stigma, and sexual health. One of Dr. Spooner’s biggest passions is offering sex-positive and judgment-free treatment to individuals navigating minor-attraction (MAP). Her dissertation and capstone projects focus on addressing social worker stigma towards MAP individuals, specifically creating an anti-stigma curriculum for master’s level students. She is the program coordinator for the MAP Support Club (MSC) with the Prostasia Foundation and serves as Co-Chair of the Minor-Attracted Persons Special Interest Group through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists.
Murray Quinn (he/him) is a 20 something, Transmasc, Queer MAP. He attended his first B4U-ACT conference in 2018 but has been involved with the MAP community since 2014. Murr can be found painting, spending time with his local community, making comics, and talking to anybody who will give him the time of day about MAP identity.
Nadav Antebi-Gruszka (they/them), PhD, LMHC, LPC is the co-founder of Heartspace Therapy, a private group practice in NYC proudly serving and celebrating sexual and gender diverse people, and especially MAPs. Outside of clinical work, Nadav conducts research and training workshops promoting affirming care for marginalized groups, including MAPs, fat people, and LGBTQ+ folx.
Alexandra Roth (she/her), LCSW, serves on the Board of Directors of B4U-ACT, and maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Northern Virginia. She is a signatory of the B4U-ACT Therapist List and has been providing respectful, client-centered therapy to MAPs for ten years. Her interests include the ideas of Carl Jung, literary novels, and indie rock music.
Matt (he/him) has been active in the MAP community since 2023, facilitating the formation of an in-person support and social group for MAPs. This is his second B4U-ACT workshop where he also serves on the planning committee and will be speaking on his experience with conversion therapy.
Richard Kramer (he/him), PhD, has been with B4U-ACT since 2006, currently serving as Education Director. He leads the planning of workshops, organizes the monthly online Dialogue on Therapy meetings, and networks with therapists who help to educate other professionals about the mental health needs of MAPs. He first realized he was exclusively attracted to minors in his early adulthood.
More to come…
Program
Friday, May 2
7:00 – 9:00 pm Check-in and meet-and-greet. Light refreshments will be provided.
Saturday, May 3 – Demystifying: Minor-Attracted People and their Mental Health Needs
8:30 Check-in
9:00 Welcome
9:10 A Map to MAPs: Understanding Minor-Attracted People, Stressors on their Mental Health, and Guidelines for Addressing Them (Break midway through the session)
12:30 Lunch (provided)
1:30 Panel: Successes and Pitfalls in Therapy with MAPs
2:40 From Shame to Self-Acceptance
3:50 Panel: A Variety of Modalities for a Variety of Needs
5:00 Adjournment
5:30 Optional 1-hour break-out sessions for processing the day
8:30 – 10:00 Evening social time with trivia contest and prizes
Sunday, May 4 – Thriving: Extending Knowledge to Support Fulfilling Lives
8:30 Check-in
9:00 Introduction
9:10 Self-censoring in and Outside of Therapy: Promoting Authenticity
10:10 MAP Relationships and Parenting
11:15 Promoting Self-Acceptance and Thriving
12:15 Lunch (provided)
1:15 Injustices MAPs, Providers, and Researchers Face in the Mental Health Field
2:10 Concurrent sessions:
——I. Intersectionality, Neurodivergence, and Age Dysphoria
——II. MAP Youth: Needs and Challenges
3:00 Concurrent sessions:
——I. Providers’ Role in Promoting Social Justice & Advocacy for MAPs
——II. Creating Safe In-person MAP Spaces
4:00 Adjournment
4:15 Optional break-out sessions for processing and well-being check-in
Registration Information
Registration is open to professionals, researchers, educators, and graduate students in the fields of mental health, human sexuality, and other relevant fields. Attendees may register for either day or both days. Practitioners who attend both days will receive 11.25 CEUs through the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners. (Those from outside of Maryland are encouraged to check whether their professional licensing board accepts these CEUs.)
MAPs and their friends or family members may register under pseudonyms to protect their identities. In order to keep spaces available for professionals and graduate students, MAPs who register are now being placed on a waitlist and will be contacted if space becomes available.
We’re committed to increasing diversity at our conferences. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) attendees are eligible to receive a 10% discount on conference fees, claimed by adding discount code “BIPOC” at payment. We also provide financial assistance to attendees with multiple minoritized identities who otherwise would be unable to attend. Graduate students and professionals may click here to apply for financial assistance. (The deadline has passed, but has been extended to March 31 for graduate students and professionals.) We encourage attendees who are able to do so to donate to this financial assistance fund.
The conference will be held at a conference venue convenient to a major airport in Ohio. (Unfortunately, we will be unable to offer online attendance.) Location and lodging information will be provided to attendees once their registration is processed.
| Registration Fees | One day | Both days |
|---|---|---|
| Full registration (professionals, researchers, and educators) | $99 | $170 |
| Graduate students and family members or friends of MAPs | $70 | $120 |
| MAPs (will be placed on waitlist; do not pay fee until instructed by email) | $25 | $50 |
Important Deadlines:
- Application for financial assistance for graduate students and professionals: March 31
- Lodging reservations at reduced rate: April 4 (but rooms may run out earlier)
- Registration: April 18
Holding this conference requires considerable financial resources, and B4U-ACT is a 501(c)(3) organization operated solely by volunteers on donations. If you believe in the value of this conference, please consider donating toward conference expenses or toward the financial assistance fund to permit attendance by those with multiple minoritized identities who otherwise would be unable to attend. Your donation will be doubled; donations up to a total of $1000 will be matched, and U.S. donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
