Open relationships

Polyamory

Ethical Non-Monogamy

Working with clients in open relationships and polyamorous clients is my specialty and my passion.  I’ve been in ethically non-monogamous communities for decades, have worked with many such clients, and speak from personal experience when I say that I understand the complex themes that can arise in ethical non-monogamy.

I care deeply about helping my clients find a relationship structure that feels right for them, whether that is polyamorous, monogamous, or something else altogether.   Having open relationships can be challenging in the world we live in, which perpetuates many misconceptions and assumptions about these dynamics.  It can feel overwhelming both for people questioning or starting along this path, as well as for people with years of lived experience who are dealing with a society that doesn’t accommodate or understand their relationships.  I am well versed in all these challenges, and would be happy to support you on your journey.


In addition to counseling, I enjoy presenting and publishing on this topic.  Please reach out if you’d like to talk further, or if you’re interested in having me meet with your group or organization.

I offer:

  • Individual, couple, and family therapy

  • Trainings for therapists on working with clients in open relationships

  • Consultation with other psychotherapists, professionals, and trainees

  • Meetings with university classes

Resources from Deanna:

Podcasts and Presentations

  • Guest expert on Life (Un)Closeted, Episode 622: Unwrapping all the colors of the relationship rainbow. May 2024.

    Not sure monogamy is for you, but an open relationship scares you, but you do know something isn’t working, and you know you just can’t love only one person and make it work. Rather than assume it is all about sex, we’re here today to have an open dialogue about all the ways to love and be in relationships. Deanna Fierman of All The Colors Counseling helps us see all the colors of the relationship rainbow in a healthy way.

  • Guest expert on Most Popular, Polyamory is Having a Moment: Understanding Non-Monogamy with Deanna Fierman. March 2024.

    This week we are talking about all things non-monogamy with Deanna Fierman, a mental health therapist at All the Colors Counseling. The conversations ranges from the ways Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith revealed their relationship status (hint-they didn't do so in a super chill Facebook update), to Deanna's experience specializing in polyamorous relationships. Dr. Adrienne learns a lot about the ways people are counseled when they express an interest in having a non-monogamous relations and they discuss misconceptions related to polyamory, how counseling works for individuals or couples interested in such relationships, and societal views and acceptance of the same.

  • Guest expert on Very Bad Therapy Episode 125: So You’ve Stereotyped Your Client. December 2022.

    “Stereotypes aren’t always a bad thing. That may not be true in therapy, especially when a client is made to feel like they are representing an entire group of people. That’s what we explore with today’s guest Jess, and we’re also joined by Deanna Fierman, LPC, to talk about what therapists should do after their biases about identity lead to clinical errors.”

  • Speaker at Ignite Boulder 27 on Consensual non-monogamy. September 2015.
    (Please note that Ignite uses a format where the slides automatically advance every 15 seconds!)

    Publications

  • Author, Open Relationships: A Culturally and Clinically Sensitive Approach. 2011 American Family Therapy Academy Monograph series, republished in 2014 AFTA Monograph Series Highlights.

General resources:

An excellent, complex map of non-monogamy

Recommended books for further reading:

Podcast Multiamory

The RADAR approach for relationship check-ins

Colorado-specific resources:

Boulder Polyamory Meetup Group (both in person and virtual options)

Denver Nontraditional Relationships Meetup

Mostly Harmless NOCO Consensual NonMonogamy Social Group

Loving More Nonprofit Polyamory Meetup Group