CRC 2026 | CRC 2026

CONTEMPORARY RELATIONSHIPS CONFERENCE 2026

STRENGTHENING LGBTQ+

RELATIONSHIPS IN CHAOTIC TIMES

MAY 15-16, 2026

Monmouth University

West Long Branch, New Jersey

The most celebrated event for professionals supporting LGBTQ+ relationships—where research and real-world practice meet annually.

Featuring these nationally

recognized clinicians and more!

Hannah Wilson

Jeff Lutes

Ty Lerman

Emily Stone

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This project made possible in part due to funding from the Diversity Innovation Grant Program coordinated by the Office of the Provost and Intercultural Center at Monmouth University

"This is one of the absolute best conferences I've been to! The vibe is so welcoming, and the content is exceptionally diverse. This is the conference I never knew I needed." - CRC Attendee

Meet our Founder

Meet our Faculty

DAY ONE

Rebecca Stafford Student Center - Anacon Hall

Welcome & Announcements

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Jeff (he/him) has been in private practice in Austin, Texas for 36 years. He is the Founder and Executive Director of The Center for Contemporary Relationships, which hosts the annual Contemporary Relationships Conference (CRC) as well as the Queer and Trans Affirming Professional (QTAP) certification program. He is the author of Trailblazers In Love (Contemporary Relationships Press, 2023), a chapter in the Handbook of LGBT-Affirmative Couple and Family Therapy (2nd Edition, Routledge, 2022; 1st Edition, Routledge 2012), two chapters in Affirmative Counseling with LGBTQI+ People (American Counseling Association, 2017), and Okin the Panda Bear Finds His Family - a children's book about family diversity (Creative House Press, 2011). His articles about LGBTQ relationships and families have appeared on The Bilerico Project and Therapy Matters. He has presented at the conferences of the American Family Therapy Academy, the American Association of Marriage & Family Therapy, the American Counseling Association, and the Texas Psychological Association. The former Executive Director of Soulforce; Jeff has spoken at universities, churches, and rallies around the country, and his social justice efforts have been covered by numerous media outlets, including NPR and CNN.

www.jefflutespsychotherapy.com

This presentation explores the delicate, dynamic balance between compassion and activism in clinical work. As therapists, we are called to heal individual wounds while also confronting the systemic forces that perpetuate them. This workshop invites participants to examine how advocacy, social justice, and therapeutic ethics can coexist without burnout or role confusion.

Learning Objectives:

Identify the intersections between therapeutic healing and social justice advocacy within professional ethics and scope of practice.
Develop strategies to integrate activism and advocacy into clinical work in ways that support both client empowerment and therapist sustainability.
Reflect on personal values, biases, and boundaries to cultivate an authentic professional identity that honors both the healer and the hellraiser within.

Rebecca Stafford Student Center - Anacon Hall

OPENING PLENARY

Wearing Two Hats:

The Therapist as Healer and Hellraiser

Jeff Lutes, LPC, QTAP

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Enjoy lunch catered by sponsor and venue host: Monmouth University

Hannah (she/her) began her career working with underserved vulnerable clients in the heart of Seattle. Advocating for harm reduction approaches to addressing addiction, mental health, and homelessness through housing first programming and assisted in research around the VAT (vulnerability assessment tool). After returning home to big sky country (Montana), she worked as a sex educator for the local Title X clinic. Her love of working with underserved populations led to her work at a Community Health Clinic with an integrative behavioral health model advocating for gender affirming care. For the last few years focusing on her private practice, Prickly Peach Sex Therapy, she is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Supervisor and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and trained as a gender and trans affirming therapist with WPATH. She is also the foundress of Oh Hi Collective which is motivated to offer mental health continuing, education for organizations, community, and individuals around sexual health with the intention of removing shame. She holds a PhD in Clinical Sexology, with a specialty in Kink Conscious Counseling. In her down time, you will find her enjoying cake, spending time with her most lovely other half, and laughing at her adorable rescue bulldog, Dax. www.ohhicollective.com

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The Art of Being a Menace

Hannah Wilson, PhD, LCPC-S, CST

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AFTERNOON PLENARY SESSION

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DAY TWO

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ClOSING PLENARY SESSION

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Join us for the

CHOSEN FAMILY FAIR!

Featuring XXX band and lunch from . . .

THE CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY RELATIONSHIPS

CONTEMPORARY RELATIONSHIPS CONFERENCE 2026

SPONSORED BY

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE (subject to change):

DAY ONE

DAY TWO