Curious Cryptid Learning

You've Got Mothmail!

Dear Reader,

This is a long one because I actually have quite a few cool things to update you on!

First, I got approved to provide Association for Play Therapy Continuing Education credits! 😁🎉

This means that I'm launching my site today with a few trainings ready to go for non-contact APT CEs:

• ​Neurodiversity Affirming Ethical Play Therapy for Autistic Youth​
  (6.5 hrs + bonus content)
• ​Affirming Play Therapy with Trans Youth
  (6.5 hrs + bonus content)
• ​Go Paint Rocks! A Play-Based Approach
  (1 hr + bonus content)

Thank you to the beta testers that ensured everything is running smoothly! (If you have any challenges, please email me and I'll get back to you this week.)

Second, I will also be providing a virtual live training in December- the short 3 hour version of that Autism training! (More info later in this email.)

Third, I want to give you a discount code to the Curious Cryptid Learning platform! I really appreciate you (and everyone else) showing a lot of interest in the knowledge and experience I bring to our field. If you want a "lucky" 13% discount on any of the courses or resources on the site, use this code: VIP13

(I made enough codes for everyone subscribed here! They'll expire Nov 14th.)

Fourth, I should hear back from other CE orgs around Jan. Really excited to see if I get some additional approval so I can help everyone get other types of continuing education credit! (Luckily, many Depts of Health and Boards will accept APT credits.)

Newest Sightings

We have a lot of new content! Quick synopsis:

• ​Neurodiversity Affirming Ethical Play Therapy for Autistic Youth *
  (6.5 hrs + bonus content)
  Not only does it count for 2 hours of APT's Ethics category, but it covers all of the foundational knowledge you need to work with autistic youth! You'll leave knowing how to screen for autistic traits, support youth and their guardians, adapt your therapy, adapt their environment, and so much more! Extremely comprehensive course with practice Play Therapy video footage. There's also a bonus interview with Matt Lowry, LPP, about autistic culture! Sure to empower and inspire your work!
  Total run time is currently 7.5 hrs!
  ✅ You will have free access to future content uploaded to this course after you purchase.
  ​
• ​Affirming Play Therapy with Trans Youth *
  (6.5 hrs + bonus content)
  This course is steeped in lived experience: from discussing dysphoria, what it means to be trans & non-binary, and the history of gender, to trans culture and how society impacts our clients, to activities you can do right away! No previous Play Therapy knowledge needed. This training is jam-packed with activity ideas and tons of resources to carry you through supporting your clients and their guardians.
  ✅ You will have free access to future content uploaded to this course after you purchase.
  ​
• ​Go Paint Rocks! A Play-Based Approach *
  (1 hr + bonus content)
  This bite-sized course is super fun! It includes 1 hour of instruction and 45 minutes of audio interviews with folks who have been positively impacted by engaging with rocks. You'll get to learn the therapeutic benefits, how to incorporate rock art in and outside of individual therapy, and how to accommodate clients so they can joyfully participate. Nature-based play for those who want to take it easy on the nature aspect 😅
  ​
• ​Learning: When Does It End?​
  (40 min + fillable Learning Plan handout)
  This is just a free little presentation to combat impostor syndrome and come up with a "good enough" learning plan (especially useful for grad students and new therapists, imo!) You'll receive a pep talk and a handout with a learning framework to help structure your learning so you don't get stuck in a perpetual cycle of "my knowledge isn't good enough!" (No CE attached; $0.)
  ​
• ​The Sensation to Kink Flowchart Bundle ​​(Clinical Use)​
  (2 min audio intro + PDFs)
  Sabrina Longley, LCSW, and I built this PDF resource to support your autistic clients in beginning to explore kink in relation to their sensory needs! These are curated prompts for kink exploration based on their unique sensory systems, with prompts for both hyper- and hypo-sensitivity. (Personal use version is also available on the site if you want it just for yourself or if you want to have clients purchase!)

* indicates that a course qualifies for APT CE credit after user completion and passing the post-test.

If you're hunting for a bargain, Mothmail subscribers can take 13% off this month with code VIP13 at checkout.

Spotted in the Wild

I'll be giving that live virtual 3 hour training on Wednesday 12/17 from 2-5:30pm Eastern titled The Clinical Fundamentals of Autism: Screening and Affirming Play Therapy for Autistic Youth. Comes with a variety of CE types!

You'll leave with The 5 S Framework to start applying to clients and therapeutic activities right away! Plus, we've got ACTUAL recordings of play therapy with an autistic kid and some real examples of adaptations so you can visually see the framework in action!

The tickets are on an early bird sale right now. A few different types of CEs are offered. Here's a link to learn more and I'll add a shareable flyer below.

(If you prefer self-paced home study courses instead or want more info, the 6.5 hour version of this one is available on my platform!)

I will also be at Autistic Clinical Insights this Nov 14-16! I'm on the Leadership team and we're about ready to kick off our inaugural symposium. Registration is still open if you want to join us!

On Sat Nov 15, I'll be presenting with some other awesome folks about:

• Neuroqueering Therapy for Teens
• Supporting Autistic Mental Health Clinicians & Trainees
• Neurodivergence & Sex: Autistic & ADHD Edition ​

Rumored Appearances

Want to know what I'm working on currently?

✨ Trainings on: asexuality, detransition, kink, clowns, and bedtime anxiety

✨Writing: Therapy with Autistic Clients Exploring Sexuality (chapter) for Neurodiversity in Clinical Psychology and Counseling (ed. Walker, 2026)

✨ Recording: content for Aces Up Your Sleeve and for a detrans training

✨ Learning: how to use Instagram!

What's That Sound?

If you're waiting on the Aces Up Your Sleeve Podcast, wait no longer! The first episode was released on Oct 7th. It's a relatively light-hearted one titled Autistic Baggage and we talk about comfort items, being prepared, and dispelling shame (and things get deeper/spicier for free on the Patreon Upping the Ante bonus content.)

On Oct 14th, we'll be discussing Coping with Seasonal Transitions through an autistic (and sensory-based) lens! Grief, self-exploration, and more will be touched on in the bonus content.

On Oct 21st, we'll be answering "Am I Asexual or Autistic?" and talking about how listeners can explore the asexuality spectrum for themselves (with bonus Patreon content about how we figured it out for ourselves and about asexual "celebrity hall passes!")

Sabrina and I hope this will be a useful resource for your autistic & AuDHD clients, as well as other therapists like us!

​

Hi! If we haven't officially met, I'm Dr. Kade Sharp (he/they) and I'm a white fat disabled queer autistic trans genderqueer LICSW, Child Mental Health Specialist, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, and MSTI & AASECT Certified Sex Therapist with my PhD in Clinical Sexology. My trainings proudly center lived experience combined with clinical knowledge. I practice in southeastern Washington state and have my telehealth endorsement in Idaho. I've also got two adorable adopted senior cats (Ozzy & Molly.) My personal Cryptid representative is the Jackalope.

I started Curious Cryptid Learning after realizing my capacity for live interactions has decreased due to my physical health challenges. I hope it will be a way to share my knowledge further and more consistently and to support more clinicians than I can through individual supervision or consultation alone. Days full of live meetings can pretty tough on me and it takes time away from caregiving for my mom, who was diagnosed last year with Alzheimer's. I absolutely love teaching others and find that we all grow together when learning!