By Caitlin Bovard, LPC, Certified Couples Therapist, Dual-Certified Sex Therapist (AASECT CST) Let’s talk about something that surprised me while watching Heated Rivalry. The consent. Or more specifically, the layers of consent. Despite the intensity of the sex scenes and the power exchange dynamic between Shane and Ilya, the interactions rarely feel coercive or unsafe. Instead, they often feel deeply collaborative, despite having two people with vastly different backgrounds

By Caitlin Bovard, LPC, Certified Couples Therapist, Dual-Certified Sex Therapist (AASECT CST) Warning: Some spoilers for the show as this blog discusses the show as a whole. If you’ve spent any time watching or reading Heated Rivalry, you may have noticed something interesting. The relationship between Shane and Ilya is intense, passionate, confusing, and at times emotionally chaotic. And from a therapist perspective, it looks a lot like an attachment dance. Not a broken one