And thank YOU for this response :)

Hello, Free Thinker. I'm glad my post has encouraged you to consider attending a workshop in the future. I do indeed recommend that you contact Mike Melsheimer and let him get to know you a bit and tell him that you would like to go to a future workshop (one thing at a time, of course). It's okay that you live in Canada as I believe that MAA participants from Canada have attended workshops before (though don't quote me on this; it may depend upon precisely where in Canada you live and you will have to share that privately with Mike). B4U-Act tries to pay the airfare and lodging fare (as well as provide food) for the MAA's who attend, but it all depends on how healthy the budget for the org happens to be at the time a new workshop is planned. On this last workshop, B4U-Act paid for virtually everything for me so I didn't spend more than 10 to 15 bucks the entire time I was there. I hope B4U-Act succeeds in getting a decent expense budget in the future so that more of us can attend (I was ONLY able to attend the last workshop since most of my travel and shelter expenses were paid for; the administration of B4U-Act is very understanding of the fact that many MAA's are not capable of paying for their own airfare or lodging). In fact, I was greatly impressed by B4U-Act's generosity with me on this particular trip (though we can't guarantee being able to do this for every single workshop, but I know the administration will always try their best to do so if at all possible).

Also, I would like to say that though I am glad that you have found an MHP to talk to that you trust, I do not like the fact that he sent you to a MHP who works for an organization called the 'Association of Treatment for Sexual Abusers.' Though I always encourage MAA's to stay within the law I do not like the loaded terminology used, nor the fact that MAA's are referred to as "sexual abusers" in the title of this guy's organization. This is the VERY type of stigma and misuse of language that B4U-Act has confronted in the last two workshops, and I am hoping that this Paul dude doesn't turn out to be an MHP who has a strong, media-influenced bias against MAA's. B4U-Act is working to alleviate the situation and find MAA's competent, caring, and knowledgable MHP's who are not beholden to the common stereotypes perpetuated by Oprah and her ilk. This is just some helpful advice I thought I would give you.

In the meantime, thank you for your support and for looking into B4U-Act, and I hope to meet you in person at a future workshop :)