Therapists Dismiss Sex Addiction Debate, Urge Focus on Treatment
Clinicians disagree about how to describe sexual behavior that feels out of control or addictive. Is it "out-of-control sexual behavior?" Is it "sex addiction"? Does the problem even exist? Does it matter? Sex therapists and sex addiction therapists agree that, whatever you call your problem, help is available, and disputes about what you call it are not helpful.
Dec 14, 2016, 09:49 ET
NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sexuality, Attachment and Trauma Project, a New York treatment program, announced today that a consortium of sex therapists and sex addiction therapists issued a statement agreeing that, regardless of the words used, help is available for those who struggle to control their sexual behavior. The statement reads:
Many Americans suffer from sexual behavior over which they feel powerless, over which they feel out of control.
Many counselors, therapists, and other mental health professionals have considerable skill and experience in working with people who suffer from these challenges. Some of us understand these challenges as out-of-control sexual behavior, and some understand them as sex (or porn) addiction.
Good clinicians - and associations of clinicians - disagree on the question of whether sex addiction is, or should be, considered a mental health disorder. Good clinicians have honest disagreements about whether sex addiction and porn addiction are useful or damaging diagnostic categories, whether the concept of addiction is appropriate when thinking about out-of-control sexual behavior, and what the best approach to treatment is for someone whose sexual behavior presents problems.
We the signatories of this letter have a diversity of views on these questions, but we agree - and believe it important to proclaim - that no organization has a monopoly on the truth, and no clinical approach has a monopoly on efficacy. The science is not conclusive, our clinical experiences are varied, but we all agree: help is available. If you suffer from what you think of as out-of-control sexual behavior or sex addiction, get help, and get it from someone whose understanding of the challenges you face matches yours, whose approach feels likely to be helpful to you.
Rick Barnett, PsyD, LADC, S-PSB
Daniel J. Cook, MA
Michael Crocker, DSW, LCSW, MA
Santiago Delboy, MBA, MSW, LSW, S-PSB
Merry Frons, PhD, LCSW, CSAT, CAC
Pamela Kohll, MS, LMHC, CSAT-S, CCPS, CHFP
Marie Krebs, MS, LPC-, LCDC, MAC, NCACII, SRT, CCPS, CDWF
Barbara Mazarella, LCSW
Gilbert McCurdy, MBA, LCSW-R, CGP
Kelly Moylan, LCSW
Vicki Tidwell Palmer, LCSW, CSAT, SEP
Nathan Rice, LCSW, S-PSB
Robert Rovner, PhD
Craig Sloane, LCSW, CASAC, CSAT-C
Robert Weiss, LCSW, CSAT-S
Josh Wolf-Powers, MBA, LMSW
Aline Zoldbrod, PhD
Note: All of the signatories of this letter are sex therapists, sex addiction therapists, or both. Some have been certified by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), the International Institute of Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP), or both, while others have chosen not to pursue certification by one or both of those organizations. Some are members of the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH), some are members of the Association for Partners of Sex Addicts Treatment Specialists (APSATS), and some are members of both, or neither.
This letter is in response to AASECT's recent statement that "linking problems related to sexual urges, thoughts or behaviors to a porn/sexual addiction process cannot be advanced by AASECT as a standard of practice for sexuality education delivery, counseling or therapy," and to SASH's recent statement asserting unequivocally that "sex and porn addiction are real."
We the signatories of this letter believe both statements were unhelpful to the many people who suffer from out-of-control sexual behavior.
If you are a clinician and you would like to join the list of signatories to this letter, please click here.
About the Sexuality, Attachment and Trauma Project
The Sexuality, Attachment and Trauma Project is a New York psychodynamic treatment program for adults, providing individual and group psychotherapy, conducting research, and providing training and education for clinicians.
Contact
To learn more, please contact:
Michael Crocker, DSW, LCSW, MA
[email protected]
646-644-4280
Director, The Sexuality, Attachment and Trauma Project
333 W. 57th Street, Suite 102
New York, NY 10019
http://sexualityproject.org
SOURCE The Sexuality, Attachment and Trauma Project