Working with Couples When Pornography is an Issue (HS - KLEIN - 45230)

Course overview

Click here to purchase the DVD or CD recording from our product store. Is conflict about pornography a way to avoid talking about deficits in the sexual relationship? How much of the discomfort about a partner's porn use is actually discomfort about masturbation? Is the couple having a power struggle about what is "allowed" in the house, and what is "reasonable"? Are one or both partners acting out body image issues--comparing themselves to porn actors/actresses, or assuming their partner does? The popularity of today's free pornography contributes to conflict between many porn users and their partners. Most therapists use a model that pathologizes porn use while legitimizing the grievances of the consumer's partner. This has led to the explosion of "porn addiction" diagnoses; demands that spouses stop using porn; and increased secrecy-without a corresponding increase in partners' sexual/relationship satisfaction. Many clinicians depend on personal experience, their own values, and psychology's gender stereotypes and sex-negativity when dealing with these cases. This can lead to interventions we wouldn't consider in similar non-sexual situations-taking sides, pathologizing one partner while legitimizing the other, diagnosing "porn addiction" without sufficient information. This often results in treatment errors and premature termination. Both consumers and clinicians need to develop "pornography literacy." By promoting pornography literacy, clinicians can support both porn consumers and their partners. We'll also look at the most common clinical models of how porn use shapes sexual decision-making, and an alternative model that better the fits the reality of people's lives. We'll find out exactly what are the most common depictions in pornography today. You'll learn clinical strategies for working with cases involving pain around porn use. And we'll discuss how to explore one of the fundamental issues in these cases: To what extent is a couple's conflict about pornography a way to avoid talking about the deficits in their sexual relationship? When both parties want to avoid this conversation, should we encourage it? If so, how? OBJECTIVES Learn how body image issues can drive a couple's conflict about porn . Examine common assumptions of therapists about porn and its use. Describe how to support both partners when a couple is in conflict about porn use. Demonstrate how to help couples discuss the deficits in their relationship that they're avoiding via conflict about porn. ABOUT THE SPEAKER Dr. Marty Klein has been a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Certified Sex Therapist for 31 years. A former adjunct instructor at Stanford Medical School, he is the award winning author of seven books, 100 articles, and 8 sets of training CDs. Marty is regularly featured in the popular media, including The New York Times, Newsweek, Psychology Today, NPR, and Nightline. For 12 years Marty has written and published Sexual Intelligence, the award-winning blog and electronic newsletter. Marty is outspoken about many popular and clinical ideas about sexuality, decrying our field's gender stereotypes, sex-negativity, and what he calls "the Oprah-ization of therapy." Marty has trained professionals in sexuality in 25 countries, including China, India, Turkey, Morocco, Croatia, and Australia. Audiences consistently describe his seminars as thought provoking, practical, and entertaining.