This page is for: Pastors, Lay Leaders, Deacons, Parish & Diocesan Youth Leaders, College Staff, Men’s Group Leaders
Diagnosis and Treatment of Sexual Addiction by Elucida Learning
This comprehensive (30 hr.) graduate level home study course is designed to train counselors on sexual addiction. This exceptional series is the highest quality training available. Dr. Mark Laaser is the primary instructor.
The cost of this DVD series is high ($500.00). The training provided is priceless.
To receive a free demo DVD call: 1-800-364-6863, or go to www.elucidalearning.com
American Association of Certified Christian Sexual Addiction Specialists [AACCAS]
The AACCAS has the goal of training counselors and church leaders to serve as competent Christian counselors for sexual addiction. There are both clinical and pastoral training certification levels available.
Call (770) 457-3141, or go to www.sexaddictioncertification.org
Bethesda Workshops Annual Training Conference for Professionals and Pastors
These informative workshops held in Nashville, TN provide education and supervision in treating sexual addiction and co-addiction from a trauma model.
Call (866) 464-HEAL / (615) 467-5610, or go to www.bethesdaworkshops.org
Best Books for Recovery/Freedom Groups:
L.I.F.E. Guides by Mark Laaser & the accompanying facilitator’s manual can be purchased online at http://www.freedomeveryday.org/ (resource section), or by writing LIFE Ministries, PO Box 952317, Lake Mary, FL 32795, (866) 408-LIFE.
Breaking Free – booklet by Steve Wood
Best Book on Healing Sexual Addictions:
Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction by Dr. Mark Laaser
Best Book on Alcoholism:
Dying for a Drink by Dr. Anderson Spickard.
Since 42% of sexual addicts also have some type of chemical dependency (including alcoholism), this is an important book to have on hand.
Important Note: Almost all of the above instructors and materials are from an Evangelical Protestant viewpoint. Therefore, do NOT expect to encounter a fully developed Catholic sexual morality, sacramental theology, or a Catholic understanding of the purposes of marriage. Also, several of these seminars and resources may positively refer to authors who see nothing wrong with masturbation, birth control, or other sins. All of the above recommendations are good sources of training for those already firmly grounded in Catholic theological and moral teaching. If you do not have such a theological and moral grounding, then the above recommendations are not for you.
Good Catholic book:
Addiction and Compulsive Behaviors: Seventeenth Workshop for Bishops by the National Catholic Bioethics Center. This book covers the clinical, pastoral, theological, and scientific perspectives on various addictive behaviors.
Intervention Advice
Best Books for the Recovery Process for Spouses
The Monogamy Myth: A Personal Handbook for Recovering from Affairs by Peggy Vaughan. This book is written from a secular perspective. I don’t like the title of this book and it certainly isn’t a book on Catholic marriage. Yet there is real value in it due to the extensive insights and practical guidelines in responding to and recovering from the shock of a spouse’s affair. Many, if not most, of these same guidelines are extremely useful for the hundreds of spouses making the heartbreaking discovery that their mate has an addiction to pornography. Chapter 3 has very useful questions for effective confrontations and interventions.
L.I.F.E. Guide for Spouses by Melissa Haas. Helpful for dealing with the wounds pornography creates and how a spouse should respond to a husband’s addiction.
http://www.freedomeveryday.org/resources/spouses/spouses.html
Female Pornography and Sexual Addictions
Approximately 1/3 of sexual addicts are female. Younger women are especially prone to pornographic images. The many women who have experienced sexual trauma use sexual addictions for medicating the pain from these experiences.
Visit this page for resources & specialists for female sexual addictions:
http://www.familylifecenter.net/article.asp?artId=349
Important Articles
The Stress of Working with Addictsby Dr. Mark Laaser
Don’t start counseling those with sexual addictions before reading this extremely important article:
Pastors and Sexual Addictionsby Dr. Mark Laaser
Sexual Misconduct Among Clergy: Update and Treatment Optionsby Dr. Mark Laaser
