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Course Materials:
GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION
Cybersex addiction and Internet infidelity are the two most common forms of Internet addiction. Clinicians are seeing a growing number of clients addicted to Internet pornography or couples experiencing trouble because of online affairs. This course shows you specialized techniques in treating these new clinical problems. This course reviews the signs of Internet infidelity, how they develop, and how they differ from offline affairs. You will also learn specialized counseling techniques to help couples improve communication and repair broken trust after an online affair. As Internet sexuality is evolving as quickly as the technology itself, this course shows therapists how to diagnosis cybersex addiction, the risk factors involved, the stages of cybersex addiction, and advanced techniques in treatment.
The course consists of five articles. The first article reviews assessment and treatment models of Internet infidelity. Unlike spouses who catch their husbands or wives in open adultery, a spouse may initially enter counseling with little more than a suspicion of a partner sharing intimate words with another woman or man through the computer. Symptoms are often masked by legitimate use of the Internet. This can be especially difficult for the treating practitioner to assess, who may be unfamiliar with chat rooms and instant messaging systems where online affairs often occur. This article provides a framework to assess online affairs and prospective treatment strategies to deal with couples in the aftermath of Internet infidelity. The second article explains the eight motives of cybersex users. Specially, it outlines the differences between sex addiction and cybersex addiction and the psychological, social, and emotional motives that drive cybersex use and how healthy Internet use can turn into an abuse. The third article outlines case studies of deviant online sexual behavior and explains how the anonymity of the Internet allows people to explore hidden or forbidden aspects of their sexuality. Utilizing illustrative case studies, the article also outlines the five stages of the addiction process. The fourth article provides advanced techniques in treating cybersex addiction. Symptom management and relapse prevention are reviewed along with ways of coping with high-risk situations and modifying computer use. Finally, the fifth article provides a list of additional resources for further information and study.
Educational Objectives:
This course will teach psychotherapists to
Define Internet infidelity and learn the signs of an online affair.
Apply innovative counseling techniques for couples after an online affair.
Define and differentiate addictive patterns of cybersex/cyberporn use.
Identify the underlying motives associated cybersex addiction.
Identify the stages of development associated with sexually deviant online behavior.
Utilize advanced techniques to treat the cybersex-addicted client.
Course Syllabus:
Assessment and Treatment of Internet Infidelity
How online affairs develop
Improve couples communication after the discovery of an online affair
Rebuilding trust in a relationship after an online affair
Future trends in research on Internet infidelity
Eight Motives of Cybersex Users
Cybersex addiction compared to sex addiction
Healthy Internet sexuality
Psychological, emotional, and social motives of cybersex
Signs of abuse, denial, and the appeal of computer-based sex
Understanding Sexually Deviant Online Behavior from an Addiction Perspective
Internet Sexuality
Methods and Results
Stages of Addiction: Discovery, Exploration, Escalation, Compulsivity, and Hopelessness
Advanced Techniques in Treating Cybersex Addiction
Symptom management and behavior change
Time management practices to control cybersex use
Dealing with abstinence
Coping with high-risk situations
Cognitive therapy for dealing with relapse
Implications for support groups with cybersex addicts
The course consists of five articles. The first article reviews assessment and treatment models of Internet infidelity. Unlike spouses who catch their husbands or wives in open adultery, a spouse may initially enter counseling with little more than a suspicion of a partner sharing intimate words with another woman or man through the computer. Symptoms are often masked by legitimate use of the Internet. This can be especially difficult for the treating practitioner to assess, who may be unfamiliar with chat rooms and instant messaging systems where online affairs often occur. This article provides a framework to assess online affairs and prospective treatment strategies to deal with couples in the aftermath of Internet infidelity. The second article explains the eight motives of cybersex users. Specially, it outlines the differences between sex addiction and cybersex addiction and the psychological, social, and emotional motives that drive cybersex use and how healthy Internet use can turn into an abuse. The third article outlines case studies of deviant online sexual behavior and explains how the anonymity of the Internet allows people to explore hidden or forbidden aspects of their sexuality. Utilizing illustrative case studies, the article also outlines the five stages of the addiction process. The fourth article provides advanced techniques in treating cybersex addiction. Symptom management and relapse prevention are reviewed along with ways of coping with high-risk situations and modifying computer use. Finally, the fifth article provides a list of additional resources for further information and study.
