Internet Pornography and Couples

Internet pornography use is so widespread that it’s become a common presenting issue in couples therapy. According to some recent estimates, there are as many as 225 million Internet users in the United States and Canada, and 31% of these users visit sites with sexual content.A survey by Ayers and Haddock in the 2009 issue of Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity found that 74% of 99 MFTs surveyed had seen couple clients dealing with pornography issues in the past year. What drives pornography users, and where is the line between recreational use, compulsivity and addiction? Does heavy Internet pornography use affect couples’ intimacy? How should therapists address the issue?

This introductory course begins by presenting a general overview of the issues, definitions and levels of Internet pornography use and explains some of the ways in which it affects couples. It then examines specifically how women are affected when they discover their mates are using Internet pornography. It then presents a case study of a couple facing the issue and describes the principles and techniques of a specific therapy model–structural family therapy. Additional resources and references are provided for further study, but they are not part of the course.