Therapeutic Approaches to Working with Pornography

We’re seeing more and more couples in conflict over one partner’s porn use. The most common clinical approach pathologizes one partner’s porn use while legitimizing the other partner’s grievances. This violates our commitment to neutrality, and more importantly, it doesn’t help the couple.

This beginner/intermediate level course is comprised of two videos with the audio and pdf versions provided. The core focuses on treating intrapsychic conflicts, power struggles, and existential issues relating to porn use. Dr. Klein discusses how one or both partners may be acting out body image issues and why “porn addiction” is not a helpful concept. He explores how conflict about pornography is often used to avoid confrontation regarding the deficits within a sexual relationship. He also addresses various sexual issues, such as desire, arousal, and masturbation, that should be raised when working with these cases.

In the second section, Dr. Klein provides guidance on working with individuals who are discontent with their own porn use. They may feel out of control, upset about their preferred content, guilty about keeping a secret or about their low desire for their partner, or they may keep making poor choices about viewing. He addresses how to work with these people without adding to their shame, self-criticism, and sense of isolation.