In this issue
Features
The porn trap
How is the explosion of porn affecting听our psyches?
Toxic childhood
How can therapeutic values help 21st听century Western childhood?
Improving access, supporting choice
香港六合彩精准资料 continues to engage with IAPT to听support counselling as a patient choice
Rising to the challenge
One university counselling service鈥檚听experience of 香港六合彩精准资料 Service Accreditation
Learning the dance
How learning groupwork skills feels听like learning to dance
Regulars
In practice
Kevin Chandler: Beginnings
In the client's chair
Emma Munro: Ringing the changes
In training
Martin Halifax: You've got to get in to get out
The art of coaching
Day in the life
Dennis Lines
Questionnaire
Dominic Davies
Articles from this issue are not yet available online. Members and subscribers can download the pdf from the听Therapy Today听archive.
Editorial
Over the last 10-15 years I think it is true to say听that there has been an explosion in the amount听of pornography available to us. What used to听constitute soft porn is now commonplace in听TV commercials and music videos, while听hardcore porn is available at our fingertips听anywhere, any time and to anyone.
I hadn鈥檛听given this a great deal of thought until I read听Wendy Maltz鈥檚 excellent article, 鈥楾he porn听trap鈥�. She plots the evolution of pornography听in parallel with her own personal journey from听being a young girl growing up in an East Coast听middle-class suburb where porn was hard to听get hold of, to being a sex therapist in the 21st听century where porn can be hard to avoid.听
Whereas Maltz used to regard pornography听as a liberating sexual experience, indeed as听a therapeutic tool for improving sex with one鈥檚听partner, she now regards it as a public health听problem that could deeply harm the听emotional, sexual and relationship wellbeing听of millions of men, women and children. Why?听Because she is seeing increasing numbers of听clients who are showing signs of addiction to听online porn and this goes hand in hand with听relationship problems. For some, it would听seem, porn has damaged their real life sexual听relationships by generating unhealthy听interests and reducing their natural听responsiveness. One client told her he鈥檇听probably remain single all his life; he鈥檇 lost听all interest in dating since porn was so much听easier. Even if he met a nice woman, he added,听she wouldn鈥檛 want him because his sexual听desires had become so 鈥榯wisted鈥�.
As a parent of teenagers, what I personally听find most alarming is the unlimited exposure听of young people to what I would consider to听be hardcore pornography. Both here and in the听US teens have been identified as one of the听largest consumer groups of porn. A 2009 UK听research study found that 13-16 year olds were听spending an average of nearly two hours听a week looking at online porn. The thought听of one鈥檚 children having their first sexual听encounters with kids who have got their听ideas and expectations from 鈥榟otcontact.com鈥櫶齣s depressing in the extreme.
Sarah Browne
Editor