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‘INTERNET PORNOGRAPHY – INFLUENCING AND SHAPING SEXUALITY TODAY?’ – The physical, mental and social impact of internet pornography
| Date | Friday, 15th February 2019 |
| Duration | 1 day |
| Start Time | 09:15 |
| End Time | 17:00 |
| Type | Training course/workshop |
| Location | Killarney (Venue to be decided) |
| Audience | Psychotherapists, Counsellors, GPs, Teachers (RSE and SPHE), Guidance Counsellors, Youth workers, Practice nurses, Psychiatrists, Psychologists.
CPD: 7 hours |
(Royal College of General Practitioners)
Overuse of internet pornography is fast emerging as a compulsive sexual behaviour disorder. This corresponds to the greater use of smartphones and easy access to streaming video in the past 10 years. A wide range of mental and physical health issues has ensued. For instance, a staggering increase in erectile dysfunction in younger men, widespread evidence of lower sexual satisfaction in men and women, and more social anxiety and body dysmorphia in adolescents all appear to be related to this cultural phenomenon.
Healthcare practitioners need to be aware of the evidence that supports the addiction model along with effective treatment options and remedies that enhance recovery including effective social prescribing.
This interactive one-day workshop will provide an introduction to addiction neuroscience in general and internet pornography use in particular, based on the latest research. It will look at different types of physical health and mental health conditions related to porn use emerging from the research. We will encourage reflective discussion among practitioners about best practice, possible improvements, and signpost recovery options.
Programme
09.15 – Introduction to internet pornography, The Great Porn Experiment, the World Health Organization’s definition of sexual health, addiction and brain models, patterns of user behaviour, the Hook model, desensitization and escalation to stronger material
11:00 – Break
11:15 – Pornography use and risks – the mental and physical health implications, including sexual dysfunctions for adolescents, men, and women. Small group discussions followed by whole group discussion. Adolescent use patterns, sexual conditioning, changing patterns of sexual behaviour across society, mental health issues, child-on-child sexual abuse, porn-induced sexual dysfunctions and the role of pornography in domestic violence. Q & A session. (cont’d after lunch – until 14:30)
13.00 – Lunch
Medical Strand A (For medical, therapeutic and clinical professionals)
14.30 – Pornography use and sexual diversity issues, testing for user problems and providing resources to support resilience. Pornography as a lifestyle issue in the LGBTQI+ and MSM communities, comorbidities, chemsex, treatment options, the Problematic Pornography Use Scale, online recovery communities and social prescribing. Group discussions.
15.45 – Break
16:00 – Recovery and prevention – How much porn is too much? Treatment and educational options, addiction, withdrawal, ‘flatlining’, mindfulness, CBT, drug treatments and building an understanding of internet pornography into your clinical practice
16.50 – Evaluation and close.
Educational Strand B (for teachers, youth workers and other professionals working with young people)
14.30 – The challenges around introducing pornography lessons to schools. Small group discussion followed by whole group discussion. Lessons learned by Reward Foundation of teaching in schools including sexual diversity issues; faith schools; working with parents.
- Lesson plans for teachers of 11-12-year-olds on how the brain learns and builds habits with sexual conditioning at puberty
- lesson plans for 13-14-year-olds on sexting- the legal and health implications
- lesson plans for 16-17- year-olds about addiction including criminal law implications related to problematic use of pornography- including sexual assault and possession of indecent images of children. Leaving school and moving on to work or college. Understanding the business model of the porn industry.
15.45 – Break
16:00 – Recovery and prevention – How much porn is too much? Look at withdrawal, ‘flatlining’, where to get help. Interventions like mindfulness, CBT, online support; psychotherapists, recovery coaches. Getting parents on board to cooperate with school.
17:00 – Evaluation and close.
Presenters
Mary Sharpe is the founder and CEO of educational charity The Reward Foundation- Love, Sex and the Internet. She has been presenting on the impacts of internet pornography to professionals in healthcare, criminal justice, and education and to schools for the past 5 years. Mary is also a Board member of the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health in the USA.
Mary was based at the University of Cambridge for ten years where she did research for the NATO Science for Peace and Security programme. She was a science reporter for the Cambridge-MIT Institute, a job she had done previously at the European Commission in Brussels. She also tutored students and staff on sustaining peak performance through workshops on life skills and stress management. She is an Associate of Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge.
Mary practiced law as a solicitor and Advocate for over 15 years. She has published on many aspects of health, sexuality, and law and spoken at conferences worldwide. She enjoys face-to-face teaching and discussion.
Darryl Mead Ph.D. is an internet expert and pornography industry researcher with an interest in the impact of pornography use on behaviour among adolescents and adults. He is developing innovative policy responses to the health challenges created by the widespread adoption of pornography viewing as a phenomenon of mass entertainment.
As a senior executive at the National Library of Scotland, Darryl helped to establish the system the UK uses to archive the internet. A trained teacher, he held previous roles as a science communicator and is a chartered information professional (FCLIP).
Whilst we endeavour to present the programme as advertised, we reserve the right to amend timings and content
| Cost | €120.00 – Early Bird (to be paid by January 18th, 2019
€130.00 – Full Price |
| Contact | info@southwestcounselling.ie |
| Phone | 064 663 6416 |
