The International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP) is one of several for-profit organizations whose business is that of creating and protecting a profitable community of clinicians who market themselves as adhering to a particular set of standards for the professional treatment of the disputed diagnosis of "sexual addiction" and multiple addictions. IITAP certifies healthcare professionals who complete a training, clinical supervision process, and who pay a variety of fees, as Certified Sex Addiction Therapists (CSATs) or Certified Multiple Addiction Therapists (CMAT). IITAP is a certified educational resource for the American Psychological Association (APA), the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC)[9], and the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (CaBBS). IITAP's slogan on its web page is, "Increase Your Knowledge. Advance Your Career. Help People."
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History
In 1992, Patrick Carnes published Out of the Shadows, about sexual compulsivity. He has been recognized as the leading proponent of the concept of "sex addiction." Addiction practitioners began claiming an association to him. Carnes created a standard of training and certification - the Certified Sex Addiction Therapist, or CSAT, program - in November 2000. IITAP claims that sexual addiction affects millions, and that the demand for treatment has outpaced the supply of qualified professionals. Many professional healthcare education programs don't specifically teach treatment of sexually compulsive behaviors. Carnes has claimed that CSAT training provides a form of quality control to ensure that clients and patients receive competent treatment, and has inaccurately asserted that sex therapists and other practitioners claiming to treat sex addicts often do not have specific training in the diagnosis, treatment and ethics of "sex addiction," a diagnosis recognized by no major mental health organization.
The CSAT program started as a stand-alone training and certification program built around academic study, experiential training, supervision and testing competence. Increasing numbers of training and certification candidates led to the launch of the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP) in 2005. In the U.S, the number of therapists treating compulsive sexual behavior has increased very dramatically within the last decade to over 1500 today, up from fewer than 100, and dozens of treatment centers are advertising treatment programs, up from just five or six. The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health estimates that 3 to 5 percent of the U.S. population may meet their criteria for sex addiction.
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CSAT certification
IITAP offers training and certification in sexual addiction and other addictions such as eating disorders and chemical dependency. IITAP administers two certifications - the Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT) and the Certified Multiple Addiction Therapist (CMAT); the latter is for therapists who complete training in more than one addiction.
Counselors have many options for obtaining specialized sexual addiction training; CSAT certification may be the best-known. Certified Sex Addiction Therapists (CSAT) are licensed therapists with graduate degrees who IITAP attests have demonstrated their competence in sex addiction therapy by becoming credentialed. CSAT certification is the most in-depth training currently available for the treatment of sex addiction and is widely sought after by experts in the field. IITAP credentials sexual health professionals on the basis of rigorous standards for academic preparation, supervised training and consultation, field-related experience and applied skills. Field experience and practical application of skills and competencies carried out under trained and approved supervision or consultation are crucial aspects of certification. Applicants must substantiate completion of certification requirements with academic transcripts and other formal documentation, and must also undergo peer review of their credentials. IITAP requires that applicants for sex addiction therapist certification have a Masters-level degree, post-degree clinical experience, liability insurance, a valid state license or certification to practice psychology, medicine, social work, counseling, nursing, or marriage and family therapy, and at least 5 years of experience in the counseling field. Earning a CSAT also requires the therapist to attend four levels of one-week training modules in person (120 hours plus additional homework), pass a series of competency tests, and have lengthy supervision by CSAT supervisors. Approved CSAT supervisors have to take special training as well, and in order to maintain active status as a CSAT or CSAT supervisor, a therapist has to attend an international conference every two years to learn about the latest treatment methods, and pay annual dues.
Certified Sex Addiction Therapy
The primary focus in certified sex addiction therapy is on providing support to clients to stop destructive sexual behaviors. Addiction therapy is a process which takes anywhere from one to two years upwards to four to five years. Factors which contribute to the length of treatment are: 1) time to establish abstinence from dysfunctional behaviors and learn healthy sexual focus, 2) the stimulation of new synaptic growth incorporating new sexual knowledge, relapse prevention, and 12-step participation, 3) extensive therapy around intimacy, affect management, and trauma history, and 4) working through consequences and complications resulting from the behavior (including legal, occupational, and relational). Core to this process is family and marital therapy to resolve grief, trauma, and differentiation issues. Some CSATs refer clients to sex therapists for assessment and treatment of specific sexual problems outside the arena of sexual addiction, and some therapists are both CSATs and sex therapists.
The completion of certain performable tasks by the patient is essential during treatment and throughout the recovery process. Dr. Patrick Carnes identified specific "tasks" typically accomplished by those in recovery from sexual compulsivity and these thirty tasks span the six stages of recovery. As the number of completed tasks increases, so does the success rate in recovery.
CSATs are trained to treat partners of sex addicts and family members, and may facilitate the disclosure process, which is a major step toward the addict regaining integrity and living without secrets or lies. The disclosure process is planned and executed carefully through the oversight of a treating therapist with experience of how to structure disclosure for the maximum chance of success.
Many therapists accept insurance and although sex addiction is not a reimbursable diagnosis by most insurance companies currently, qualified therapists also assess for other conditions that may be reimbursable since sex addiction is often accompanied by depression or anxiety.
Resources
IITAP offers:
- workshops on addiction and trauma
- an annual conference
- a web-accessible database of IITAP-certified sex addiction therapists and certified multiple addiction therapists
- the Sexual Addiction Screening Test (SAST), a free screening tool
SAST is designed to assist in the assessment of sexually compulsive behavior which may indicate the presence of sex addiction. Developed in cooperation with hospitals, treatment programs, private therapists, and community groups, the SAST provides a profile of responses which help to discriminate between addictive and non-addictive behavior.
References
External links
- IITAP website
- Sex help website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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