By Ravin Robertson
The Gathering Place is sponsoring a pornography awareness seminar Thursday Nov. 7 to address the growing problem of pornography in communities.
“There”s a couple purposes of the seminar,” said Dr. Sharon Kay, executive director of The Gathering Place. “To educate people about the developing problem in the community concerning pornography, and we also want religious clergy who have been struggling to help with the problem to know that help is available.”
Joann Hibbert Hamilton, a local expert on pornography, will speak about community prevention of pornography and community involvement in combating the prevalence of pornography in our society.
“The seminar will educate people about the affect of pornography on the community and discuss the therapy side of it, what you can do to seek help, how you can seek help and what help is available,” said Summer McCann, outreach coordinator of The Gathering Place. “A lot of people don”t know where people can turn for help and that you can treat it and that you don”t have to cope with it alone.”
In the past year, there has been an increase in the number of calls the center has received for treatment with sexual and pornography addictions, McCann said.
Tim Adams, sexual addictions program director of The Gathering Place, will talk about the addiction cycle associated with viewing pornography and sexual addictions in general, as well as treatment intervention and what the center does to treat and look at the disorder.
“The seminar is a great place to come for awareness and education about the problem and how much of an issue it is,” Adams said.
“We recognize the need to educate the public about these issues and allow less shame and guilt for getting help with the problem. Shame and guilt will keep people from getting help and the problem will get worse, especially in a religious community.”
Adams said the center”s specialized treatment program for sexual addiction is designed to intervene through one-on-one therapy, family therapy and group therapy.
“Individual therapy will examine emotional issues or the negative emotional problems that a person might have that causes them to use sex or pornography to self medicate and how they actualize and rationalize their behavior,” he said. “Family therapy involves the spouse, parents, as much family as possible so there is accountability for the individual and to educate the family as to how to help instead of hurt the person. An uneducated family can help the problem get worse.”
He said there is a family support group just for the family members free of charge that is offered to the community by the center.
“Group therapy is really important because the shame and guilt of pornography keeps people stuck in the additions and by hearing
other people”s stories and similar experiences, that helps individuals to let go of some of the guilt.”
The seminar is free to the public and starts at 7 p.m.
