Report from the 12th Annual CSAT Symposium

I’m committed to blogging weekly, but I regret to say I dropped the ball last week . . .

I was in Phoenix, Arizona attending the 12th Annual Symposium of the International Institute for Trauma & Addiction Professionals (IITAP) with about 600 colleagues. (IITAP is the organization that trains and certifies Certified Sex Addiction Therapists (CSATs) and CSAT Supervisors.)

I presented Friday on Boundaries After Betrayal, attended eight sessions, and connected with many colleagues—Alex Katehakis, Milton Magness, Kelly McDaniel, Ken Adams—most of whom I see only once a year at the Symposium.

Alex Katehakis, Clinical Director of the Center for Healthy Sex and the author of Sex Addiction as Affect Dysregulation: A Neurobiologically Informed Holistic Treatment, Mirror of Intimacy: Daily Reflections on Emotional and Erotic Intelligence and Erotic Intelligence: Igniting Hot, Healthy Sex While in Recovery from Sex Addiction gave a powerful—and personal—keynote address Thursday morning on Why Healing Yourself is Essential to Healing Others.

Kelly McDaniel—based in Fredericksburg, Texas—author of Ready to Heal: Breaking Free of Addictive Relationships, spoke on Healing Mother Hunger: Helping Women Heal the Divided Self.

There were more than 53 sessions on a variety of topics including:

• Addiction versus Infidelity
• The Karpman Drama Triangle
• Mindfulness and Grounding Skills
• Effective Couples Therapy in Early Recovery
• A Lasting Legacy: Adult Children of Sex Addicts

There was also a Lunch & Learn with Rob Weiss, where he presented on his latest book: Out of the Doghouse: A Relationship Saving Guide for Men Caught Cheating. Rob hosts a weekly meeting on InTheRooms—offering no cost, expert guidance and information for people struggling with cheating, porn, or out of control sexual behavior.

And as an added bonus, we were treated to two film screenings, followed by discussions with the directors: The Courage to Love (Paul Ginocchio) and Addicted to Porn—Chasing the Cardboard Butterfly (Justin Hunt).

Some have said it was the best IITAP Symposium they’ve ever attended. I’m grateful to be part of a community of so many dedicated, knowledgeable, and experts in our field.

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© Vicki Tidwell Palmer, LCSW (2017)

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