The Impact of a Sexual Addiction on Work Performance

A sexual addiction not only impacts someone's personal life but also their performance at work. To help understand what type of impact a sexual addiction can have on work performance and what someone can do to get help, I have interviewed clinical psychologist Matthew Whitehead, Psy.D..

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
"I am a clinical psychologist who currently is in private practice in Philadelphia and Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. I earned my doctorate in clinical psychology at the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology of Widener University in 2007. My doctoral dissertation focused on developing a contemporary psychoanalytic approach to the assessment and treatment of sex addiction. I completed post-doctoral training at the Keystone Center Extended Care Unit, a residential treatment program for the assessment and treatment of sexual compulsivity and sexual addition. After completing my post-doc, I became a clinical assistant professor of psychology at Widener University and began my private practice. I teach courses in personality assessment and adult psychopathology and diagnosis, and in my private practice I work with adults and couples. In my practice I see individuals struggling with many concerns, some have been identified as sex addicts."

What type of an impact can a sexual addiction have on work performance?
"Sex addiction is a complicated concept that many practitioners disagree about. Currently, sex addiction is not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as a form of mental disorder; as a result, there is wide disagreement in the mental health community as to how to best diagnose and treat the condition. In short, most practitioners agree that sex addiction is a serious condition wherein individuals exhibit a pattern of sexual behavior that feels out of their control and causes significant distress to the person. Most people who identify as sex addicts describe feeling constantly obsessed with sexual thoughts and fantasies, even when they are not engaged in sex. It is quite common for these individuals to report struggling with compulsive masturbation, serial sexual encounters which they regret, and secretive and dishonest behaviors meant to conceal the severity of their condition.

Sex addiction shouldn't be considered just a private problem that affects an individual's home life, either. I have worked with many individuals who have either lost their job or are in serious jeopardy of losing their job as a result of their sex addiction. For example, many people who identify as sex addicts report experiencing obsessive sexual thoughts and fantasies throughout their day, often increasing at times of stress. Certainly, this includes work stress and time spent at work. In more severe cases, some individuals have reported and complained of viewing pornography and/or masturbating at work because these impulses were nearly impossible to control. In the most severe cases, individuals can find themselves making inappropriate sexual remarks and gestures to co-workers, potentially leading to sexual harassment allegations, and termination from employment, and legal persecution.

In other cases, however, individuals may only struggle with trying to focus on their daily work tasks, finding it difficult to resist sexual thoughts and fantasies. Or, individuals may find that they spend their lunch hour at strip bars or other sexual venues. Sometimes individuals neglect work responsibilities to satisfy sexual urges that are impossible to otherwise control. This can involve calling out of work (sometimes when the individual has no available sick leave), failing to complete important tasks or projects on time, or having a hard time dealing with feedback about work performance."

How can someone prevent or overcome their sexual addiction from impacting their work performance?
"Currently, there is very little research that indicates which are the best methods for treating sex addiction; however, many published anecdotal reports indicate that most individuals who are highly motivated to reduce the impact of their sex addiction in their everyday lives can do so through a combination of participating in individual psychotherapy, self-help groups, and in some cases, couples/family therapy.

Most practitioners agree that the first goal in recovering from sex addiction is to eliminate, as much as possible, all sexual behavior (including masturbation) for a period of 90 days or longer. This celibacy period is meant to help reduce the immediate effects of sexual behavior from fueling ongoing obsessions about sex and to give individuals an opportunity to reflect upon all of the negative consequences that their behaviors have wrought.

However, this celibacy period can be difficult for many people to achieve. There are some 'detox' residential programs available to help individuals achieve celibacy. Residential programs, such as the Keystone Center Extended Care Unit (www.keystonecenterecu.net), offer four to eight week treatment programs that help individuals achieve celibacy while also improving their ability to cope with stress, identify triggers of sexual thoughts and feelings, and make important life changes necessary to promote healthy sexuality in the future. After a 90 day celibacy period, individuals are encourage to reintroduce sexual behavior very slowly in their life in an effort to help individuals redefine what constitutes 'healthy sex' from 'unhealthy sex' and how to distinguish between the two.

Participation in self-help groups is also a key to recovery. There are many 12-step fellowships available to individuals struggling with sex addiction, such as Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA), Sexual Compulsives Anonymous (SCA) and Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA). While each of these fellowships have slightly different perspectives on sexual health, all of them offer regular, informal meetings for addicts to participate, receive support, and offer encouragement to others. It is not uncommon for sex addicts to report that the most important component of their recovery has been their participation in the self-help fellowships.

There are also many self-help books available on the topic of sex addiction. One of the most popular of these is written by Patrick Carnes , Ph.D. and is entitled 'Out of the Shadows.'

For individuals struggling with sex addiction's impact on their work performance, I would recommend that they seek out a therapist skilled and experienced in work with sex addiction for an initial assessment to determine what forms of intervention are likely to be most helpful. For individuals concerned about their employment being in jeopardy due to their sexual behaviors, many companies offer an Employee Assistance Program that is available for individuals to receive advice about how to handle work performance issues. Elective participation in an Employee Assistance Program may demonstrate to employers that an employee is serious about improving their work performance. For licensed professionals, such as physicians, pharmacists, lawyers (etc), many state licensing boards operate impaired professional programs that can help save a professional his or her license from being revoked as long as they are actively participating in a treatment program and making progress.

Also, many self-help programs offer meetings during lunch hours, so individuals can get active support throughout the day. If someone does not have access to a sexual addiction 12-step meeting during their work day, there are online 12-step meetings and phone meetings that run 24 hours a day and that individuals can attend virtually so as to receive additional support throughout their work day. Many individuals who participate in 12-step programs obtain sponsors who are available to accept phone calls and meet in times when the person is experiencing intense sexual urges that they fear might encourage them to engage in sexual activity.

Additional resources that can be helpful in improving work performance include relaxation exercises , meditation, and other holistic health approaches, such as participation in yoga and/or regular exercise programs. The more self-care the individual engages in, the more tools he/she will have in combating sexual thoughts/feelings that detract from everyday responsibilities.

More information about sex addiction can be found at www.sexhelp.org."

Thank you Matthew for doing the interview on the impact of sexual addiction on work performance. For more information on Matthew Whitehead or his work you can check out his website on www.drmattwhitehead.com.

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