My Blog

I recently found myself feeling a bit unsettled during a therapy session with a client I've worked with for several months. Since we trust each other's instincts I described to him what I was experiencing and suggested that we review what we had just been talking about.

It's not always easy to manage your emotions so they don't rule you.  In my Atlanta counseling practice I sometimes use the example of walking a dog to illustrate an essential idea about emotional self-control.

We've all seen someone struggling to walk an unruly dog. When an untrained dog sees a squirrel or cat it naturally wants to chase after it.  In such circumstances a large dog can pull the human on the other end of the leash wherever its instincts lead.

To resolve a problem obviously means that a desired outcome has been reached, while progress means that some type of incremental improvement has been made. Seems simple, right? If something "bad" gets "better", most people would consider that to be progress. But have you ever considered the implication that progress works backwards? Let me explain what I mean.

On September 20, 2023 I presented a one hour workshop on the Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB) Framework for the "Love You Now" conference. I think it went pretty well. The actual presentation is about 40 minutes and the rest is Q & A. For anyone interested in watching this overview of the PSB Framework here's the link.

On August 4, 2023 I gave an online workshop applying the Problematic Sexual Behavior Framework (PSBF) to group therapy, something I've been doing for thousands of group hours over the past decade with hundreds of men who often stay for years because of the benefits they receive.  Since this type of group format has been so incredibly beneficial for my clients I wanted to teach others how to utilize it for their own purposes and populations. 

I was recently interviewed by Matt Dobschuetz for his podcast "Porn Free Radio". It's an in-depth discussion about the Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB) Framework. Matt's a very engaging host! The podcast is 70 minutes long and the time flew by -- we could have kept going! Here's the link:

https://recoveredman.com/311-assessing-problematic-porn-use-w-bill-herring/

I'm looking forward to presenting a workshop on how to provide group therapy using the Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB) Framework. I will teach mental and sexual health professionals how to provide group therapy using the PSB Framework to members who both and don't self-identify as sex addicts by offering them a common sexual health goal (I run 7 groups using this format).

It's probably pretty obvious, based on my more recent blog posts, that I am making a more concerted effort to expand awareness of the Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB) Framework, a universal, simple, portable, descriptive and theory-neutral method for assessing sexual behavior patterns for problematic components in a way that avoids resistance and have the further benefit of effectively navigating unfamiliar or personally uncomfortable sexual practices.

Here is an 11 minute summary of the Problematic Sexual Behavior Framework that I created, which provides a simple way to assess sexual behavior patterns for any problematic aspects in a way that does not involve labels. This brief video will help provide a quick understanding of the key elements of this approach. Please leave any comments you would like to share. Thanks!

Sometimes when I ask clients how they're feeling I'll get this answer: "Fine". I usually try to point out that this doesn't tell me much.

There are so many other possible alternative answers to 'I'm fine."  Even this relatively short list of feeling words contain dozens of choices -- and "fine" is not one of them!