Just came across your work thanks to some conversations circulating on Therapy Twitter! I'm currently finishing my MFT program at a Northern California university, and we're beginning our Sex Therapy course this term. While reviewing the syllabus this past week, I noticed a few topics and class expectations that definitely raised some questions. I think I'll probably take a closer look at the ethical codes for APA/Coamft and how it lines up with the course materials/discussions thanks to your post.
The lack of consistency in how the field applies ethics across different worldviews is frustrating. Thanks for calling it out for what it is.
Thank you! Advocate for yourself! Document everything! I’m working on a legal/strategic blueprint to combat this if you’d like to message me privately.
Naomi, thanks for coming forward. I'm an LMHC in Seattle. You're on to something on a number of levels- the first being the issues in training your WSJ points out. I graduated from a Christian MACP program in 2010 which I found to be solid. After 2015 or so, the school seemed to be largely filled out with "psychologies of liberation" and little reconstructive efforts to form therapists with an anthropology around the human person. The school became good at deconstruction, and little else, it seemed. I've heard somewhat similar stories to what you whistleblew about.
Secondly, and the broader issue at hand: why is there such widespread ideological collapse by such a portion of therapists nationwide into full blown postmodern "do what thou wilt" style of being with clients? Can they not see the boundary violations potentially rampant in such a liquid worldview?
As a Catholic, I wish I could say I was surprised this was happening at a Jesuit university... but I'm not.
For what it's worth, I'm a member of the Catholic Psychotherapy Association (if you are Catholic). It's a very solid professional org with with its own academic journal, Integratus, and might be worth checking out for your further professional development.
I read your entire op-ed. What is going on in this course is batshit-insane. There aren't enough "Yikes!" to describe it.
Just two excerpts for those who can't see the op-ed:
'A guest speaker, a male transgender psychologist, told us “only trans women have p—s that can blow up the world” and described being sexually aroused while looking in the mirror. One exercise included anonymously writing down something we disliked about our genitals or breasts, to be read aloud in class by another student.'
'In Multicultural Counseling, we were told that “objective, rational, linear thinking,” “delayed gratification,” and making a “plan for the future” are traits of “white culture.” I was required to preface mock therapy sessions by “naming my whiteness” and warning that I might misread clients because of my race. In Human Sexuality, we were taught that children with six months of “gender distress” should be “affirmed” in their belief that they are of the opposite sex—without deeper assessment, even when trauma or autism was present.'
'These ideas are being promoted by the field’s top bodies. The American Psychological Association, American Counseling Association and Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs have adopted standards grounded in critical theory.'
Came here after reading the WSJ piece, which was shocking. Please accept my virtual HIGH FIVE for going through all channels that you did, before exposing this bizarre and twisted professor and his deviant assignments. And shame on the university for the lack of handling it professionally. We are living in very trying times. THANK YOU for your courage and professionalism.
The teacher, Mr "he/they/ta' needs to be shown the exit door.
I dont think you understand Therapy is messy. What will you do when you are doing your 3000 clinical hours after you graduate and one of your clients is confused about their sexuality. Or later if you become a therapist and a client has deeper issues of a sexual nature are you going to say to them that you'd rather not hear about it that you'd rather talk about something that doesn't cause you discomfort? In your self-promoting outrage have you asked yourself why the assignments were of a frank sexual nature? It is because they were meant to make you feel uncomfortable . These courses are meant for you to sometimes explore that's how I read it before not only your feelings and your past but other people's too so you can empathize with their struggles so you understand and become a tgood therapist. I'm amazed you don't understand this if anyone has a political agenda it is you . You should not be a therapist
She will not have to disclose her sexual history, history of sexual abuse, and her masterbation habits to her clients. Only a pervert professor would demand that information from his students. You should learn about respecting boundaries.
A classroom of students is not a private therapy session for one person. Your comparison is false. Teachers have a different relationship to their students than a therapist has to her clients.
We are expected to practice within the scope of our training. It would be best to refer a client to a sex therapist who have these issues. We are not required to abandon our core values as therapist. We can bracket them, but we are never required to violate them. More than half the states in the US have conscience protection laws upholding counselors of faith and the right to not violate their convictions to practice in a social science profession.
In counseling, most training programs teach the ACA Code of Ethics. However, the same is true of these professional organizations (including APA)— many (over half) states have rejected these professional organizations ethical codes in favor of state laws guiding the counseling profession in their states.
When I break this down for my students, and they check their own state laws, they begin to see “The Emperor Has No Clothes.” These organizations only have authority over people if you are member of the org. Even then, state laws will trump a private professional organization codes.
Many states actually have state laws saying gender affirming care is child abuse and therapists cannot engage in it. Other states say you can do nothing but affirmative care. Nothing is as black and white as ideologues would like to believe it is.
Bravo, Naomi for taking this on! I’m so proud of you!
Huh? I guess people shouldn't be teachers if they don't have kids, or trauma doctors if they've never broken a bone, or oncologists if they've never had cancer?
Thank you for your courage. It is astonishing that this is taking place at a nominally Catholic institution. I searched all over the Santa Clara University website, including reading their bylaws, and I found no reference to Jesus Christ, to God, to the Gospel or any other Scripture, or to any actual and specific Catholic belief or teaching. Only some obviously purposefully vague references to "Jesuit, Catholic tradition". The Santa Clara University has apparently chosen to deny Jesus. Worse, they are supporting, through a program such as you describe, the destruction of the Catholic Faith. God Bless You and God Help Us.
Bravo, Martin. Santa Clara leaned more "apologetic for being Catholic" than Catholic apologetic when I was there in the '80s, but these days when I receive the Santa Clara magazine and read the Facebook posts, they seem to have dispensed with any talk of the Catholic religion at all. Jesuits are supposed to be the custodians and transmitters of the intellectual traditions of the Church, not of the edgiest pedagogies in contemporary culture. I'm not super dogmatic or anything, but I'd rather they just admit they're not a Catholic school. At least that's honest.
This is more like a psychological terror campaign by perhaps yet another member of the LGBTQ+ brigade who increasingly populate academic institutions. Thanks you for raising your voice. Any real program would be glad to have you.
“Psychological terror campaign” is quite on point! These AGPs have found a socially acceptable way to sexually harass women, humiliate them, violate their boundaries, and, as you so aptly noted, terrorize them. They know exactly what they are doing.
University professors and staff won't stand up for what's right nowadays out of fear of being canceled. After rifting feminists from women's studies and other departments and hiring transgender ideologues, there's no one left with moral standards.
"A female influencer was shown gagged, flogged, and wrapped in plastic. Afterward, the professor asked the class if we wanted to “try it” ourselves."
I don't think we can stop violence against women without being critical of violence against women. When college professors show no ethical or moral judgment against despicable acts towards women, they are literally promoting those acts. They are normalizing them. They are the lunatics running the asylum.
How can future therapists and counselors help victims of the porn and sex industries if they have been taught by someone with no moral foundation that informs how inappropriate is to do that to a woman and make money from it, regardless of whether or not she wanted to participate. How can they counsel couples when a male partner is addicted to porn if they have no moral judgment over the pattern of degradation of women in porn? Do relationship problems arise only when a man is addicted to porn? Or are couples happier when one partner is not training his brain to enjoy cruelty towards women?
If psychology students are taught it's no big deal that people enjoy seeing abuse of women, they won't be able to do their jobs helping women fight abuse.
I'm am an '86 Santa Clara grad, and as spunky as I was back then, I don't think I would have spoken up against a professor with power over my future. I might have stayed silent and ashamed, or perhaps justified the requirement as a noble transgression. Thank you for speaking up for all the students. Your points are valid and thoroughly argued, but in short this is exploitative and gross.
I just saw you today on the radical center, and was so impressed by your candor, I had to come find your work. I couldn’t find you by name but subbed a new writer, and there was your piece! I got lucky! Thank you, Naomi. 👏🏻
At one time, sadomasochists were considered to be people in need of psychiatric help. Following the era of anti-psychiatry, they have successfully infiltrated academia to the point where they can now be completely open about their intent and their doctrine. It is highly consistent that a sadistic professor would coerce a student into disclosing details of private sexual history, because your discomfort is their pleasure.
I applaud your bravery in standing up for yourself. You might be interested in parts two and three of my series on gender as religion, which cover how esoteric ideas about sex were spread by Jungian therapists and cults.
Looked for this after reading your WSJ piece. The field has gone off the rails. Thank you for speaking up!
Thanks for reading!
Just came across your work thanks to some conversations circulating on Therapy Twitter! I'm currently finishing my MFT program at a Northern California university, and we're beginning our Sex Therapy course this term. While reviewing the syllabus this past week, I noticed a few topics and class expectations that definitely raised some questions. I think I'll probably take a closer look at the ethical codes for APA/Coamft and how it lines up with the course materials/discussions thanks to your post.
The lack of consistency in how the field applies ethics across different worldviews is frustrating. Thanks for calling it out for what it is.
Thank you! Advocate for yourself! Document everything! I’m working on a legal/strategic blueprint to combat this if you’d like to message me privately.
Naomi, thanks for coming forward. I'm an LMHC in Seattle. You're on to something on a number of levels- the first being the issues in training your WSJ points out. I graduated from a Christian MACP program in 2010 which I found to be solid. After 2015 or so, the school seemed to be largely filled out with "psychologies of liberation" and little reconstructive efforts to form therapists with an anthropology around the human person. The school became good at deconstruction, and little else, it seemed. I've heard somewhat similar stories to what you whistleblew about.
Secondly, and the broader issue at hand: why is there such widespread ideological collapse by such a portion of therapists nationwide into full blown postmodern "do what thou wilt" style of being with clients? Can they not see the boundary violations potentially rampant in such a liquid worldview?
As a Catholic, I wish I could say I was surprised this was happening at a Jesuit university... but I'm not.
For what it's worth, I'm a member of the Catholic Psychotherapy Association (if you are Catholic). It's a very solid professional org with with its own academic journal, Integratus, and might be worth checking out for your further professional development.
I read your entire op-ed. What is going on in this course is batshit-insane. There aren't enough "Yikes!" to describe it.
Just two excerpts for those who can't see the op-ed:
'A guest speaker, a male transgender psychologist, told us “only trans women have p—s that can blow up the world” and described being sexually aroused while looking in the mirror. One exercise included anonymously writing down something we disliked about our genitals or breasts, to be read aloud in class by another student.'
'In Multicultural Counseling, we were told that “objective, rational, linear thinking,” “delayed gratification,” and making a “plan for the future” are traits of “white culture.” I was required to preface mock therapy sessions by “naming my whiteness” and warning that I might misread clients because of my race. In Human Sexuality, we were taught that children with six months of “gender distress” should be “affirmed” in their belief that they are of the opposite sex—without deeper assessment, even when trauma or autism was present.'
'These ideas are being promoted by the field’s top bodies. The American Psychological Association, American Counseling Association and Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs have adopted standards grounded in critical theory.'
This is abject horseshit. Pardon my French.
Unbelievable. Thank you for coming forward.
Came here after reading the WSJ piece, which was shocking. Please accept my virtual HIGH FIVE for going through all channels that you did, before exposing this bizarre and twisted professor and his deviant assignments. And shame on the university for the lack of handling it professionally. We are living in very trying times. THANK YOU for your courage and professionalism.
The teacher, Mr "he/they/ta' needs to be shown the exit door.
I dont think you understand Therapy is messy. What will you do when you are doing your 3000 clinical hours after you graduate and one of your clients is confused about their sexuality. Or later if you become a therapist and a client has deeper issues of a sexual nature are you going to say to them that you'd rather not hear about it that you'd rather talk about something that doesn't cause you discomfort? In your self-promoting outrage have you asked yourself why the assignments were of a frank sexual nature? It is because they were meant to make you feel uncomfortable . These courses are meant for you to sometimes explore that's how I read it before not only your feelings and your past but other people's too so you can empathize with their struggles so you understand and become a tgood therapist. I'm amazed you don't understand this if anyone has a political agenda it is you . You should not be a therapist
She will not have to disclose her sexual history, history of sexual abuse, and her masterbation habits to her clients. Only a pervert professor would demand that information from his students. You should learn about respecting boundaries.
A classroom of students is not a private therapy session for one person. Your comparison is false. Teachers have a different relationship to their students than a therapist has to her clients.
Seriously?
You think that an instructor stating, “only trans women have p—s that can blow up the world” has something to do with education??
Have you read the op-ed?
This is horseshit. How do you know what was meant?
Does someone have to try rape in order to empathise with a client? Bullshit. Read the op-ed.
Actually, I think it’s you that doesn’t understand. To make passing a course contingent on disclosure of sexual history is wrong.
We are expected to practice within the scope of our training. It would be best to refer a client to a sex therapist who have these issues. We are not required to abandon our core values as therapist. We can bracket them, but we are never required to violate them. More than half the states in the US have conscience protection laws upholding counselors of faith and the right to not violate their convictions to practice in a social science profession.
In counseling, most training programs teach the ACA Code of Ethics. However, the same is true of these professional organizations (including APA)— many (over half) states have rejected these professional organizations ethical codes in favor of state laws guiding the counseling profession in their states.
When I break this down for my students, and they check their own state laws, they begin to see “The Emperor Has No Clothes.” These organizations only have authority over people if you are member of the org. Even then, state laws will trump a private professional organization codes.
Many states actually have state laws saying gender affirming care is child abuse and therapists cannot engage in it. Other states say you can do nothing but affirmative care. Nothing is as black and white as ideologues would like to believe it is.
Bravo, Naomi for taking this on! I’m so proud of you!
Huh? I guess people shouldn't be teachers if they don't have kids, or trauma doctors if they've never broken a bone, or oncologists if they've never had cancer?
Thank you for your courage. It is astonishing that this is taking place at a nominally Catholic institution. I searched all over the Santa Clara University website, including reading their bylaws, and I found no reference to Jesus Christ, to God, to the Gospel or any other Scripture, or to any actual and specific Catholic belief or teaching. Only some obviously purposefully vague references to "Jesuit, Catholic tradition". The Santa Clara University has apparently chosen to deny Jesus. Worse, they are supporting, through a program such as you describe, the destruction of the Catholic Faith. God Bless You and God Help Us.
Bravo, Martin. Santa Clara leaned more "apologetic for being Catholic" than Catholic apologetic when I was there in the '80s, but these days when I receive the Santa Clara magazine and read the Facebook posts, they seem to have dispensed with any talk of the Catholic religion at all. Jesuits are supposed to be the custodians and transmitters of the intellectual traditions of the Church, not of the edgiest pedagogies in contemporary culture. I'm not super dogmatic or anything, but I'd rather they just admit they're not a Catholic school. At least that's honest.
This is more like a psychological terror campaign by perhaps yet another member of the LGBTQ+ brigade who increasingly populate academic institutions. Thanks you for raising your voice. Any real program would be glad to have you.
“Psychological terror campaign” is quite on point! These AGPs have found a socially acceptable way to sexually harass women, humiliate them, violate their boundaries, and, as you so aptly noted, terrorize them. They know exactly what they are doing.
I wrote about this insanity in New Hampshire.
https://granitegrok.com/blog/2023/10/training-nh-therapists-to-affirm-bdsm-and-kink
University professors and staff won't stand up for what's right nowadays out of fear of being canceled. After rifting feminists from women's studies and other departments and hiring transgender ideologues, there's no one left with moral standards.
"A female influencer was shown gagged, flogged, and wrapped in plastic. Afterward, the professor asked the class if we wanted to “try it” ourselves."
I don't think we can stop violence against women without being critical of violence against women. When college professors show no ethical or moral judgment against despicable acts towards women, they are literally promoting those acts. They are normalizing them. They are the lunatics running the asylum.
How can future therapists and counselors help victims of the porn and sex industries if they have been taught by someone with no moral foundation that informs how inappropriate is to do that to a woman and make money from it, regardless of whether or not she wanted to participate. How can they counsel couples when a male partner is addicted to porn if they have no moral judgment over the pattern of degradation of women in porn? Do relationship problems arise only when a man is addicted to porn? Or are couples happier when one partner is not training his brain to enjoy cruelty towards women?
If psychology students are taught it's no big deal that people enjoy seeing abuse of women, they won't be able to do their jobs helping women fight abuse.
I'm am an '86 Santa Clara grad, and as spunky as I was back then, I don't think I would have spoken up against a professor with power over my future. I might have stayed silent and ashamed, or perhaps justified the requirement as a noble transgression. Thank you for speaking up for all the students. Your points are valid and thoroughly argued, but in short this is exploitative and gross.
Academics have been gaslighting us on “porn” for decades now. I’m glad someone else finally noticed.
This is beyond words outrageous!
Link to the WSJ op-ed bypassing their paywall:
https://archive.ph/CAxn0
I just saw you today on the radical center, and was so impressed by your candor, I had to come find your work. I couldn’t find you by name but subbed a new writer, and there was your piece! I got lucky! Thank you, Naomi. 👏🏻
At one time, sadomasochists were considered to be people in need of psychiatric help. Following the era of anti-psychiatry, they have successfully infiltrated academia to the point where they can now be completely open about their intent and their doctrine. It is highly consistent that a sadistic professor would coerce a student into disclosing details of private sexual history, because your discomfort is their pleasure.
I applaud your bravery in standing up for yourself. You might be interested in parts two and three of my series on gender as religion, which cover how esoteric ideas about sex were spread by Jungian therapists and cults.
https://open.substack.com/pub/genspect/p/sex-and-death-cults-old-and-new