International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals#Resources

{{Short description|Mental health certification organization}}

{{notability|Organizations|date=September 2018}}

The International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP) is one of the most well-known, for-profit organizations that provides training and certification for licensed and interned mental health professionals who want to treat sexual addiction, partner trauma/betrayal, and other compulsive behaviors in their clients.{{cite news |last1=Murphy |first1=Stacy Notaras |title=It's not about sex - Counseling Today |url=https://ct.counseling.org/2011/12/its-not-about-sex/ |work=Counseling Today |date=December 1, 2011}} Despite the concept of sexual addiction being contentious in the fields of psychology, medicine, and neuroscience,{{cite book |veditors=Birchard T, Benfield J |chapter=1.3, Sexual addiction: Terminology, definitions and conceptualisation |title=Routledge International Handbook of Sexual Addiction |isbn=978-1317274254 |publisher=Routledge |year = 2017 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fe80DwAAQBAJ|last1=Schaefer|first1=Gerard A.|last2=Ahlers|first2=Christof J.}}{{Cite journal|last=Hall|first=Paula|date=2014-01-02|title=Sex addiction – an extraordinarily contentious problem|journal=Sexual and Relationship Therapy|volume=29|issue=1|pages=68–75|doi=10.1080/14681994.2013.861898|s2cid=145015659|issn=1468-1994}} and was not included in the DSM as of 2017, the need for this type of certification has been demonstrated over several decades.{{cite news |last1=Ivanova |first1=Irina |title=The lucrative, but dubious, business of treating sex addiction |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sexual-addiction-treatment-clinics-often-take-advantage/ |work=CBS News MoneyWatch |date=October 31, 2017 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Zanzonico |first1=Roberta |last2=Sorrentino |first2=Renee M. |title=Sex Addiction: Playing Now in Theaters |url=http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/article/sex-addiction-playing-now-theaters |date=January 12, 2018}}

IITAP's training and certification program is based on the work of Dr. Patrick Carnes and his 30 Task Model. Dr. Carnes has been pioneering work in sexually compulsive behavior since the 1980s, and he is also the founder of IITAP. His daughter, Dr. Stefanie Carnes, also a renowned marriage and family therapist, clinical sexologist, Rainbow Advocate and Educator, and CSAT-Supervisor, is IITAP's president.{{cite book |veditors=Birchard T, Benfield J |chapter=Contributors|title=Routledge International Handbook of Sexual Addiction |isbn=978-1317274254 |publisher=Routledge |year = 2017 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fe80DwAAQBAJ}}

Public interest in sexual addiction and IITAP's programs are often driven by celebrities caught up in a scandal, and blaming their trouble on sexual addiction.{{cite news |last1=Ryan |first1=Harriet |title=Sex addiction therapy is booming |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/national/sex-addiction-therapy-is-booming/article_5052ac35-34d7-598a-ba27-562f5bfc441d.html |work=Los Angeles Times via St Louis Today |date=November 25, 2010 |language=en}}