When Your Therapist Makes Porn
Sex therapists and couples counselors have lives outside of their profession. It’s often awkward to think of your therapist as a person who deals with trials and tribulations in life. However, it’s important to remember that your sex therapist is a human being and entitled to the same delicacies that their patients enjoy in life, like sex. With sex comes more controversies that therapists indulge in, such as sex toys and pornography. Pornography does not discriminate against job professions. Pornographers hold a wide range of other professions, including doctors and therapists. Dr. David Ley, author of Ethical Porn for Dicks and SHA advisory board member provides some insight on how to ethically approach making porn as a sex therapist in an article for Psychology Today called “ My Therapist the Porn Star.” Dr. Ley explores how therapists can express their sexuality in a field that often expects professionals to limit such an expression. He notes that “Many people are surprised when they learn just how staid and socially conservative the therapy field is. Today, those rules and expectations are being challenged by therapists who choose to embrace their sexuality in authentic and public ways.” I believe that it’s crucial for sex therapists to continue challenging the conservative norms in the industry, as everyone deserves the right to express their sexuality in whatever consensual way they see fit. Sex therapists are people too and therefore have the same needs and desires that their clients have.
In the article, Dr. Ley investigates the stories of three different therapy professionals who also partake in porn: Daniel, Ethan, and Jasmine (aka Jet Setting Jasmine.) Interestingly enough, all three individuals noted that their “doing porn evolved out of their sexualities and relationships with lovers, and were expressions of their sexual fantasies that they decided they did not want to suppress.” These individuals partake in porn as an extension of their private sexuality, something that has nothing to do with their therapy profession. This public expression of sexuality doesn’t have to be kept separate from the therapist’s practice either. Most notably, Jet Setting Jasmine is very open about her involvement in porn with her clientele. In fact, a lot of Jasmine’s clients seek her out because of her involvement in pornography. Her clients want to know how they too can incorporate more freedom of sexual expression into their lives and relationships. Performers in the industry also seek out sex therapy from Jasmine! Jasmine’s involvement in pornography gives her a unique skill set to help her patients explore their own sexuality through the lens of expressive sexual endeavors. She is able to understand both the professional and emotional aspects of pornography and sex therapy combined. Daniel and Ethan have also shared their alternate profession with some of their patients and did not receive negative feedback. Rather, their clients felt more comfortable with them and confessed that they have fear of being judged or stigmatized because of their sex lives.
Dr. Ley goes on to explore the relationship between the realities of the therapy world when coupled with that of the pornography world, specifically through the lens of ethics and morals. He notes that “many in the behavioral health industry hold very strong negative views about the sexual entertainment industry and view any association with pornography as an ethical taint.” These negative views should be seen as ignorant, as pornography is a valid expression of sexuality. I feel as though porn is an expressive art form that everyone is entitled to consensually participate in. If a mental health professional stigmatizes or looks down upon those who participate in pornography, how are they equipped to help their clients express their own authentic sexuality? A sex therapist’s office should be a judgment-free zone and that pornography is well within the bounds of appropriate sexual expression.
Moreover, a sex therapist reserves the right to have a private personal life that is completely separate from their work in the behavioral health field. Dr. Ley notes that the American Psychology Association ethics code draws a line between personal and professional lives: “This Ethics Code applies only to psychologists’ activities that are part of their scientific, educational, or professional roles as psychologists… These activities shall be distinguished from the purely private conduct of psychologists, which is not within the purview of the Ethics Code.” Pornography is a part of the private lives of therapists who choose to participate in the art form. Daniel from Dr. Ley’s article talks about how therapists are allowed to have personal lives and how his participation in pornography is a part of his personal life. In this sense, according to the APA ethics code, Daniel is not doing anything ethically wrong or morally wrong for that matter by performing in adult films. Overall, it is ethical for sex therapists to participate in pornography and hopefully, it will continue to become more normalized in the mental health field.
By Alyssa Morterud