Beth is currently offering The Truth About Pornography: a 5 week workshop for teens, ages 14-18 years. This course is designed to reduce sexual and dating violence, increase critical thinking skills, and promote healthy intimacy. Participants will learn more about the curriculum as described in Maggie Jones’ New York Times article found here.
This course was put together by Jess Alder, Nicole Daley, and Dr. Emily Rothman, associated with the University of Boston. The curriculum is research and evidence-based, and has been pilot-tested with youth who are primarily urban-residing youth of color with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Evaluation results are available here.
**Please note** The “Truth About Pornography” class does not show any sexually explicit media nor does it encourage youth to seek out or view sexually explicit media. The class does *not* teach youth how to watch sexually explicit media. Research suggests the class does not increase pornography-viewing by youth participants (see research study referenced above).
The aim of the program is pornography literacy, which means giving youth tools to analyze what they may see. The curriculum is non-judgmental, though adheres to the idea that free, mainstream sexually explicit media can promote unhealthy sexual scripts for youth. The curriculum does not support the position that all pornography is demonstrably harmful to all people in all contexts, and the facilitator aims to present a neutral stance to promote critical thinking by the teen participants. We are supportive of youth who are LGBTQ+, and the facilitator aims to create a respectful and safe environment for participant discussion and learning.
The group runs from 6pm-8pm on Wednesdays for five weeks, and will be limited to no more than 10-12 participants. Cost for the full course is $185, to be paid in advance to reserve your teen’s spot. Full refunds will be made up to one week in advance, and unfortunately there are no make-up days should your child miss a class. Please review your schedules prior to signing up for the course to ensure your child’s consistent attendance will be possible. Pizza will be included in the fee and served during that time. For more information or to reserve your spot today, please contact Beth Castellow, LCSW at (512) 814-5513 or via email at beth@cardinaltherapy.com
Additional Parent Resources
https://thepornconversation.org/