Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Naked in Public
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.stacisprout.com/
CITY: Seattle
STATE: WA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
(206) 949-6150 https://stacisprout.tumblr.com/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married.
EDUCATION:B.A.; M.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Licensed psychotherapist, Certified Sex Addiction Therapist, author, publisher, retreat and conference speaker, and sexual ethics for professionals trainer. Has worked formerly in community mental health settings, hospitals and in a private clinical practice.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Staci Sprout is a writer, licensed psychotherapist, and publisher. Sprout has worked as a therapist and social worker in community mental heath practices, hospitals, and in a private clinical practice. As a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist, the focus of her practice is to help individuals, groups, and couples in recovery from sex and relationship addictions. Sprout has spoken at retreats and conferences, and conducts trainings on sexual ethics for professionals. Sprout lives near Seattle, Washington, with her husband.
Sprout’s memoir, Naked in Public: A Memoir of Recovery From Sex Addiction and Other Temporary Insanities, documents her struggle with sex addiction and other various mental health illnesses. The book opens with a presentation of Sprout’s childhood and family history. Sprout explains that her grandfather was a pedophile, though she herself was never a victim. She describes a childhood that included alcoholism and a strict dedication to religion. A damaged sense of self-worth began for Sprout at a young age, as she dealt with abusive comments from her father and her parents’ failure to deal with dark family secrets in any sort of healthy way. Sprout was exposed to and interested in sex at a young age, exploring Playboy magazines and explicit late-night television in her home. She recalls the practice at an all-girls summer camp of secretly sharing ‘dirty’ books.
In college, away from her parents and with much more freedom, Sprout’s addictive behaviors and unhealthy coping mechanisms began to emerge. She entered into a serious relationship with a man, but quickly found herself unable to stay faithful. She began binge eating and binge drinking, and started developing an obsessive fascination with pornography. As Sprout’s sexual addiction took hold, she found herself drawn to mental health issues. Despite struggling in private, she was able to graduate college, gain a master’s degree in social work, and pursue a career in mental health counseling.
In adulthood, Sprout’s compulsions changed, but did not go away. She continued to delve into a pornography obsession and turned to abusing credit cards. During this time, Sprout began a long-term relationship with a jazz musician and self-proclaimed sex addict. This was the first time Sprout encountered the term sex addict, and she began to wonder if the same label could be applied to her. Sprout understood she had a problem, but it took her many years to be able to address her sexual addiction directly. She writes about seeking out help through any means possible. She went to therapy, took antidepressants, and addressed co-dependency and eating disorder issues. Unfortunately, the therapist she saw used unethical practices and developed an unprofessional attachment to Sprout’s sister, causing Sprout to write off therapy altogether.
Having nowhere else to turn, Sprout decided to try a 12-Step program. Initially horrified by the group, in part because it was nearly entirely comprised of men, Sprout left the program, dejected and hopeless. Eventually she decided to give the 12-Step program another shot, and found a group with more female participants. At this point, the book takes a turn. Sprout experiences her deepest low points, but recognizes that these dips were essential to bring her to ultimate recovery. Sprout writes about processing childhood trauma, leaving her long-term unhealthy relationship, and eventually, finding success and love.
Robert Weiss in Psychology Today website wrote that the book offers a “much needed look at the pain and darkness of female sexual compulsivity, coupled with an equally real and necessary message of hope.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews wrote, “a curious reader who fears that he or she might be suffering from similar problems, or who knows someone else who is, couldn’t expect to find a more welcoming place to begin their investigation than this memoir.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2017, review of Naked in Public.
ONLINE
Psych Central, https://blogs.psychcentral.com/ (October 23, 2015), Robert Weiss, author interview.
Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/ (October 29, 2015), Robert Weiss, review of Naked in Public: A Memoir of Recovery From Sex Addiction and Other Temporary Insanities.
STACI SPROUT is a licensed psychotherapist, author and publisher with twenty years of experience as a therapist and social worker in a variety of settings from community mental health and hospitals to private clinical practice. Staci is a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT), and since 2006 has dedicated her practice to helping individuals, groups and couples in recovery from sex and relationship addictions. She lives near Seattle, Washington, with her husband, who is also in recovery.
Staci Sprout, LICSW, CSAT
I founded this practice based on the knowledge that healing is not only possible from sexual/relationship addiction and codependency, it is an honorable path to a joy-filled life. I live this recovery journey myself, and have completed extensive training and practice to become a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT), so that I have the privilege of helping others navigate their own path to balance, sexual integrity, and restoration of essential relationships.
As a specialist in the field of sexual/relationship addiction, intimacy avoidance, and codependency, I have worked with many women and men who felt beyond hope, yet who were able to transform their despair into first survival, and then triumph. This evolution happens only with the support of others, the "our/r" in r.evolution.
My office is located on beautiful Lake Union in the heart of downtown Seattle.
Address:
1818 Westlake Avenue North
Suite 118
Seattle, WA 98109
c. (206) 949.6150
f. (833) 234.4648
I have a small, darling dog named Sparky who provides animal-assisted therapy. He loves to play, cuddle up in laps, and offer sweet comfort when appropriate. For those with allergies or for whom his presence might become distracting, he can take a nap during those sessions.
PROFESSIONAL VITAE
PUBLICATIONS
Sprout, S. (2015) Naked in public: a memoir of recovery from sex addiction and other temporary insanities. Seattle, WA: Recontext Media. [More information here]
LICENSURE AND CERTIFICATIONS
7/01 LICSW, Social Worker Independent Clinical License, Active, WA
License Number: LW00006544
3/07 CSAT, Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist, Active, International Institute of Trauma and Addictions Professionals
6/99 Certified Practicum Instructor, University of Washington School of Social Work
1/97 CSW, Certified Social Worker, WA
2/95 CPI-C, Crisis Prevention Institute Certification, WA
6/95 Certified Disaster Mental Health Provider I, American Red Cross
5/94 RC, Registered Counselor, WA
PRESENTATIONS AND TRAININGS CONDUCTED
2017 “Naked in Public: A Center for Healthy Sex Webinar with Staci Sprout” [Watch Video Here] You Tube
2016 “Extreme Abuse and Addiction: Touchstones for Transformation” at Ivory Garden Trauma and Dissociation Conference, Seattle, WA
2016 “Extreme Abuse 101: Expanding Our Therapeutic Container to Better Serve Our Clients and Our Communities” at Ivory Garden Trauma and Dissociation Conference, Seattle, WA [Watch video here]
2016 "Why Addicts Don't Enter - Or Stay With - 12-Step Recovery, and What They're Missing" presentation video in Seattle, WA [Watch Video Here]
2015 "The Naked Launch: From Dreams to Drafts to Done" a presentation video of the process of writing and publishing the memoir "Naked in Public" in Seattle, WA [Watch Video Here]
2015 "Sexual Addiction Screening Toolkit" 1 hour training at Valley Medical Center Psychiatry and Counseling Center, Renton, WA
2015 "Individual and Group Tools to Use in Working With Partners of Sex Addicts" Panel Presentation, International Institute of Trauma and Addictions Professionals (IITAP), 2015 Symposium, Phoenix, AZ. Presented on the "Partner's Disclosure Worksheet"
2014 "Wound to Wisdom: Using Trauma and Grief to Empower Your Recovery" Annual Healing Hearts Retreat of Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, Indianola, WA [Listen to presentation here]
2013 “Rage, Grief, and Boundaries: How to Grace-full-y Reclaim Your Power After Discovery of Infidelity” Prodigal’s International Annual Restoring Hearts Conference – Bellevue, WA (1.5 hours)
2013 “Sexual Ethics, Beyond the Basics” 6 hour CEU training, Shepherd’s Counseling Services, Seattle, WA
2012 “Sexual Ethics, Parts I and II” National Association of Social Workers Washington State Spring Conference
2012 “Sexual Ethics” Survivorship Professionals Continuing Education Webinar
2011 “Sexual Health After Extreme Trauma: Questions to Ask and Tools You Can Use” SMART Annual Clinician’s Conference, Hartford, CT
2011 “Authentic Sexuality After Extreme Abuse: Tools You Can Use” Survivorship Webinar
2010 “Beyond Sexual Abuse/Exploitation, Sexual Programming, and Sexual Addiction/Avoidance: A Path to Empowerment” Survivorship Webinar
1996 “Myers-Briggs Types at Work” Mediplex – Rehab Seattle
1995 “Client Rights and Client Grievance Procedures” Mediplex Rehab - Seattle
1995 “Confidentiality of the Medical Record and Other Protected Client
Information” Mediplex Rehab - Seattle
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2012 - Present RECONTEXT MEDIA - Owner, trainer
"Publishing and Promoting High Candor Stories About Overcoming Adversity"
Publisher of Naked in Public: A Memoir of Recovery From Sex Addiction and Other Temporary Insanities
Sponsored Sexual Ethics trainings in various locations
2011 - Present R.EVOLUTION PSYCHOTHERAPY
Owner; Individual, Couples Therapist
Specialty private practice for therapeutic recovery from sexual and related addictions
2006 – 2011 BELLEVUE COMMUNITY SERVICES/SEXUAL RECOVERY SERVICES
Adult Individual, Couples, Group Therapist
Conducted psychosocial assessments for those with sexual compulsivity
Administered forensic sexual deviancy evaluations, assessing for psychiatric and psychopathic impairments
Depth sexual addiction psychotherapy for adults and couples
Facilitated groups for men, women, and family members in sexual recovery
2004 – 2006 PIKE MARKET MEDICAL CLINIC
Adult Individual, Group Therapist
Conducted psychiatric assessments for low and no income adults
Ongoing psychotherapy with mentally ill adults
Facilitation of topical groups for adults including “Power Over Anger,” “Anxiety and Stress Reduction,” and “Coping with the Holidays”
2002 – 2004 COMMUNITY PSYCHIATRIC CLINIC
Adult Individual, Group Therapist
Individual psychotherapy with chronically mentally ill adults
Facilitation of process and psycho-educational support groups for adults
Crisis interventions for acutely mentally ill adults
Clinical documentation, report writing and professional correspondence
1996 – 2001 IDA CULVER HOUSE NURSING CARE CENTER
Social Services Coordinator
Psychosocial assessment, care planning, treatment, and discharge planning (1:1 therapeutic visits and behavior management plans) for elders in 76 bed facility
Support of families with grief/adjustment, resource referrals and support group
1995 – 1996 MEDIPLEX REHAB – SEATTLE
Program Case Manager
Assessment, case management, medical documentation for clients, ages 7-65+, with neurological impairments
Insurance negotiation for inpatient coverage and extensions
Crisis intervention during acting out behaviors; staff training
1994 – 1995 HOSPICE & HOME CARE OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY
Medical Social Worker
Assessment, treatment plans, documentation and referrals for Hospice and Home Care patients and families
Medicare/Insurance oriented documentation/progress notes
Collaborated with multidisciplinary team (RN, OT, PT, ST, Chaplain, Volunteers)
EDUCATION
1992 – 1994 MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK – Health/Mental Health Focus University of Washington, G.P.A. 3.87
1988 – 1992 BACHELOR OF ARTS, PSYCHOLOGY University of Washington, G.P.A. 3.58
MEMBERSHIPS
Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH)
International Institute of Trauma and Addictions Professionals (IITAP)
National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
HONORS AND AWARDS
Employee of the Month, Ida Culver House Broadview, 1997
Employee of the Month, Mediplex Rehab – Seattle, 1995
Yearly High Scholarship Award, UW Department of Psychology, 1992
Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, University of Washington, 1991
Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society, University of Washington, 1991
TRAININGS ATTENDED
DATE
SPONSOR/EVENT
TOPICS
2017
2016
2015
2014
2014
2014
2013
International Institute for Trauma and Addictions Professionals
Duvall, WA
The 4-D Network for Body
Mind, Heart and Spirit
Person-Centered Tech
DNMS Institute
National Association of
Social Workers (NASW)
EMDRIA
Ivory Garden Trauma and
Dissociation Conference
Seattle, WA
Shepherd’s Counseling
Services
Eleos Support Network
International Institute for
Trauma and Addictions Professionals (IITAP) Annual
Symposim
Ivory Garden Trauma &
Dissociation Conference,
Seattle, WA
Society for the Advancement
of Sexual Health (SASH)
Annual Conference Portland,
OR
Wellspring Counseling
International Institute for
Trauma and Addictions Professionals (IITAP) Annual
Symposim, Phoenix, AZ
“Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention Training for Sex Addicts and Partners” Sue Neufeld-Ellis, LMHC, CSAT
“Extraordinary Sex Therapy: Innovated Approaches. Practical Applications.” Gina Ogden, PhD
“Digital Confidentiality According to Professional Ethics and HIPPA: A Heart-Centered Approach” Roy Huggins, Portland, WA
“Ego State Therapy Interventions to Stabilize Your Most Wounded, Belligerent, & Dissociated Clients” Shirley Jean Schmidt, MA, LPC
Understanding Malpractice Risk: The Social Worker’s Role
“Healing the Heart of Complex Trauma and Dissociation with EMDR and Ego State Therapy” Carol Forgash, CSW, BCD
“’Church’ Controlled Human Trafficking: What It Is and How To Stop It” Mary Knight, MSW
“Backstage at the False Memory Campaign”, Lynn Crook, M.Ed.
Common Mistakes in Treating DID” David Calof, Seattle, WA
“Organized Criminal Abuse in Childhood: Taking a Closer Look” Renton, WA
“The Hungry Ghost: A Biopsychosocial Perspective
on Addiction, From Heroin to Workaholism” Gabor
Mate, MD
“The Transgender Client, Part 1” Ryan K. Sallans
“The Transgender Client, Part 2” Ryan K. Sallans
“The Partner Experience: Introduction to the Complex Partner Model with a Balanced Approach to Treatment” Hope Ray, MA, LPC
“A Collaborative Model for Couples Sexual Addiction Recovery” Ken Adams, PhD and Pat Love, PhD
“Understanding and Healing Compassion Fatigue”
Ken Adams, PhD
“Parenting in a World of Porn: Raising Sexually Healthy Children and Preventing Sexual Addiction” Dan Oakes, MEd, LPC
“Reflections on Ten Years, Where We’ve Been and
What’s to Come” Patrick Carnes, PhD
“Looking Through the Eyes of Trauma” Sandra Paulsen, PhD
“Clinical Approaches to Chronic Self-Injury, Self-Mutilation, and Self-Harm” David Calof
“Courage, Your Name is Comedy Improv” Lynn Crook, MEd
“Hijacking of Children and Teen Sexuality: Taking it Back From Those Who Profit From the Exploration” Cordelia Anderson
“Does Sexual Health Matter?” Douglas Braun-Harvey, MFT, CGP
“Shifting Trends in the Treatment of Partners of Sex Addicts” Cara Tripodi. LCSW, CSAT-S, Barb Steffens, Mavis Humes, Alex Katehakis, Joan Gold
“Sexual Development & Dysfunction: The Sexual Interdependence & Sexual Progression Model” Brett Copeland, PsyD, Andrea Rabie, BA
“Sad Intimacy: The Impact of Unresolved Grief in Sex Addiction” Jes Montgomery, MD
“The Five Mental Skills of Resilent Practitioners” Dr. Stephen Birchak
“Equine Therapy Demonstration” Steven DeLugach, MS
“Power of Prevention: a Healing Sexual Legacy After Sexual Addiction” Marnie Ferree, MA, LMFT, E.A. Cox
“The Three Amigos on Providing Addiction Treatment in a World of Psychotherapy” Patrick Carnes, PhD, Ralph Earle, PhD, Robert Weiss, LCSW
“The Whole and the Sum of the Parts…Towards a
More Inclusive Understanding of the Divergencies in Sexual Behaviors” Patrick Carnes, PhD
“Working with Suicidal Clients” Seattle, WA
“What’s New: Higher Order Functions, Addiction and Sexuality” Patrick Carnes, PhD
“Cruise Control Revisited” Robert Weiss, LCSW
“Countertransference in Sexual Addiction Treatment” Robert Weiss, LCSW
“What Do We Know About Child Pornography
Offenders?” Michael Seto, PhD
“An Overview of Upcoming Changes in the DSM-V”
Jack Klott, LISW
“Identifying Personality Disorder Isssues in Sex
Addicts” Ken Adams, PhD
“A Gentle Path Through the Twelve Principles”
Patrick Carnes, PhD
“Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, and Lead” Brené Brown, PhD
“Shame Dynamics in the Treatment of Sex Addiction” Alex Katehakis, MFT
“The Sexualized Child” Robin Wolf, LCSW
“Out of the Shadows, 30 Years Later” Patrick
Carnes, PhD
2012
Antioch University CE at Shepherd’s Counseling
“Cognitive Processing Therapy: The Basics and
Beyond” with Debra Kaysen, PhD
2012
Alliant International
University, Los Angeles
“Ritual Abuse: International Clinical Perspectives”
Randy Noblitt, PhD ,Valerie Sinason, PhD, Adah
Sachs, MA, Alison Miller, PhD
2012
U.S. Journal Training, Inc.
Conference, Seattle, WA
Behavioral Health & Addictive Disorders:
“Healing the Loss of Dreams: Strategies for
Resolving Loss” Rokelle Lerner
“Understanding and Treating Trauma: A Dissociative Model” Colin Ross, MD
“Treating Trauma and Depression” Colin Ross, MD
“When the Body Says No: Avoiding Caregiver
Stress” Gabor Mate, MD
2012
Stop Mind Control and Ritual
Abuse Today (SMART)
Annual Conference
Annual Conference, Bradley Locks, CT
2011
Society for the Advancement
Of Sexual Health (SASH)
Annual Conference
“Creating a Culture of Healthy Sexuality: Sex
Addiction, Trauma, and Treatment” Conference
“Gaslighting and Trauma” Sylvia Jason, Jennifer
Graves
“Interpersonal Neurobiology and Therapist Self-
Disclosure: Right Brain Left Brain, The Power and
The Pitfalls” Alexandra Katehakis, MFT, CST, CSAT
2011
Sex Therapy, Education, and
Medicine (STEM), San Diego
Presentation
“Diverse Perspectives in Assessment & Treatment
for for Sexual Addiction, Hypersexual Behavior &
Out of Control Sexual Behaviors”
2011
National Association of Social
Workers – WA
“Avoid Ethics Complaints & Malpractice Lawsuits:
Effectively Manage High-Risk Clinical Situations”
2011
International Institute for
Trauma and Addictions Professionals (IITAP) Annual
Conference
“Neuroscience and the Portal to Change” Annual Symposium
2011
Stop Mind Control and Ritual
Abuse Today (SMART)
Annual Conference
Annual Conference, Bradley Locks, CT
2010
Institute for the Advancement
Of Human Behaviors Training
“New Frontiers in Trauma Treatment” Bessel van
der Kolk, MD
2010
National Association of Social
Workers – WA Training
“Lifespan Integration, Advanced” Peggy Pace
2010
Seattle Professional
Development Series
“Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention in the
Treatment of Addictive Behaviors” Alan Marlatt, PhD
2010
Stop Mind Control and Ritual
Abuse Today (SMART)
Annual Conference, Bradley Locks, CT
2009
Elite Continuing Education
“Law & Ethics”
2009
International Institute for
Trauma & Addictions
Professionals (IITAP)
Annual Symposium
2009
National Association of Social
Workers - WA
“Lifespan Integration, Beginning” Peggy Pace
2008
Whitby Mental Health Centers
Toronto, CA
“Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised” Adelle Forth, PhD
2008
The Meadows
“Lust, Anger, Love: Understanding Sexual Addiction and the Road to Healthy Intimacy” Maureen Canning, MA, LMFT
2007
International Institute for
Trauma & Addictions
Professionals (IITAP)
Certification Training
“Addiction Interaction” Patrick Carnes, PhD
“Sex Addiction Assessment”
“Understanding Addictive Disorders”
“Courtship Disorders”
“Eroticized Rage”
“Sexual Anorexia”
“Trauma Bonds”
2007
International Institute for
Trauma & Addictions
Professionals (IITAP)
Advanced Certified Sex Addiction Therapist Training
2007
Bellevue Community Services
“Cognitive Behavioral Interventions & Strategies as
Applied to Addictions Treatment”
2006
International Institute for
Trauma & Addictions
Professionals (IITAP)
Intensive Certified Sex Addictions Therapist Training
2006
The Meadows
“Family Matters: Transforming Families from
Addiction to Healing” Claudia Black, PhD, MSW
2006
Bellevue Community Services
“Training for Sex Offender Treatment Completion
Criteria” Bill Lennon, EdD, SOTP
2006
Regence Blueshield
“Inside Tips for Collaborating with Physicians” Tina Sellers, MS, LMFT
2006
D&S Associates
“DSM IV-TR: A Clinician’s Guide”
2005
King County Non-Profit Staff
Development Coalition
“Substance Abuse”
2005
CE-Credit.com
“A Clinician’s Guide to Legal Issues in
Psychotherapy, or, Proceed with Caution”
2005
The Meadows
“Emotional Trauma and the Price We Pay” Shelley
Uram, MD
2004
The Meadows
“Unresolved Grief and Addiction” Lorie Dwinell
2004
The Meadows
“Understanding How to Resolve Conflict in All Your Relationships” Mitch Teufel, MA, CCDC
2004
QPR For Suicide Prevention
“QPRT Suicide Risk Detection, Risk Assessment
and Risk Management” Paul Quinnett, PhD
2003
Community Psychiatric Clinic
“Cultural Competency for the African American
Population”
“HIPPA”
“Confidentiality and Records Management”
“Housing”
“Managing Aggressive Behavior, Level I”
“Managing Aggressive Behaviors, Level II”
“Opiate Substitution Treatment”
2003
R. Cassidy Seminars
“Complex Psychological Trauma and PTSD” John
Briere, PhD
2002
Community Psychiatric Clinic
“Dialectical Behavioral Therapy V”
“Dialectical Behavioral Therapy IV”
“Working with Groups”
“Dialectical Behavioral Therapy III”
“Dialectical Behavioral Therapy II”
“Psychopharmacology”
“Dialectical Behavioral Therapy I”
“Reality Acceptance”
“Clinical Documentation”
“Suicide Assessment and Intervention”
“Productive Workplace Environment”
“Cultural Competency for the Asian Population”
1996
National Association of Social
Workers – WA
“Certified Social Worker Examination Prepatory
Class”
1996
Northwest Hospital
Geropsychiatry Series
“Genetic Factors in Alzheimer’s Disease” Thomas
Bird, MD
1996
Northwest Hospital
Geropsychiatry Series
“Managing Depression in the Elderly” Soo Borson,
MD
1996
Health Ed
“Washington Long-Term Care: Legal and Financial
Issues” Joan Lewis, Sean Bleck, Janet Somers
1995
King County Red Cross
“Disaster Mental Health Provider” Ken
Passamaneck, MD and C. Williams, RN
1995
C.G. Jung Society, Seattle
“Gifts of the Night: Ways of Working with Dreams”
1995
Speech and Rehabilitation
Services
“Evaluation and Treatment of Patients with Cognitive Impairments”
1995
UW School of Social Work
“The Pharmacology of Commonly Prescribed
Medications Used to Treat Psychiatric Disorders”
1995
American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work
“Reclaiming Our Clinical Integrity”
1995
Medical Education Services
“Mental Health and the Law”
1995
Washington State Head
Injury Association
Annual Conference
1994
DSHS Region 4
“Public Assistance Programs and Services“
1994
WA State Psychological Association
Annual Conference
1994
Health Information Network
“HIV/AIDS Education for Health Care Providers”
1993
Claudia Black, M.S.W.
“Caring for the Caregiver”
1993
Jungian Psychotherapists
Association
“What I’ve Learned from Jung about Doing
Psychotherapy” John Beebe, MD
1992
Washington State
Psychological Association
Conference on Women in Psychology
Staci Sprout
Writer in Seattle, Washington
Staci Sprout is a licensed psychotherapist, author and publisher with twenty years of experience as a therapist and social worker in a variety of settings from community mental health and hospitals to private clinical practice. Staci is a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT), and since 2006 has dedicated her practice to helping individuals, groups and couples in recovery from sex and relationship addictions. She conducts trainings on sexual ethics for professionals and is an experienced retreat and conference speaker, sharing the story of her recovery from childhood trauma and multiple addictions. She lives near Seattle, Washington, with her husband, who is also in recovery.
She recently published "Naked in Public: A Memoir of Recovery From Sex Addiction and Other Temporary Insanities", available in e- and print book now.
More info at www.stacisprout.com.
Sprout, Staci: NAKED IN PUBLIC
Kirkus Reviews.
(Nov. 15, 2017): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Sprout, Staci NAKED IN PUBLIC Recontext Media (Indie Nonfiction) $16.00 9, 23 ISBN: 978-0-9962668-1-9
One woman's long journey out of sex addiction, among other struggles. Debut author Sprout begins her story with her childhood, and in the first chapter, she abruptly states that her maternal grandfather was a pedophile. Although the author writes that she herself never fell victim to her grandfather's abuse, she says that her formative years contained many other troubling influences, including alcoholism, religious fervor, and abusive comments from her own father. Later, while she was in college and ostensibly free from her parents, Sprout's personal life was a whirlwind that included infidelity, binge-eating and -drinking, and a growing fascination with pornography. At the same time, she began to develop an interest in mental health issues, and she eventually received a master's degree in social work. Following graduation, she was able to find work in her chosen field, but her adulthood eventually became just as complicated and troubling as her early college years. Sprout writes that she came to find herself at the mercy of a pushy therapist (who, she says, would form a bizarre attachment to the author's sister); she also abused the spending power of credit cards and ended up in a long-term relationship with a jazz musician and self- proclaimed sex addict named Jason. His open identification as someone who was addicted to sex initially shocked her: "the second I heard the words 'sex addict,' I started getting overriding input from normally dark corridors inside my mind." As time went by, though, she wound up applying the same label to herself. Some details of the author's past aren't graphically described in this memoir; for instance, readers are told of Sprout's obsession with pornography, but it doesn't reveal very much about the specifics of that obsession. Instead, the focus of this book is on the author's recovery. The crux of the story involves Sprout's attempts to obtain some level of normalcy in her life as she worked through 12-step programs, her financial difficulties, and the process of making peace with members of her family. It's depicted as having been a long and difficult battle overall, although it wasn't without its surprises, as well. The author finds moments of comic relief in New Age practices and incompatible mental health professionals; take, for instance, a member of a drum circle who says of a clothing-optional solstice celebration, "There's
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http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
drumming there, right? What could go wrong?" That said, the tone of the book is an earnest one, and the author's point of view is honest and relatable. A curious reader who fears that he or she might be suffering from similar problems, or who knows someone else who is, couldn't expect to find a more welcoming place to begin their investigation than this memoir. Throughout, the author is courageously frank about her own past as well as her family's. In her story, readers will see that, even with the aid of sponsors and well-established protocols, recovery is not a simple or glamorous process. An informative look at what it means to overcome addiction.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Sprout, Staci: NAKED IN PUBLIC." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2017. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A514267661/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=37403eb0. Accessed 3 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A514267661
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Book Review: Staci Sprout’s Naked in Public
Naked in Public looks at the pain and darkness of female sexual compulsivity.
Posted Oct 29, 2015
Image provided by Staci Sprout. Used with permission.
Source: Image provided by Staci Sprout. Used with permission.
People sometimes think that sexual compulsivity is a male issue, and that women are not susceptible. And to be perfectly honest, for a very long time, especially before the proliferation of free online porn, webcams, hookup apps, and sexting, the vast majority of people struggling with impulsive and compulsive sexual behaviors were indeed men. However, with the Internet providing wildly increased access to pleasurable sexual and romantic content and contacts, more and more women are self-identifying as sexually compulsive. Unfortunately, there remains a dearth of literature written by, about, and for such women.
Exacerbating matters is the fact that these women must overcome the social stigma so often attached to highly sexual females — epithets like slut, whore, homewrecker, and nympho. (Men who behave similarly are often socially lauded as players or ladies men, even when their lives are a mess thanks to their sexual and romantic activities.) Because of this, far too many sexually compulsive women, especially those with an early-life history of trauma and abuse, are shamed into silence and non-action, choosing to suffer through years of sexual and romantic compulsivity no matter the consequences because they are too ashamed and/or embarrassed to seek help.
With her new book, Naked in Public, psychotherapist Staci Sprout addresses this shortcoming in the literature, pulling back the covers on women and sexual compulsivity. Sprout’s intensely personal book invites readers into the dark, shadow world of female sexual acting out, showing us how a respected and popular honor student and cheerleader morphed into a desperate woman surviving almost entirely on the sexual attention of men, with sugar binges, drinking binges, and various other adrenaline-rush behaviors mixed in.
In many ways, Sprout’s tale is prototypical. She grew up in a “looking good” family with painful sexual secrets and a history of alcoholism — neither of which were ever talked about or dealt with in an even remotely healthy way. She discovered pornography at an early age, everything from Playboy magazines to late-night cable television to dirty books passed from girl to girl at summer camp. In college she got a serious boyfriend but couldn’t stop herself from cheating on him, at the same time dancing on the edges of alcoholism and an eating disorder. In school, and for many years thereafter, she hopped from one escapist compulsion to another. Basically, she was swapping seats on the Titanic — constantly changing the view while resolutely ignoring the fact that her ship was sinking.
Like nearly all sexually compulsive women, Sprout tried every remedy imaginable except the one she really needed. She went to therapy, she took antidepressants, she looked into co-dependency, she addressed her food binges, and she did anything else she could think of that didn’t involve looking at her highly sexual history and current behaviors. Even when it was suggested to her that she might have a problem with compulsive sex, she resisted. But finally, on the advice of her sponsor in a co-dependency recovery program, she went to a 12 step “S” meeting.
"To walk into a sexual recovery meeting, where every single person was openly admitting, by being there, that they had a major problem with some kind of sex, was alarming. The bold truths I heard spoken there were like a blowtorch to my frozen sea of sexual feelings and memories, melting my protective denial. I was terrified I would drown in the flood of salty water. I decided that I hated that meeting … and that I would never go back. Ever."
Part of Sprout’s initial resistance to sexual recovery was timing. In 2001, when she attended her first meeting, sexual recovery programs were mostly male. Only SLAA had a meaningful number of female members. So Sprout stayed away until the pain was again too much to bear. And even then she opted for an SLAA meeting, where she did encounter other women.
"For the next month I went to meetings three to four times a week…. People talked of using porn and the problems it was causing, and how some people had multiple liaisons going on at once, secrets galore, and wanted to stop, but didn’t, or couldn’t. Some men spoke of buying sex, and a few women talked about selling it. I heard about affairs, which I could especially relate to, but most of all I liked hearing other women talk, although I remained too scared to say a word."
Happily, she did finally open up, attending a mix of meetings and befriending three gay men — who were “safe” because there was no chance of acting out with them, and also because they were terrific people who were serious about their own recoveries and helping others to recover. One of these men became her sponsor and walked her through the 12 steps.
Step one provided Sprout with of her biggest revelations:
"To my surprise, what revealed itself to be my biggest drug of all, what recovering people call their “drug of choice,” was the “hit” of sexualized eye contact and intrigue, especially with men who were married or in positions of authority. The thrill of the challenge was an elixir that made me feel all-powerful, regardless of my relationship status, and led to betrayals time and again."
In time, Sprout established solid recovery, survived a difficult breakup, and moved forward with her life into healthy dating, processing long-held childhood traumas, embarking on a new career (as a therapist), and, eventually, finding an honest-to-goodness healthy love connection.
Throughout Naked in Public, Sprout writes with an open, honest, and highly compassionate voice. Because of this, the book is both compelling and enjoyable to read — except of course for the occasional jolts of “Wow, I did that too” that almost any sexually compulsive reader, regardless of gender, is certain to experience. Those little reminders are never fun. However, they are necessary as reminders of what it was like and what it could still be like without recovery. That said, the most important aspect of Naked in Public is that it presents a very real and much needed look at the pain and darkness of female sexual compulsivity, coupled with an equally real and necessary message of hope. Staci Sprout’s story is proof positive that recovery, healing, and a better life are possible.
Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT-S is Senior Vice President of National Clinical Development for Elements Behavioral Health. In this capacity, he has established and overseen addiction and mental health treatment programs for more than a dozen high-end treatment facilities including Promises Treatment Centers in Malibu and Los Angeles, The Ranch in rural Tennessee, and The Right Step in Texas. An internationally acknowledged clinician and author, he has served as a subject expert on the intersection of human intimacy and digital technology for multiple media outlets including The Oprah Winfrey Network, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast, and CNN, among many others. For more information please visit website, robertweissmsw.com.
Naked in Public: An Interview with Therapist and Author Staci Sprout
By Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT-S
~ 8 min read
Naked in Public: An Interview with Therapist and Author Staci SproutI have long argued that the literature and treatment protocols for sexual addiction are heavily skewed toward male clients – as if it is only men who act out sexually. At least part of this shortcoming arises from the fact that female sex addicts are less likely than their male counterparts to seek direct help for a sexual problem, which makes them harder to identify, study, and treat. To a large extent this is a function of societal prejudices. Societally speaking, men are allowed to be indiscriminately sexual; women are not. Because of this, male sex addicts are sometimes celebrated as players and ladies men, and they tend to proudly recount their exploits in therapy – even the sexual activities that are creating deeply negative consequences. Conversely, obsessively sexual females are denigrated as sluts, whores, and nymphos, which makes it much more difficult to talk about what they’ve been doing sexually and the problems their behavior is causing.
Because of this, the sexual addiction treatment community has desperately needed a female voice – not just a female clinician who fully understands the psychological aspects of the disease, but a recovering sex addict who “gets it” on a personal level and is willing to share what it is like. With her new book, Naked in Public: A Memoir of Sex Addiction and Other Temporary Insanities, Staci Sprout provides this much needed jolt. Recently, I asked Staci to take a bit of time away from her Seattle-based psychotherapy practice to discuss her newly published memoir and why she wrote it.
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What prompted you to put forth your story of addiction and recovery so openly?
I certainly never imagined myself being this candid about my personal life, especially in public! But three significant events made it happen. The first came in 2001 when my life was in complete freefall. I was bottoming out in my sex addiction, and I heard a man in a 12-Step meeting share the phrase “my life is an open book” as his spiritual mantra. In that moment I had an experience of profound recognition. I interpreted that as an unmistakable call to start living with integrity.
My second nudge came five years later when my life had become much more stable and I was working as a therapist again, during my first day of training to become a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist. I asked the program’s founder, Dr. Patrick Carnes, for advice on whether to share with clients about the importance of 12-Step programs. That work had been transformational in my life, but I didn’t want to impose my views on my clients. Dr. Carnes urged me to share my story and let clients make up their own minds, and, much like my experience in the meeting so many years earlier, that felt like a calling. I started writing not long after that, but didn’t get very far. Painful memories crowded in and I couldn’t bear them. So I gave up.
The catalyst for returning to the writing came six years later when I met the man who is now my husband. About six months after we started dating, I intuitively knew it was time to get back to the memoir, and I hired a coach for support and accountability. By then my life had become full of unbelievable joy – I was sexually sober and having an amazing romance with a man I loved, my business was a success, I had lots of friends, and I’d adopted two darling puppies. But even though recovery had given me a wonderful life, I never forgot my history and the fact that my addictions had almost killed me. I felt I’d been spared for some reason, and thought telling my story might be that reason. Finally, I felt strong enough to “go spelunking,” as I call digging into the painful past, to see if I could find something to write about that might be helpful for others.
As far as the decision to share so openly, I was trying to capture the spirit of how people share in 12-Step sexual recovery meetings. It may sound ironic, but I find people dedicated to sexual recovery to be the most honest, authentic, nonjudgmental people I’ve ever met. I think there’s something about going so low that makes people drop the pretension and performance. When someone works through that much shame and survives, there’s deep humility there. It kept me going back.
What did it feel like the first time you went into a sexual addiction recovery meeting and found that you were the only woman?
I was terrified. I dissociated. In others words, I went into a threat response of “freeze,” like a deer in the headlights. To be surrounded by the energy of so many men and have them talking openly about sexual compulsion was overwhelming. Even though they were welcoming and respectful, it was a tough way to start. Yet on some intuitive level there was also recognition. I hated it, but there was a tiny sense of “home” in those rooms that has only grown over the years. I prefer when the genders are balanced in meetings, but either way I know that the sexual recovery community is my tribe.
What was the “aha moment” that pushed you forward into recovery and a better life?
I was mostly motivated by survival and desperation, especially at first. I felt utterly lost and exhausted. The relationship I was in was a train wreck, but instead of cutting and running like I had always done in the past, I wanted to make it work. Because of an awful experience with an unethical therapist, I wasn’t willing to try therapy again. I didn’t know where else to go, so I decided to try a 12-Step meeting. From there my life seemed to get worse, but really it was the utter breaking down of the old life that needed to die so I could survive. Things eventually got better, way better. There’s a saying in 12-Step recovery, “Don’t quit before the miracle.” I’m so glad I didn’t.
What was the most difficult moment of your healing process? And, more generally, what do you feel is the most difficult part of being a female recovering sex addict?
Withdrawal from my secret, sexually compulsive lifestyle was the most painful. If you haven’t experienced it, it can be hard to understand how difficult that detoxification is. It impacted my mind, body, and spirit, and I almost killed myself to escape the pain and despair I felt after giving up my “drugs” of sexual intrigue, obsession, fantasy, pornography, and objectifying sex. Withdrawal is part of the process for all people in sexual recovery, although not everyone experiences it in the same way I did. Many people actually feel great relief when they stop and “get sober,” so I don’t want to paint too dismal a picture, but for me it was my hell on Earth. My self-loathing seemed endless. But it did abate, I’m grateful to say, in layers, like washing off a lifetime of caked-on mud.
As far as being a female recovering sex addict, the difficult part at first was the stigma in my own mind. I was fortunate to be dating a man at that time who was also in recovery; he was the one to tell me sexual recovery existed, and he was supportive when I decided to give it a try. For many other women the worst part is the judgment they face from those around them. When I finally did tell my family, they assumed the worst with a very painful result. It’s a taboo topic in most circles, and I’m hopeful that my story can be part of changing that.
It’s not easy to be a female sex addict seeking recovery in a 12-Step program of mostly men. I write about this in an appendix of Naked In Public, along with tips for how women can have a better experience. Happily, there are many more women in meetings now than when I first started in 2001, and more are joining all the time. It’s actually amazing to see young women walking into the rooms of recovery today. They’ve been exposed to so much hardcore sexual imagery and such wildly skewed expectations of who they should be sexually, yet they have a resilience and sweetness that is incredible. The young women who get into sexual recovery today are my heroes. They are fierce!
Do you feel it is important to find other women in sexual recovery?
For me, a vital ingredient for decreasing shame was sitting with women who were telling their stories and realizing they were also telling my story. As I saw other recovering female sex addicts as survivors and warriors and fragile and powerful all at once, I came to understand that I could see myself that way also. As I found compassion for them, I found it for myself too. The women I met who were loving with me taught me to love myself.
I met men who were loving as well, first three gay men and eventually several straight men whom I grew to respect and admire. My connections with women came later in my journey because there were so few women in my early recovery days. But resourcing with women has proven essential to my long-term sobriety because they “get me” in a way that leaves me feeling deeply seen and heard.
As a therapist, and also as a recovering sex addict, what differences do you see between male and female sex addicts – in both active addiction and during recovery?
Research has shown us that women tend to gravitate more toward certain kinds of sexually compulsive patterns, though one size definitely does not fit all. In his book Don’t Call It Love: Recovery From Sexual Addiction, Dr. Carnes surveyed over 1,000 self-identified sex addicts, and his results indicated categories of sexual acting out behavior that could be divided into ten types. In my therapy practice, women report more difficulty with the types called “Fantasy Sex,” “Seductive Role Sex,” “Trading Sex,” and “Exhibitionism,” which fits in with how women are often socialized to be sexual. Male sex addicts report more difficulty with “Anonymous Sex,” “Paying for Sex,” “Voyeuristic Sex,” and “Intrusive” or “Exploitive” sex. Women can struggle more with relationship addiction (love addiction), whereas men may struggle more with non-relational, objectifying hypersexuality. Yet the availability of pornography and cheating apps like Ashley Madison has brought a rise in the number of women seeking help for sexual acting out behaviors once thought to be primarily associated with men. So every woman needs to be assessed individually, and making assumptions can lead to missing behaviors that need to come to light but won’t be admitted unless asked about. Women can face incredible cultural shaming for anything related to sexuality, let alone sexual compulsion.
In active addiction, a difference I see with female sex addicts is poverty, something not as common with the male sex addict population. Some women are supporting themselves through sex work, and “getting sober” for them means finding or learning another trade, and, in doing so, leaving behind every person they know. They may face deadly violence if they try to leave. Or they have children they adore, and if their secret life is revealed it would endanger their custody and they don’t want to risk that. This can be true for male sex addicts too, but I see it more with women.
What would you like the readers of Naked in Public – female, male, therapist, addict, loved ones, etc. – to take away from your book?
I’d like for them to tell me it was an engrossing read and they couldn’t put it down! And to take away that help is available, that people can and do heal from sex addiction, and that miracles happen, although often it’s the daily effort, imperfectly, that brings long-term success. I’d love to hear that people feel encouraged that it’s worth it to hang in there for the long haul of recovery, whether it’s the reader’s personal recovery or the journey of a loved one, a client, or a friend. I’d love for them to take away that no matter how unworthy someone feels, or how horrible the things they have done, they can get better. Individuals can get better, marriages can heal or happen, and families can mend. But we’ve got to start talking about it!
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About Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT-S
Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT-S is a digital-age intimacy and relationships expert specializing in infidelity and addictions—most notably sex, porn, and love addiction. An internationally acknowledged clinician, he frequently serves as a subject expert on human sexuality for multiple media outlets including CNN, HLN, MSNBC, The Oprah Winfrey Network, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and NPR, among others. He is the author of several highly regarded books, including “Out of the Doghouse: A Step-by-Step Relationship-Saving Guide for Men Caught Cheating,” “Sex Addiction 101: A Basic Guide to Healing from Sex, Porn, and Love Addiction,” “Sex Addiction 101: The Workbook,” and “Cruise Control: Understanding Sex Addiction in Gay Men.” He blogs regularly for Psychology Today, Huffington Post, and Psych Central. A skilled clinical educator, he routinely provides training to therapists, the US military, hospitals, and psychiatric centers in the US and abroad. Over the years, he has created and overseen more than a dozen high-end addiction and mental health treatment facilities. Currently, he is CEO of Seeking Integrity, LLC, being developed as an online resource for recovery from infidelity and sexual addiction. For more information or to reach Mr. Weiss, please visit his website, robertweissmsw.com, or follow him on Twitter, @RobWeissMSW.
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