Intensive Disclosures

For couples in Atlanta as well as outside of the Atlanta area, Richard Blankenship and Dr. Janice Stevens offer therapeutic disclosure intensives. Both Richard and Janice are certified betrayal trauma specialists through the Addo Recovery Network. Richard is a certified clinical sexual & relational recovery specialist. Janice is a certified clinical sexual addiction specialist and certified clinical partner specialist through APSATS. Richard is one of the developers of the trauma perspective on betrayed partners and a founding board member of APSATS.

Dr. Stevens has put together some information on the process.

"For those of us who work with problematic sexual behavior and their partners/spouses, we recognize that the path toward recovery and healing is multi-dimensional. It is a path that follows the roller-coaster effect with many ups and downs and may not smooth out for many months or even years into the journey. There are a number of pieces that need to be put into place if each individual and the couple are to be successful.

In recent years, Richard Blankenship and I have developed a program intended to help couples through the difficult but necessary process of therapeutic disclosure. This can be a painful process for both the individual with PSB and the intimate partner. It is critical to make sure that all secrets have ended and all lies have been exposed."

Therapeutic disclosures are done in an intensive format over a 2-3 day period. These involve preparation in advance with an online meeting. Couples normally arrive in Atlanta by early afternoon and begin the process late afternoon. Day two may involve a polygraph (if the couples chooses to incorporate one into the process) and then the disclosure session takes place. Day three involves making plans for ongoing care when the couple returns home. This can include referrals to therapists, groups, coaches, and online services. 

Goals of the Disclosure Intensives

• Get to know and understand the couple and their story well enough in order to guide them through the disclosure process.
• Guide the individual with problematic sexual behavior in developing a timeline of sexual history and composing the disclosure statement so that all secrets can be revealed and put an end to all lies. Ensure that the statement is truthful without retraumatizing the partner with graphic detail.
• Educate the partner to understand some of the typical patterns of problematic sexual behavior, and assist her in developing any questions that she would like to have answered within the disclosure statement or as part of the polygraph exam.
• Aid both the individual with PSB and the partner in processing their feelings and reactions following the reading of the disclosure statement.
• Guide the couple in making a plan for the individual recovery and sobriety from sexual acting out behaviors, for the partner’s healing from betrayal trauma, and for reconciliation in the marriage/relationship if the couple desires.

In Conclusion

Because lying is a part of the betrayer's pattern and is used to cover up his acting out behaviors, the partner will have the option of asking the individual with PSB to undergo a polygraph exam with a licensed polygrapher who is trained and experienced in administering the exam for relationship issues. The polygraph is a complex process. There are many misconceptions about the polygraph. In preparing for the intensive we will help you process through this issue and determine if it is something you would like included in your intensive. 

Facilitating a Disclosure Intensive for couples can be challenging but rewarding work. Each and every couple is distinctly unique regarding their personalities, family of origin issues, patterns and types of sexual acting out behaviors, and relationship patterns that have been established. Working as a therapist team allows us to better take all of these and many other factors into account. The rewarding part of the work comes about as we see the remarkable movement that each individual and the couple makes from beginning to end of the 10-hour process with us. While the process is difficult, therapeutic disclosure is a mile marker in the couples journey.