Andrew Tatarsky · On-demand workshop
Pot, Porn & Phones
Working with compulsive behavior when abstinence isn’t the answer
When a client is stuck in patterns like cannabis use, pornography, or compulsive phone use — and “just stop” isn’t realistic — many clinicians feel unsure what actually helps. This short workshop offers a clear, grounded framework for reducing harm and helping patients regain more choice without turning treatment into a power struggle.
The clinical tension
Most training doesn’t prepare you for this moment
“If I don’t push them to stop, am I enabling?” “If the behavior continues after we make a plan, what do I do?” These are common questions in ordinary psychotherapy, not just addiction treatment. This workshop offers a way to work with compulsive behavior without turning every session into a battle over whether the patient will stop.
What you’ll learn
What to do when stopping isn’t straightforward
- Respond when clients disclose compulsive or problematic behavior
- Reduce harm without demanding immediate abstinence
- Handle a patient who arrives high without derailing the treatment
- Recognize when moderation, reduction, or abstinence makes the most sense
- Work with urges, ambivalence, and shame without turning the session into a power struggle
- Use setbacks and resistance as clinical information rather than treatment failure
The focus is on language, stance, and interventions you can bring into your next session.
Who this is for
For clinicians who encounter compulsive behavior in ordinary practice
The patient
Cannabis, pornography, scrolling, gaming, or another behavior has become hard to control — but they may not want to stop completely.
The dilemma
Abstinence doesn’t feel realistic, but simply leaving the behavior alone doesn’t feel clinically responsible either.
The goal
Help the patient gain more choice and less harm without turning treatment into a fight over the behavior.
About Andrew Tatarsky
Dr. Andrew Tatarsky is one of the leading innovators in addiction treatment and the developer of Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy. He is the author of Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A New Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Problems and has spent more than three decades helping clinicians work more effectively with substance use, compulsive behavior, and emotional suffering.
He holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the City University of New York and is a Professor of Professional Practice at The New School.
You don’t have to figure this out alone
Most clinicians were never trained for these conversations. This workshop gives you a clear, grounded framework you can return to whenever these habits come into the room.
