David S. Thornton

To Whom it May Concern:

My name is David Thornton, and I am a psychotherapist and educator.  I was privileged to attend an hour-long presentation on sex addiction by Mr. Steve Holladay in February 2007 to a group of concerned parents at Ensworth High School.  I have heard many related presentations before, but decided to go because it is unusual to have the subject broached on a high school campus.  I was simply pleased that it had been offered.

I did not expect to learn anything new.  I was surprised.

Not only did Mr. Holladay offer new information, up-to-date statistics of the field of which I was unaware, but he presented more information in a relatively brief amount of time than anyone I have ever before witnessed.  His talk wasfast-paced, interactive, captivating, and phenomenally dense.  All that, yet I didn't have the sense of him rushing toget through his material, nor did I feel that he brushed off any substantial part of what he had hoped to communicate.

Further, and this was reinforced by conversations I had later with the school counselor, he was also very sensitivein his presentation, and was able to speak candidly without making any of his listeners uneasy - which, given the topic, could easily have happened.  Many of us were so struck by the importance of the subject and the professionalismof his delivery that we immediately recommended to the administration that the whole student body be given access to his program.

I would recommend Mr. Holladay to any group - school, church, or business - whose constituency needs to come up to speed on the prevalence and seriousness of sex addiction.  As serious as the subject is, Mr. Holladay also points in the direction of recovery, helping all present to understand that there is hope and healing for the addict.

I am glad to endorse Steve Holladay in his campaign to raise awareness and work in this burgeoning are of vital importance.  More power to you, Steve!!

Sincerely,

David S. Thornton, M.A., M.Div., M.A., C.Phil., L.P.C.
Psychotherapist and Educator
Nashville, TN