International Service Organization of SAA

Public Information Handbook

January 2016

PUBLIC INFORMATION HANDBOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A.Attraction—not promotion

A.1.Introduction

A.2.Application of principles

A.2.a)Twelve Traditions of SAA
A.2.b)Cooperation without affiliation
A.2.c)What we do best

B.Getting Started

B.1.Role of the ISO in PI

B.2.Role of local PI committees

B.3.Finding opportunities

B.4.Possible local PI activities

C.Developing local PI opportunities

C.1.Personal contacts

C.2.Cooperating with the professional community

C.2.a)Mental health professionals
C.2.b)Clergy
C.2.c)Law enforcement officials and lawyers
C.2.d)Social service and government agencies

C.3.Reaching out to others in the community

C.3.a)Open meetings or presentations
C.3.b)Local websites
C.3.c)Public libraries
C.3.d)Institutions and businesses
C.3.e)Newspaper notices or ads
C.3.f)Media or other public appearances
C.3.g)Exhibits at local conferences

D.Appendices

D.1.Anonymity-confidentiality statement

D.2.Letter to mental health professionals

D.3.Letter to clergy

D.4.Letter to law enforcement

D.5.Letter to social service professionals

D.6.Sample postcard

D.7.ISO policy on copyright

D.8.ISO policy on use of trademarks

D.9.ISO policy on linking from SAA websites

D.10.Request to the media for cooperation

PUBLIC INFORMATION HANDBOOK

Attraction—not promotion

Introduction

In SAA, the primary purpose of our groups is to carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers. One way to accomplish this purpose is to share information about the SAA recovery with selected individuals and organizations outside of SAA.

Public information (PI) is the term used to describe informing people outside of SAA about our fellowship and our program of recovery. It is, in effect, public outreach.

People outside of SAA, who often have an interest in our program of recovery, include therapists, counselors, clergy, social workers, police officers, physicians, nurses, and teachers, as well as addicts themselves and concerned family members. Organizations that might be interested in what our program offers include professional group practices, professional associations, non-profit corporations, educational institutions, government agencies, and other twelve step fellowships, as well as broadcast and print media.

As we consider providing information to the public, we should remember that we always serve in humility, and we do not engage in the promotional tactics commonly used by businesses and organizations outside of Twelve-Step fellowships. Our public relations policy is based on d, based on attraction rather than promotion (Tradition Eleven).

The suggestions offered in this handbook are derived from the experience and comments of SAA members from many different walks of life and many different locations throughout the fellowship. It is intended to give guidance to members, who are interested in sharing our program of recovery and their personal experience in recovery with others in our communities.

This handbook does not contain all the possibilities and does not attempt to cover all of the circumstances and situations that might arise. However, it does cover many of the fundamentals of PI for a Twelve-Step fellowship with emphasis on practicing the guiding principles laid out in the Twelve Traditions of SAA.

PI work may take place at the local, regional, state, national, or international level. Because of the risks involved in discussing our recovery message outside the safety of our own fellowship, members selected to provide such service are well-grounded in the SAA program of recovery and the Twelve Traditions. It is suggested that members taking part in PI work should havesignificant continuous sobriety, including abstinence from any behaviors that might draw the fellowship into public controversy.

Applying the Twelve Traditions of SAA to PI activities

All Twelve-Step service work is based on the suggestion in Step Twelve to “carry this message to other sex addicts” and is guided by the Twelve Traditions of SAA. Solid understanding and commitment to the principles contained in the Traditions help us effectively communicate our message while minimizing risks, such as breaking of any member’s anonymity or getting involved in public controversy.

In all cases, we should remain diplomatic and polite. When we remember simply to inform rather than try to convince, we increase the likelihood that our message will be received respectfully, and that our audience will understand our program well enough to make thoughtful referrals.

All of the Twelve Traditions are very important in outreach work, but Traditions Six, Eight, Ten, Eleven, and Twelve speak directly to our PI effort.

Tradition Six: An SAA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the SAA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, or prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

Part of our outreach efforts may involve cooperation with healthcare facilities, public agencies, treatment centers for addiction, or other professionals, organizations or institutions. Such cooperation can play an important role in making the SAA program available to sex addicts seeking help, but, if we become too closely identified with other organizations, our ability to carry the SAA message could be seriously compromised. For that reason, our practices should always be based on the concept of cooperation without affiliation.

Tradition Eight: SAA should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

One of the fundamental principles of the SAA program is sex addicts in recovery helping other sex addicts. If SAA were to offer professional help or to charge fees for participation, the essential nature of our meetings and our program of recovery would be altered beyond recognition.

Tradition Ten: SAA has no opinion on outside issues; hence the SAA name ought never to be drawn into public controversy.

Our fellowship, in all its activities, really has only one primary concern: recovery from sex addiction through the program of Sex Addicts Anonymous. That message is the only one we are qualified to share, when carrying our message to the public or giving presentations about SAA to outside organizations.

Tradition Eleven: Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, TV, and films.

It is our policy to use only our first names or, in some cases, to use an assumed name, when we are representing SAA in the media or any other outside forum.

In the case of visual media, such as TV or film, we have found it best to keep our faces hidden, when speaking as SAA members. This policy prevents our identity as SAA members from being publicly revealed. It also protects the fellowship, by preventing others from attributing program success to any individual.

Tradition Twelve: Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

Anonymity, the spirit of selfless service, reminds us as a fellowship always to base our actions and deliberations on spiritual principles, putting aside personal considerations in favor of a higher good—carrying our message of recovery to other sex addicts.

A document expanding on anonymity and confidentiality may be found in Appendix 1 of this handbook.

SAA stands for only one thing – recovery from sex addiction through working the Twelve Steps. Hence, when we relate to persons or organizations outside the SAA fellowship, we subscribe to the concept of cooperation without affiliation. This concept even applies when we relate to other Twelve-Step fellowships.

The individuals and institutions we contact through the PI process could undoubtedly have a positive impact on sex addition in our communities, but these outside entities are not part of our fellowship, and they do not carry the SAA message of recovery. This can be confusing for all concerned.

Cooperation without affiliation allows us to interact with outside entities in a cordial and collegial manner and to work constructively with professionals and other organizations, while avoiding entanglements that could undermine the unity of our fellowship and our singleness of purpose.

We can serve as a resource for outside entities, but SAA cannot affiliate with or answer to another organization. We must maintain our independence and our singleness of purpose.

What We Do Best

As a general rule, we are best at working our personal recovery program, which includes reaching out to other sex addicts, as prescribed in Step Twelve.

Being sure that your meeting is registered with the ISO and accurately listed on the SAA website is one way of attracting new members. When someone from your local area calls the ISO office or searches for information on the Internet, he or she can easily obtain local contact information.

While we maintain a firm commitment to the tradition of anonymity at the public level, we are not a secret society. We are addicts working the SAA program of recovery and sharing our recovery to the best of our ability with other addicts.

We must always strive to present an accurate picture of SAA to any outside group.

Getting Started

Role of the ISO in PI

The ISO serves primarily as a public information communication and referral hub in support of the SAA fellowship world-wide. Requests for information or for an interview received by the ISO office are typically handled in one of two ways, depending upon the nature of the request.

Local organizations and institutions may be referred to local group or intergroup contacts. Ideally, local or area PI committees can be established to perform local outreach and to receive referrals from the ISO for local opportunities and events.

In response to requests from major media outlets, the office will usually contact the members of the ISO Speakers Bureau,[1] which is comprised of members of the fellowship who have received training in how to represent SAA and the ISO in public.

Role of a Local PI committee

The purpose of a local or regional PI committee is to coordinate and carry out PI activities in a given locale. As with any type of service, reliable volunteers may be hard to find and train; however, it is important to educate members of the fellowship that PI is an important part of reaching out to the addict who still suffers. Members need to understand how PI activities can be conducted in a manner that is consistent with attraction, not promotion. For these reasons, open and active communication within the fellowship about PI is essential.

A frequent source of referrals to local meetings is the professional community. Ultimately, these outside referral sources have learned about SAA from some source and in a positive manner. This is possible because of PI outreach efforts within the fellowship. A section of this handbook is specifically devoted to cooperation with the professional community.

Other sources of referrals to local meetings are friends and acquaintances. When the occasion arises, we can discreetly tell others about our Twelve Step program for men and women who are struggling with any compulsive sexual behavior.

Brainstorming in a local PI committee about how best to share discreetly and anonymously on sensitive issues prior to facing an actual situation can reduce the anxiety that is inevitably associated with talking with friends or strangers about sex addiction.

Finding opportunities:

When carrying the SAA message of recovery to others we should be alert to any opportunity to share with others in our communities. At first glance, we might shy away from some opportunities, but after careful examination, we may find them to be appropriate and productive, when pursued with humility and in a positive way.

We typically approach PI tasks asking what audience we might reach through a particular opportunity. We also want to know if this opportunity will call specific attention to the SAA message of recovery.

We should always be sensitive to the possibility that the person inviting us to share information may have a different agenda, such as sensationalism, boosting ratings, titillation, or exploitation. We also need assurance in advance that our personal anonymity will be protected and that there are no hidden or implied conditions, such as affiliation, required for participation. In this way, we can be relatively sure that the venue is appropriate and safe?

Possible activities for a local PI committee

Although not an exhaustive list of possibilities, the following activities have been used by local groups and intergroups in their outreach efforts:

  • Ask newcomers discreetly how they found out about SAA, thus identifying existing referral sources within the community that can be nurtured.
  • Hold open meetings and invite spouses, family members, and local professionals.
  • Create a local website containing basic information about our recovery program and local contact information. (See more about local websites on pp. 9-10)
  • Place copies of Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA Green Book) in public libraries.
  • Provide literature to churches, college health services, counselors’ and therapists’ offices, hospitals, senior centers, and police stations, when appropriate and when permitted.
  • List contact information in free newspaper ads or directories, when appropriate.
  • Place discreet paid newspaper ads with contact information, when and where appropriate.
  • Cooperate with newspaper staff to generate awareness of our fellowship, while being careful to maintain personal anonymity in any published article.
  • Identify local speakers* for potential interviews and appearances in response to media requests or at meetings of local clubs or organizations, when invited.
  • Provide public service announcements for use by local radio and TV stations.
  • Offer to staff a table-top exhibit at a local or regional professional conferences.
  • Share ideas and experience with other local PI committees in your geographical area.
  • Maintain enthusiasm for the task, and maintain your own sobriety.

* Note: Speaker training is available through the ISO office.

Developing Local PI Opportunities

Personal contacts

Personal contacts, or word-of-mouth, is always a good means of spreading the word about our program of recovery. Because of the personal and often secretive nature of sexual issues, discernment and good judgment are required when opportunities to share the SAA message arise. However, we should always be prepared to share discreetly with anyone who expresses concern about their own behavior or the behavior of a loved one or friend.

Cooperating with the professional community

One of the most important opportunities of any PI committee is to communicate the SAA message to members of the professional community, identifying first those who already have an interest in or share a concern about sex addiction. Professionals are often the first within a community to recognize that someone is exhibiting signs of addictive sexual behavior. Our task is to be sure that they are aware of the help and support that is available through our program. Counselors, therapists, clergy, law enforcement officers, social service workers, and crisis counselors may encounter clients who would benefit from our program.

For a local group, intergroup, or area, the question often becomes how best to proceed with this type of outreach? The following suggestions are based on the experience of members who have done this type of service in the past:

  • Contact information for local counselors, therapists, and mental health institutions is readily available on the Internet. In addition, state licensing agencies often list contact information on their websites for Certified Sex Addiction Therapists (CSATs), who have special interest and expertise in issues relating to sex addiction.

A sample letter to mental health professionals may be found in Appendix 2 of this handbook. The same letter may be modified to send to other health care professionals.

  • Experience in reaching out to members of the clergy has been highly variable. Some are very receptive and will often acknowledge their lack of expertise; however, others occasionally seem cautious, apparently because of concerns about the lack of religious focus in Twelve-Step programs. Often, their reluctance can be overcome by explaining that our program is a methodology for dealing with sex addiction—not a theology or religion.

A sample letter to clergy may be found in Appendix 3 of this handbook.

  • Law enforcement officers may be the first to confront a person engaging in compulsive sexual behavior. Experience suggests that most officers in the criminal justice system have little knowledge about the SAA program, or in some cases they have a distorted view of how our program works.

A sample letter for law enforcement officers may be found in Appendix 4. The same letter may be modified slightly to send to attorneys engaged in family or criminal defense law.

  • Social service and other government agencies may encounter clients who would benefit from our program. A sample letter may be found in Appendix 5.

Informing professionals about our program may be accomplished by sending letters like the ones referenced above. SAA literature, especially the pamphlet entitled, Sex Addicts Anonymous—A Pathway to Recovery, may be enclosed with the letters.

Another approach is to send postcards. Research suggests that busy professionals are more apt to read a postcard from an unknown sender than to open and read a letter. There seems to be some advantage to using a brightly colored stock or colorful typeset for the postcard. The ISO office already has generic postcards (Appendix 6) available to groups and intergroups at no cost.

Groups or intergroups may wish to write their own letters or design their own postcards or pamphlets as a means of customizing their approach for their own community.

Keeping track of existing referral sources and keeping them updated on new meetings, retreats, or other special activities, such as open speaker meetings, is an effective way to show appreciation and to encourage additional referrals.

Reaching out to others in the community

In addition to reaching out to professionals who may already have an interest in or share a concern about sex addiction, PI committees may be able to identify other opportunities for local outreach. Many community-oriented institutions and organizations may be receptive to learning more about recovery from addiction or about our fellowship.