Treating Internet Addiction: AI, Pornography, Social Media, Online Gambling, & Gaming
This training offers mental health professionals a clinical framework for identifying, assessing, and treating problematic screen use, including gaming, social media dependency , pornography, and online gambling. As screen time rises across age groups, compulsive use is increasingly linked to anxiety, depression, attention issues, and isolation. The course covers evidence-based strategies, including the process addiction model, attachment-focused approaches, and behavioral interventions. Topics include neurodevelopmental impacts, ADHD/ASD overlap, family dynamics, and the role of AI in shaping digital habits. Attendees gain practical tools to help clients build healthier relationships with technology.
Presenter:
Michael Eiden, PhD, LCSW, LCADC, CSAT, is a clinician, educator, and international trainer with expertise spanning the full continuum of addiction treatment —from acute detoxification to sustained recovery . His work focuses on the intersection of behavioral and chemical addictions, with specialized clinical depth in complex trauma , dissociation, and sexuality. Eiden has delivered training on topics including internet and screen addiction, the evolving impact of AI on psychotherapy, experiential approaches to treating trauma, shame, and the long-term effects of dysfunctional family systems. His doctoral research focused on developing effective parent education programs to prevent childhood internet addiction.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will be able to apply the current diagnostics available for assessment of compulsive screen and internet use.
- Participants will be able to identify the physiological and neurological underpinning of screen compulsivity to inform clinical practice strategies.
- Participants will be able to utilize a conceptual framework of screen addiction treatment along with specific interventions.