Douglas Weiss (Psychologist)
| Douglas Weiss (Psychologist) | |
|---|---|
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| Full name | Douglas William Weiss |
| Public name | Dr. Doug Weiss |
| Date of birth | April 18, 1962 |
| Place of birth | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Residence | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Education | United Wesleyan College; Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Northcentral University |
| Qualifications | B.A.; two master's degrees; Ph.D. in Psychology |
| Occupation | Psychologist, author, relationship counselor, speaker, television host |
| Known for | Heart to Heart Counseling Center; American Association for Sex Addiction Therapy; publications on sexual addiction and intimacy |
| Current position | Executive Director, Heart to Heart Counseling Center |
| Professional association | Founder and President, American Association for Sex Addiction Therapy |
| Notable publications | The Final Freedom, Intimacy Anorexia, Married and Alone, Clean, Forgiveness for Everyone, Women Make Sense (Really!) |
| Television | Healing Time with Dr. Doug Weiss; Winning at Marriage; Ministry Now |
| Official website | drdougweiss |
Douglas William Weiss (born April 18, 1962), professionally known as Dr. Doug Weiss, is an American psychologist, author, relationship counselor, speaker, and television host.[1] He is the founder and executive director of Heart to Heart Counseling Center, a counseling practice based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the founder and president of the American Association for Sex Addiction Therapy (AASAT).[2]
Weiss's professional work focuses on sexual addiction recovery, marriage counseling, relationship difficulties, intimacy, and partner betrayal trauma. His counseling approach combines individual and couples work with structured recovery programs, educational materials, and faith-based resources.[3]
He has authored numerous books on relationships and recovery, including The Final Freedom, Intimacy Anorexia, Married and Alone, Clean, and Forgiveness for Everyone. His latest relationship book, Women Make Sense (Really!),[4] became available in 2026.
In addition to his clinical and publishing work, Weiss has appeared on national television programs and hosts Healing Time with Dr. Doug Weiss,[5] a Christian educational television program carried by Daystar Television Network.
Early Life and Background
Douglas Weiss was born on April 18, 1962, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he spent his early years and attended Liberty High School.
Weiss has discussed a difficult childhood that included time in foster care, family instability, childhood abuse, and early exposure to pornography. In public interviews, he has connected these experiences to struggles with alcohol, drugs, and compulsive sexual behavior during adolescence.
At 19, Weiss experienced what he has described as a significant spiritual turning point. His growing involvement in Christianity led him toward religious education and a process of personal recovery. His account of recovery emphasizes that change was gradual. He has described continuing to struggle with pornography during Bible school and later seeking accountability from another student while attending seminary.
These experiences became an important part of his personal understanding of addiction, personal responsibility, and the role of support in recovery. In a March 20, 2026, interview on the podcast Grey Matter, Weiss discussed his early life, addiction, faith, and the circumstances that influenced his eventual decision to pursue counseling.
Education and Academic Background
Weiss attended Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, before continuing his education at United Wesleyan College. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in pastoral ministry and business from United Wesleyan College. He subsequently attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he completed a Master of Divinity and a master's degree in Marriage and Family Counseling.
Weiss later earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from Northcentral University. His education combined theological studies, counseling, and psychology, reflecting the integration of Christian beliefs and psychological approaches that became characteristic of his professional work.
Weiss holds Colorado professional credentials as a psychologist and professional counselor.
Professional Career
Early Work in Addiction Counseling
Weiss began his professional career in drug and alcohol addiction counseling. While completing his graduate education, he worked at the Psychiatric Hospital of Fort Worth, Texas. During this period, he became increasingly involved in counseling people experiencing problems involving sexual behavior and compulsive sexual activity. Weiss has described how psychiatrists and therapists at the hospital began referring individuals with sexual-behavior concerns to him because of the limited availability of specialized counseling resources in that area.
This experience helped establish the professional focus that he subsequently developed through private practice. By the early 1990s, Weiss had begun publishing educational materials addressing addiction and relationships. His first book, Women Who Love Sex Addicts, was published in 1992. The original title later went out of print after a subsequent edition was published under a different title.. His early publishing work and an appearance on The Phil Donahue Show marked important developments in his transition toward a career combining counseling, authorship, and public education. His professional work later expanded to include marriage counseling, partner recovery, intimacy-related difficulties, and the development of structured educational programs.
Founding Heart to Heart Counseling Center
Weiss founded Heart to Heart Counseling Center in Fort Worth, Texas, in the early 1990s. Initially established as a private counseling practice, the organization expanded its services before relocating to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2000, where it continues to operate. The organization provides counseling and educational services addressing sexual addiction, betrayal trauma, marital conflict, emotional disconnection, intimacy difficulties, and other relationship concerns. As executive director, Weiss oversees the center's professional direction, counseling programs, staff supervision, and educational initiatives. The center's services include individual counseling, support groups, relationship counseling, and intensive programs lasting three or five days.
Its multi-day intensives combine counseling sessions, structured assignments, educational resources, and individualized recovery planning. The programs address issues affecting individuals and couples, including sexual behavior, relationship trust, emotional intimacy, and the effects of infidelity. Weiss personally conducts certain five-day intensive programs, while other services are delivered by members of the center's counseling team. The organization also develops books, workbooks, video courses, and other resources that complement its counseling activities.
Counseling Approach and Relationship Recovery
Weiss's counseling approach emphasizes identifying recurring behavioral patterns, examining underlying relationship problems, and developing practical strategies that individuals and couples can apply outside counseling sessions. A significant part of his work addresses sexual addiction and the effects of compulsive sexual behavior on relationships. He has developed educational frameworks intended to distinguish between different patterns of sexual behavior and to help counselors organize recovery interventions around those patterns.
His approach also emphasizes working with both partners when addiction or betrayal affects a relationship. Weiss describes this as addressing three connected areas: the individual struggling with addictive behavior, the affected partner, and the relationship itself.
In marriage counseling, he places particular emphasis on establishing regular relationship habits before addressing some of the more complex sources of conflict.
His writing uses the term "functionship" to describe relationships in which everyday responsibilities have increasingly replaced emotional connection, affection, and meaningful communication. He has argued that some couples continue to function effectively as households while experiencing a loss of emotional closeness as partners. Among the exercises he teaches are regular conversations about personal feelings, expressions of appreciation, intentional time together, and other structured communication practices.
These methods form part of Weiss's counseling framework. Their suitability and effectiveness depend on individual circumstances, and the terminology he has developed should be distinguished from standardized psychiatric diagnoses and independently established treatment protocols.
Intimacy Anorexia
Weiss is associated with the concept of intimacy anorexia, a term he uses to describe persistent patterns of avoiding or withholding emotional, physical, sexual, or spiritual intimacy within a committed relationship. His framework identifies behaviors such as avoiding quality time, withholding affection, persistent criticism, emotional withdrawal, and the use of anger or silence to create distance. Weiss developed books, counseling resources, and educational programs around this concept, including Intimacy Anorexia: Healing the Hidden Addiction in Your Marriage and Married and Alone. The latter approaches emotional disconnection from the perspective of spouses who experience loneliness despite remaining in a marriage.
American Association for Sex Addiction Therapy
Weiss founded the American Association for Sex Addiction Therapy, commonly known as AASAT, and serves as its president. The organization provides specialized education and certification programs for therapists, counselors, coaches, and other professionals working in areas related to sexual addiction and relationship recovery.
AASAT's principal training categories include:
- Sexual Recovery Therapist (SRT) and Sexual Recovery Coach (SRC).
- Partners Recovery Therapist (PRT) and Partners Recovery Coach (PRC).
- Intimacy Anorexia Therapist (IAT) and Intimacy Anorexia Coach (IAC).
Its training materials cover subjects such as sexual addiction, partner betrayal trauma, relationship recovery, and intimacy avoidance. Weiss has served as AASAT president since 2008.
Books and Publications
Weiss has developed an extensive body of written and multimedia educational material dealing with marriage, sexual behavior, recovery, personal development, forgiveness, and relationships. His official biography credits him with writing more than 40 books and creating approximately 30 therapeutic video resources. His publications include materials for individuals experiencing sexual addiction, partners affected by betrayal, married couples, and people seeking faith-based relationship guidance.[6]
Selected Books
| Title | Year | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| Women Who Love Sex Addicts | 1992 | Support and recovery guidance for partners of individuals experiencing sexual addiction |
| Beyond Love: A 12 Step Guide for Partners | 1996 | Support for partners affected by sexual addiction |
| The Final Freedom | 1998 | Sexual addiction and recovery |
| Intimacy: A 100-Day Guide to Lasting Relationships | 2001 | Emotional intimacy and relationships |
| The 7 Love Agreements | 2005 | Marriage and relationship commitments |
| The Ten-Minute Marriage Principle | 2007 | Daily relationship practices |
| Intimacy Anorexia: Healing the Hidden Addiction in Your Marriage | 2010 | Emotional and physical intimacy avoidance |
| Married and Alone | 2013 | Emotional loneliness within marriage |
| Clean: A Proven Plan for Men Committed to Sexual Integrity | 2013 | Faith-based sexual recovery |
| Partner Betrayal Trauma | 2019 | Recovery resources for partners |
| Forgiveness for Everyone: A Path to Letting Go and Moving Forward | 2025 | Forgiveness, trauma, faith, and personal growth |
| Women Make Sense (Really!) | 2026 | Communication and emotional understanding in relationships |
Additional publications include Emotional Fitness, Upgrade Your Sex Life, Lover Spouse, Servant Marriage, and accompanying counseling workbooks and step guides.
Weiss's works are cataloged through Open Library, Apple Books, and the Heart to Heart Counseling Center bookstore.[7]
Forgiveness for Everyone (2025)
In June 2025, Weiss published Forgiveness for Everyone: A Path to Letting Go and Moving Forward through Forefront Books, distributed by Simon & Schuster. The book examines forgiveness through a Christian framework, addressing personal experiences of hurt, trauma, responsibility, resentment, and the process of moving forward. It incorporates reflections from Weiss's personal experiences alongside educational exercises and discussions of forgiveness. The publisher released the book on June 3, 2025, in hardcover and digital formats.[8]
Women Make Sense (Really!) (2026)
In 2026, Weiss introduced Women Make Sense (Really!), a relationship book focused on communication and emotional understanding between men and women.
The publication challenges the familiar assumption that women are inherently difficult for men to understand. Weiss presents communication, listening, emotional awareness, and the ability to recognize a partner's experiences as skills that can be learned and practiced. The book covers emotional connection, relationship safety, conflict resolution, appreciation, affirmation, and everyday communication. According to Weiss, the idea developed from decades of counseling men and couples experiencing relationship conflict, infidelity, sexual addiction, and emotional disconnection. He has described a recurring situation in which one partner wants to feel heard while the other attempts to defend a position or immediately solve the problem.
The book emphasizes listening, recognizing emotions, and responding to a partner's concerns before attempting to resolve a disagreement. A promotional campaign for the book is scheduled for November 2026. The title and related educational resources were already available through its official website during October 2026.
Television, Media and Public Speaking
National Television Appearances
Weiss has appeared as a guest on television and radio programs discussing marriage, sexual addiction, relationships, intimacy, and family issues. Programs identified in his professional biographies include The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Good Morning America, The Phil Donahue Show, The 700 Club, and Life Today. His work has also been associated with television documentaries and dramatizations addressing sexual addiction and recovery. These appearances helped expand his public work beyond individual counseling into broader relationship and recovery education. Weiss has also hosted television programming, including Winning at Marriage, a relationship-focused show associated with the Trinity Broadcasting Network.
In 2001, Weiss's work in sexual addiction counseling provided the basis for the Lifetime television film Sex, Lies & Obsession. The drama starred Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna as a married couple confronting the husband's sexual addiction and its effects on their family. Actor Karl Pruner portrayed Dr. Weiss in the film. The production brought aspects of his counseling specialty to a national television audience.
Healing Time with Dr. Doug Weiss
Weiss is the founder and host of Healing Time with Dr. Doug Weiss, a Christian educational program broadcast by Daystar Television Network.[9] The program combines discussions of emotional recovery, relationships, addiction, forgiveness, and personal growth with Christian teaching. Through the program, Weiss addresses subjects that also appear in his books and counseling resources. According to Weiss, more than 300 episodes of Healing Time have been produced. The series has been distributed to television audiences in the United States and internationally through Daystar's broadcasting network.
Daystar Television Network and Ministry Now
Weiss became associated with Daystar Television Network through his relationship with Christian broadcaster Joni Lamb, the network's co-founder and president. After their marriage in June 2023, Weiss joined Lamb as a co-host of Ministry Now, Daystar's religious interview and discussion program. Daystar's programming has also carried Weiss's independent series, Healing Time. His work on these programs reflects the relationship between his professional interests in counseling and his Christian religious beliefs.
Podcasts and Digital Media
Weiss has participated in podcasts, radio discussions, and online interviews addressing marriage, sexual addiction, pornography, forgiveness, and related subjects. His own podcast, Love and Sex Today, includes discussions and educational material related to intimacy, recovery, and relationship health.
On March 20, 2026, Weiss appeared on Grey Matter with Leighton Grey in an episode titled Healing from Addiction & Betrayal with Dr. Doug Weiss.[10] The discussion covered his personal background, addiction recovery, religious faith, and the challenges presented by pornography and sexual behavior in contemporary relationships. On August 20, 2026, he appeared on The Bloomdaddy Experience on WWVA/iHeartRadio, discussing sexless marriages,[11] relationship difficulties, emotional connection, and communication between spouses.
Gameplan App and Online Education
Weiss's educational work includes the Gameplan app, a digital resource addressing sexual addiction recovery and intimacy-related concerns. The app provides access to educational videos, written material, recovery exercises, daily tips, and faith-based resources. It also includes access to selected podcast content and material adapted from Weiss's books and teaching programs.
Gallery
Personal Life
Weiss was born and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and has lived and worked in Colorado Springs for much of his professional career. He has two adult children. Weiss was previously married to Lisa Weiss. Following their divorce, he married Christian television broadcaster and Daystar co-founder Joni Lamb on June 10, 2023. The couple worked together as co-hosts of Ministry Now on Daystar Television Network. Weiss has been widowed since the death of his wife, Joni Lamb, on May 7, 2026.
His personal interests include resistance training, swimming, walking, reading, and outdoor activities in Colorado. He has also participated in charitable and community work associated with churches and Christian organizations.
Current Activities
As of 2026, Weiss continues to serve as executive director of Heart to Heart Counseling Center and president of the American Association for Sex Addiction Therapy. His professional responsibilities include supervision, organizational leadership, counseling, educational writing, and professional training. He continues to be involved in five-day counseling intensives addressing addiction, betrayal trauma, and relationship difficulties. His publishing and public education work includes the 2025 release of Forgiveness for Everyone, the 2026 introduction of Women Make Sense (Really!), and appearances on radio, podcasts, and television.
His activities also include Healing Time, the Gameplan educational platform, and the development of additional resources for individuals, couples, and counselors.
References
- ↑ "About Dr. Doug Weiss". Heart to Heart Counseling Center. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- ↑ "American Association for Sex Addiction Therapy (AASAT)". AASAT. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- ↑ "Dr. Doug Weiss". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- ↑ "Women Make Sense (Really!)". Women Make Sense. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- ↑ "Healing Time with Dr. Doug Weiss". Daystar Television Network. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- ↑ "Douglas Weiss PhD – Official Author Page". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- ↑ "Heart to Heart Counseling Center". Heart to Heart Counseling Center. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- ↑ "Forgiveness for Everyone: A Path to Letting Go and Moving Forward". Simon & Schuster. Forefront Books. 3 June 2025. ISBN 9781637634400. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- ↑ Lamb, Joni (1 August 2023). "Letters from Joni August 2023". Daystar Television Network. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- ↑ "Healing from Addiction & Betrayal with Dr. Doug Weiss". Podscan. 20 March 2026. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- ↑ "8-20-26 Sam & Otis - Sexless Marriage w/Dr. Doug Weiss, Nike Gone Woke?". iHeartRadio. 20 August 2026. Retrieved 2 November 2026.