Ruby Franke’s Business Partner Reportedly Over-Diagnosed Men With ‘Porn Addiction’
“Every time I said I was a victim of sexual abuse, [she would say] that that was my addiction speaking," a former patient said of Jodi Hildebrandt to NBC News.
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Last month, when popular family YouTuber Ruby Franke was arrested and charged with six counts of child abuse, many folks online described the life coaching business she ran with business partner Jodi Hildebrandt as “cult-like.” According to a new report, it seems to have been an apt characterization.
On Monday, NBC News published an in-depth look at Hildebrandt, who was also charged with six counts of felony child abuse, and her business, ConneXions. NBC spoke with seven former ConneXions patients who were counseled by Hildebrandt between 2008 and 2019, who shared accounts of her over-diagnosing porn and sex addiction, as well as methodically isolating individuals and destroying marriages. For what it’s worth, “porn addiction” is not recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), although it is severely looked down upon by the Mormon Church, which Hildebrandt and many of her patients were a part of.
Hildebrandt is a licensed counselor and ConneXions, according to its website, offered master classes and individual and group sessions to “help treat those lost and stranded in the darkness of distortion—which addictions, fear, sadness, and all other self-destructive behaviors derive from.” Franke is listed on the website as a “certified mental fitness trainer” who helped create ConneXions content about parenting for social media.