What to Expect from Therapy
In your assessment appointment I would ask you to tell me what brought you to me and what help you feel you need. People generally find this session to be a great relief, perhaps being able to tell another person about their secrets and difficulties for the first time. At the end of this session I would suggest options to you to take you forward on your road to recovery, this may include a four to six week trial period of weekly appointments with me for you to experience improvements to your well-being.
After three months of appointments approximately 80% of clients can expect to see changes in their most problematic sexual behaviours. If you have a more complex situation, this can take longer. Sex addiction usually has a number of contributing causes and the more thoroughly these are worked upon, the greater chance there is of a lasting recovery.
Change takes place as a result of the collaborative approach I have to therapy with me asking questions and making suggestions for behaviour and lifestyle changes at a pace that suits you. We would examine how your behaviours are triggered and decide on strategies to overcome them in the short and longer-term. There would be some exploration of your general and sexual history to uncover the possible origins of your difficulties.
Longer-term abstention from problematic sexual behaviours almost always requires maintenance work over a longer period, this can last up to eighteen months to three years and be ongoing. If you decide to work on this by doing psychotherapy, we would fine-tune your sexual boundaries, reduce shame by exploring your past and the present, work on relapse prevention and other topics:
These could include relationship issues, family issues, separation and divorce, childhood development, trauma, automatic negative thoughts, other addictions, stress, assertiveness, self-esteem and self-confidence. It is sometimes the case that these need addressing as urgently as the sex addiction.
It is your choice to terminate therapy at any point that feels right for you. If you decide to continue therapy after the initial six week period I ask for a notice period of three to four weeks so any unfinished issues can be settled before you end. This is done to ensure your safety and so you get the most possible from your therapy.
My approach is influenced by various approaches to addiction recovery, including the 12 Step approach.
It is my aim to provide a safe haven to explore anything that concerns you.
What is Healthy Sexuality?
After three months of appointments approximately 80% of clients can expect to see changes in their most problematic sexual behaviours. If you have a more complex situation, this can take longer. Sex addiction usually has a number of contributing causes and the more thoroughly these are worked upon, the greater chance there is of a lasting recovery.
Change takes place as a result of the collaborative approach I have to therapy with me asking questions and making suggestions for behaviour and lifestyle changes at a pace that suits you. We would examine how your behaviours are triggered and decide on strategies to overcome them in the short and longer-term. There would be some exploration of your general and sexual history to uncover the possible origins of your difficulties.
Longer-term abstention from problematic sexual behaviours almost always requires maintenance work over a longer period, this can last up to eighteen months to three years and be ongoing. If you decide to work on this by doing psychotherapy, we would fine-tune your sexual boundaries, reduce shame by exploring your past and the present, work on relapse prevention and other topics:
These could include relationship issues, family issues, separation and divorce, childhood development, trauma, automatic negative thoughts, other addictions, stress, assertiveness, self-esteem and self-confidence. It is sometimes the case that these need addressing as urgently as the sex addiction.
It is your choice to terminate therapy at any point that feels right for you. If you decide to continue therapy after the initial six week period I ask for a notice period of three to four weeks so any unfinished issues can be settled before you end. This is done to ensure your safety and so you get the most possible from your therapy.
My approach is influenced by various approaches to addiction recovery, including the 12 Step approach.
It is my aim to provide a safe haven to explore anything that concerns you.
What is Healthy Sexuality?
In a survey with a variety of my clients there was an average improvement in well-being of 46%. This means people felt half as good again at the end of therapy compared to at the beginning. This survey was taken by means of the CORE questionnaire.
