5 Reasons People Seek A Sex Addiction Therapist
There are many ways a person can go down the path of sexual addiction. I want to share some of the common situations that lead a person to seek a trained sex addiction counselor. These examples are a few that raised my concerns and triggered my “I want to help” mentality.
My biggest concern being that there are very few sex addiction specialists.
- I worked on a counseling referral hotline where people were calling in and looking for someone to help them with a relationship issue- specifically partners having affairs. I could hear the devastation in their voices, the crying, the sense of hopelessness. The GOAL: restore hope for the future.
- I talked with an 18 year-old college student who expressed so much shame, embarrassment, and guilt over the fact that he had a pornography addiction. The concept of sin was feeding into his feelings, because he was raised in a strong Christian family. He was using porn to feed his sexual impulsivity, and he wanted to stop. The GOAL: support this young man in living a life that matched his values and morals.
- I counseled a man seeking a specialist because his wife was filing for divorce. The use of porn caused him to be detached from his family and constantly looking for opportunities to engage in his addiction. The GOAL: support this man in re-establishing the communication and connection with his partner, to help the relationship grow by developing trust and safety, and to establish a program to break the sex addiction cycle.
- I saw a woman that was so tired of hiding her “second life” (frequent affairs ) that depression and anxiety overwhelmed her, and she ended up in a psychiatric facility after becoming suicidal. The GOAL: change the thinking process so that behaviors can turn into working for sexual health, and emotional issues can be healed.
- I have had appointments with women that have interpreted a partner’s behavior as starting because of something they have done. The thoughts are spinning in their head: not attractive enough, not thin enough, not giving him enough sexual attention, and so on. The GOAL: Create a space where self-esteem can grow and the person feels strong enough to set the boundaries, so that the relationship cane become healthy, again.
These examples represent just a few of the many people who struggle with infidelity, betrayal, pornography addiction, and sexualized online relationships. They started me off in the direction of training to be a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT). The education process has been long, but the expertise is invaluable.
If you are living in Texas, Cheryl Camarillo, LCSW is available via Zoom or in-person. From outside Texas, consider a long therapeutic weekend in San Antonio, Texas with 4-6 hours of counseling per day. Contact Cheryl by phone at (210)262-5056 or by email cheryl.camarillo@yahoo.com . You can request a 15-minute consultation to discuss working together.
