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Aim or purpose
We aimed to explore counsellors’ experiences of working with clients self-identifying as sex-addicts. Our purpose is to highlight respondents’ experiences of working with this client-group to better inform general psychotherapeutic practice.
Design and methodology
Three respondent counsellors field-working with clients self-identifying as sex-addicts, were audio-recorded during semi-structured interviews. The resulting data was thematically analysed informed by phenomenological principles (Braun and Clarke, 2012).
Ethical approval
Our College Ethics Board approved our research, and respondents were offered six no-fee counselling sessions, if required, subsequent to their research participation. Our research followed BACP guidelines for ethical research in counselling and psychotherapy (Mitchels, 2018).
Results and findings
A literature review suggested there is no collective definition of sex-addiction; also visible in our findings was that the variations in therapeutic approaches or treatments offered to clients were derived from counsellors’ singular characterisation of sex-addiction. However, successful outcome of the psychotherapeutic process or treatment was mutually measured by clients’ ability to achieve management of their sexually-compulsive behaviour.
There also appeared to be considerable commonality in the multi-disciplinary treatment offered to clients which included 1:1 and group psychotherapy and involvement in a 12 Step Recovery Programme (clients life-long commitment to self-help recovery) It appears, according to our respondents’ experiences, that such clients also require trauma-based treatment or psychotherapy as their sexually-compulsive behaviours are worked through. Our respondent’s experienced excessive shame within this client group, a state of being which was particularly prevalent with this population, as the primary barrier to a successful psychotherapy or treatment outcome. Within the treatment of sex-addiction and sexually-compulsive behaviour, it appears respondents are experiencing the increasing phenomenon of young peoples’ addiction to pornography, developing solely from easy internet accessibility from a young age.
Research limitations
Due to the limited number of respondents it might prove difficult to generalise our research findings (McLeod, 2003) which maybe subjective to our respondents.
Conclusions and implications
Treatment for this client group seems successful when it encompasses a multi-disciplinary approach, whilst neither a common definition of sex-addiction nor agreement on psychotherapeutic-approach appears to be of any relevance. However, counsellors may need to be mindful that clients in this client-group commonly appear to have entrenched shame-based personalities and trauma-based experiences, which require vital psychotherapeutic exploration within the psychotherapeutic alliance.
Views expressed in this article are the views of the writer and not necessarily the views of 91×ÔĹÄ Publication does not imply endorsement of the writer’s views. Reasonable care has been taken to avoid errors but no liability will be accepted for any errors that may occur.