For those struggling from sexual addiction or the trauma that comes from being victimized by an individual suffering with addiction, speaking with a trusted counselor or therapist can help lead to healing and recovery. A therapist or counselor has been uniquely trained to work with individuals suffering with a variety of mental health issues, and will have the experience necessary to help others take practical steps toward healing.
However, not all therapists or counselors are created equal. When you begin the process of finding a counselor to help you begin the journey toward recovery, come ready with questions to ask. Having a set of relevant questions will help you ensure that the therapist you are partnering with will have the skills, methods, and character necessary to truly help.
If you are beginning the process of seeking help from a therapist, here are eight questions you must ask before deciding to move forward:
The Questions You Simply Must Ask Your Potential Sexual Addiction Therapist
Recommendations for a counselor or therapist can come from many sources. You may have received a referral from a healthcare provider, a close friend who is worried for you, or through an online counseling site.
Taking the time to discover more about a potential therapist can help you avoid headache and heartache down the road. While you can find many pieces of relevant information online, having a face-to-face time where you can ask questions can be incredibly beneficial.
At Novus Mindful Life, we work with many clients who wish to learn more about our services and team before they sign up for services. Here is a list of some of the most common questions we receive – and questions you can ask as well!
- What education and experience have you received that is relevant to your training? (Consider certifications, degrees, clinical experience, etc.)
- How many years of experience do you have working in this specific therapy or counseling field?
- Based on my symptoms or reported issues, what are the methods or treatments you utilize?
- How do you approach methods of treatment such as medication or non-medical services?
- What are the reported success stories or rates of your treatment process?
- How quickly will I begin to notice a difference in my daily life, and how will you track my progress along the way?
- What will we do if I continue to struggle with mental health issues?
- What are the costs and coverages associated with your services?
Start Off On The Right Foot With The Right Questions
These questions create a good starting place for working with a counselor or therapist on your journey to recovery. However, many therapists may not have the perfect answer to all of these questions, and different responses may give you an insight into what you can expect in the long-run with a particular provider.
In general, your potential therapist or counselor should be able to quickly walk you through their experience, the education that they have received, and the typical treatment methods that they offer. Many will also give you realistic expectations on what you may expect from your time together.
The team of skilled and experienced counseling professionals at Novus Mindful Life work with many men and women who are struggling with the daily impacts of mental illness – and are ready to help you take the steps necessary toward healing and hope. With experience serving individuals struggling from sexual addiction, trauma, depression, anxiety, and more, you can trust our team to help you find the path forward with methods of treatment that work.
If you or someone you know needs to speak with a kind and caring counselor, contact our team at Novus Mindful Life today. Together, we can take the steps necessary to move toward hope and healing.
Why a Therapist Can Help
Why a Therapist Can HelpIf you are suffering from sexual addiction, there are several reasons why you should consider seeing one of our therapists at Novus Mindful Life . One-on-one psychotherapy is often effective when it comes to helping individuals who want to overcome addictions. This is because sitting with a therapist who is experienced with such issues can allow you to vocalize how you feel, and it will provide a clear picture of the events and emotions that may have led to the addiction.
The therapist will be able to offer strategic interventions, and they know several techniques and useful ways that can bring about positive change. This allows them to work collaboratively with you and help you move forward. However, it is recommended to look for therapists that are experienced in the area of sexual addiction. Usually, a diploma-level qualification in sex addiction can give you the assurance that your counselor has the necessary skills to help you get better.
Experts at Novus Mindful Life recommend that those suffering from sexual addiction must use similar methods to those dealing with substance abuse. That’s why a sex addiction therapist can help. For instance, psychological treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy that are effective for drug addiction can also be used by your sex addiction therapist to help you with sexual addiction.
How a Therapist Can Help
One of the ways a sex addiction therapist at Novus Mindful Life can help with sexual addiction is through behavioral therapy. This treatment consists of methods that have successfully been used to deal with several conditions, including sexual addiction. It’s considered highly effective, and about 75% of individuals who enter cognitive behavioral therapy report that they get some notable benefits from this treatment.
At Novus Mindful Life, Cognitive-behavioral therapy seeks to uncover and help eliminate unhealthy behaviors. The basic principle behind cognitive behavioral therapy is that all behaviors, including destructive ones, are learned and that they can be changed. So, the main focus of this treatment is to just help you unlearn certain behaviors. Unlike other treatments, the focus of behavioral therapy is not to uncover what led to you learning sexually addictive behavior. Instead, the therapist seeks to deal with and change current behaviors.
What a Therapist Can Do You
There are many treatments that are used by therapists at Novus Mindful Life to help with sexual addiction. While these treatments might differ in their approach, the goal is to help you unlearn certain destructive behaviors.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
This is a very popular treatment method that is used by therapists at Novus Mindful Life to help those with sexual addiction. The goal of the therapist during this treatment is to try and figure out how your thoughts and beliefs influence your actions and moods. So, unlike other methods, this type of treatment focuses on your current issues and how the therapist can help you overcome them. The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy is to change your thinking and eliminate unhealthy behaviors.
Aversion Therapy
This is another method that is usually used by therapists at Novus Mindful Life to help those with substance abuse and alcoholism. It can also be used to deal with sexual addiction. Aversion therapy works by teaching you to associate desirable unhealthy stimuli with an extremely unpleasant stimulus. For instance, you can associate something that triggers your sexual addiction with a stimulus that causes discomfort. You can be taught by your sex addiction therapist to associate sexual addiction with unpleasant memories.
One on One Counseling
Apart from cognitive behavioral therapy and aversion therapy, your sex addiction therapist at Novus Mindful Life can also use counseling to try and help with your sexual addiction. This is an effective therapeutic method that starts by trying to explore as well as correct the underlying causes that could have led to you developing a sexual addiction. A lot of patients find that various types of counseling are quite helpful during their recovery.
Group therapy
This is another form of psychological therapy used by therapists at Novus Mindful Life to help those with sexual addiction. Group therapy takes place in a group setting as opposed to you sitting with your therapists on a one-on-one basis. It is important to note that group therapy is not necessarily appropriate for your situation. However, if your sex addiction therapist sees it fit, you can benefit greatly from such a setup. The group dynamic allows you to meet, network, and feel supported by others who are also dealing with sexual addiction. While the therapy format usually differs from group to group, commonly, group members are encouraged to share their challenges and experiences with the sex addiction therapist and the group. The purpose of this is to help you:
● To better understand your behavior
● Get feedback and advice from other individuals in the group
● Feel support from the group environment
If you are coming to Novus Mindful Life for sexual addiction counseling, it’s not uncommon not to know where to start. However, the sex addiction therapist will guide you through all the steps and help you understand how the therapy sessions will help you and make you better. Most counselors usually start their treatment by helping you work on sobriety from acting-out behaviors like visiting pornographic websites. Once you have managed to achieve some level of sobriety, the therapist will then assist you in determining the primary function that the acting out behavior played. They will also go over other relational experiences that helped create sexual addiction.
Additional Reading
Overcoming Sexual Addiction By Changing Your Inner Narrative (Part 2)
Overcoming Sexual Addiction By Changing Your Inner Narrative (Part 1)
Should I confront my partner about their sex addiction?