Treatment at Healing Vistas may involve three different modes of therapy: Marriage/Couples Therapy, Individual Therapy, and Group Therapy. All these modes of therapy are available via online counseling using secure encrypted video conferencing.
Marriage Therapy and Couples Therapy
Research in the past 20 years has shown that all human beings are “wired for connection” with another loving person. This need for secure attachment is different than co-dependency which limits and constrains a person. Secure attachment has been described as “effective dependency” by Dr. Susan Johnson, one of the creators of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. Secure attachment actually empowers and strengthens a person to stretch and risk becoming all he or she can be.
As our society has become more mobile and families have been more dispersed, the importance of having a loving couple relationship has become even more important. The key question in our love relationships which determines whether we feel safe and secure addresses whether we feel our loved one is accessible , responsive , and engaged. Do you ever have these questions come to mind when you are feeling upset in your relationship:
All couples at times will be troubled by these questions, however when pornography addiction or sexual addiction is involved these questions are especially troubling because the answer in one’s mind to each question is persistently “no”. This is experienced as an attachment trauma often bringing on an experience of anxiety and panic. As a certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist (EFT) I help couples learn to be there for each other and rebuild the trust in their relationships. EFT has been thoroughly researched and proven to be successful 75 percent of the time at healing relationships as compared to studies which show that other forms of couples therapy are generally successful only 35 percent of the time.
Individual Therapy
One-on-one therapy for both the addict and his/her spouse or partner provides a safe environment for the individual to identify, explore and heal deeper issues and wounds that cannot be dealt with effectively in marriage therapy, couples therapy or group therapy. It is also helpful in treating emotional issues that may co-exist with the problems being experienced by the addict and his/her partner or which may actually be the cause of the problems.
As a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist (CSAT) I have been trained by Dr. Patrick Carnes who is one of the foremost pioneers in the treatment of sexual addiction. As such I am skilled in the use of focused assessment tools for sexual addiction, trauma, and co-exisiting addictions as well as targeted interventions proven to help addicts and their spouses/partners achieve lasting recovery. In addition, I have been trained in a variety of treatment methodologies that are helpful in individual therapy such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Health Realization, and Lifespan Integration Therapy which is used to clear trauma.
In addition to treating sexual addiction and trauma, these methods have been helpful in treating other problems such as depression, anxiety, stress, loss and grief, and handling life changes.
Group Therapy
Addiction has been described as being an “attachment disorder”, meaning that instead of learning to have emotionally close relationships that provide support and help a person react with emotional balance to life, the person has learned to turn inward to the addiction. Group therapy has been known for years to be an effective means for dealing with the isolation and despair for addicts, as well as the sense of aloneness and shame that is often experienced by spouses and partners. I encourage group members to stay in touch with each other outside of group to provide ongoing support throughout treatment and beyond. These relationships become key to ensuring the emotional balance and accountability necessary to stay on track with goals, and to re-establish self-esteem.