Reach Out or Act Out: Long-Term Group Therapy for Sexual Addiction

Several theorists and researchers have noted that group therapy is a viable treatment option for sexual addiction. There has been little effort, however, to explain the theoretical rationale of group therapy and show how group therapy works to treat sexual addiction. Long-term group therapy provides a laboratory in which clients can enter into relationship to (a) help manage addictive behaviors, (b) explore the dynamics of their addictive process, and (c) develop intimate bonds with others. We present a model for long-term group therapy of sexual addiction that we have used in private practice, and conclude by giving an excerpt from a group therapy session.