/ By Recovery Expert

If you are new to the sex addiction recovery world, you might have heard the acronym CSAT, or Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist mentioned. If you are wondering what that term is and why it’s important, you’ve come to the right place. Hopefully I can clear things up for you!

 

Getting help for a pornography or sexual addiction can be a scary thing. Trust me, I’ve been there. One of the scariest things I’ve ever had to admit was that I needed help. But figuring out where to go to get the best help to overcome a sex addiction is not easy. I just knew I needed a good therapist who knew how to treat sex addiction.

 

When I started searching for help, I found that there were plenty of therapists online who claimed to offer sex addiction therapy, but most of them didn’t have any specific training or qualifications to treat male sex addicts. You might be in this position right now, so hopefully I can help you out a bit by giving you some additional information on something you might not be aware of.

What Does it Take to Become a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist (CSAT)?

If you wanted to get treatment for a foot injury would you go to a proctologist? Probably not. Even though the proctologist has the same medical degree as a podiatrist, they’ve both received additional training specific to the part of the body that they wanted to specialize in.

 

Therapists have the same opportunity to specialize in specific types of issues. Some therapists specialize in treating PTSD, while others specialize in treating troubled youth. And some specialize in treating sex addiction. There are different trainings, courses and certifications for each of these areas. Not all therapists have been trained and certified to treat men who are struggling to break a pornography addiction or other sexual addiction.

 

To achieve the CSAT designation it typically takes a therapist two years or more of intensive training and supervision through the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP). The training includes learning to use research backed manuals and materials, a 30 task approach to treatment designed to be followed in individual and group therapy sessions, in addition to encouraging involvement in 12-step support programs for sexual addiction. The supervision required is 30 hours of actual clinical work with clients who are suffering from sexual addictions.

 

That might all sound like gibberish if you are new to the world of sex addiction therapy, but what is important for you to know is that a CSAT has obtained a level of experience and knowledge in treating sex addicts that other therapists just don’t have.

Reasons to See a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist

One of the most important reasons to see a CSAT to get help for sex addiction is that CSATs understand what you are going through. Because a CSAT has years of experience treating sex addicts, they’ve seen and heard it all. There is no judgment and a level of empathy that you might not get with someone who doesn’t fully understand sexual addiction. Many therapists don’t even believe that sex addiction is a real thing, which can be incredibly invalidating for someone who has struggled with it for years and has seen the damage it can cause in relationships.

Desert Solace Has An Amazing Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist (CSAT) in Courtney Lyman

We’re very lucky here at Desert Solace to have Courtney Lyman as our clinical director. Courtney is a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist (CSAT) and has spent years specializing in treating men who struggle with pornography addiction or other sex addictions.

 

Because of his past experience, Courtney has a deep understanding of the root causes of sexual addictions, but also of the most effective methods and practices to treat the addiction.

 

Don’t roll the dice with seeing a therapist who does not specialize in treating your specific type of addiction, you desert the best treatment you can get.  Contact us today at Desert Solace to discuss how we can help you overcome your addiction for good.

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