When must I seek professional help?

RecoveryNation.com encourages every workshop participant to be evaluated by a mental health professional to ascertain the severity of their compulsive patterns. However, this is not always realistic or necessary--especially in rather minor patterns involving sporadic porn use or masturbation. When it is critical to seek professional assistance is when any of the following are experienced:

• Suicidal ideation or attempt
• Engaging in self-destructive or risky behavior
• Experiencing the urge to kill or otherwise harm
• Engaging in illegal behavior that might involve prison if caught
• Engaging in compulsive behavior that could significantly alter the course of your life if discovered
• Engaging in compulsive behavior that could significantly alter the course of another's life if discovered

If I choose a self-recovery program, do I still need a counselor?

That depends on the severity of your behavior. It is our belief that, because it is nearly impossible to self-gauge the intensity of even the simplest of compulsive behaviors, a trained professional with experience in sexual addiction assessment and treatment should always be consulted prior to beginning a self-recovery program. Self-recovery programs were designed to allow for the integration of trained professionals and a support team as part of the recovery process. Are they necessary? No. The value of a counselor in your self-recovery program will be directly related to their experience and knowledge in sexual addiction recovery.

What should I look for in selecting a treatment facility?

Before committing yourself to a professional recovery program, interview potential counselors and treatment facilities until you find one that you feel confident in. Find out if their values are similar to your own. Ask about their previous experience working with sexual/love addiction. Ask about their success rate (yes, this is an acceptable question to ask, and their response will tell you volumes about whether they would consider you a client of theirs, or that they will consider themselves to be a client of yours. For personalized, dedicated treatment, the latter is required.)

Must I enter a treatment center as part of my recovery?

No. The decision to enter a treatment facility to recover from compulsive sexual behavior should be made only after consulting with an experienced sexual addiction counselor. The exception to this is if your behaviors are presenting an immediate risk to your safety, or the safety of others. If this is the case, then you may very well benefit from immediate hospitalization. Call 911, your local crisis center, or go to your nearest emergency room for guidance.

What if I don't feel comfortable with my counselor, what are my options?

Unfortunately, due to insurance and or treatment policies, you may not have a choice in which counselor you work with. If you are not comfortable with your current therapist, and do not have the option of working with someone else, then there are some guidelines to follow to assure your best chance of success in recovery. Most importantly, remember that it is not your therapist that can guarantee recovery, it is your commitment. Everything and everybody else in recovery are merely tools to help you get there. Some can be excellent resources that facilitate the recovery process, others can be quite detrimental. Your job is to never lose the focus of your commitment by becoming distracted with the quality of tools you have at your disposal. So, if you are not sincerely motivated to recover, and do not feel comfortable with your current therapist, do nothing. The distraction of "not feeling comfortable with your therapist" will allow you to keep the focus off of recovery and allow you to remain in the safety of your compulsive behavior awhile longer. If you are motivated to recover, talk to your therapist about how you are feeling. Every good therapist will listen to you in a non-judgmental way, and will make decisions based on your best interest. That may mean to recommend you to someone else; or it may mean to explore the reasons for the uncomfortable feelings. Either way, the focus remains on moving forward with honesty.