Karen Lawrence
BACP Senior Accredited Counsellor & Supervisor
Member of ATSAC
ACTO Professional Register
If you can identify with some or all of these questions then it might be helpful to make an appointment for a full assessment.
- Does your sexual behaviour jeopardise or significantly impact on your job, your relationships, finances and health?
- Does your sexual behaviour contradict your beliefs and values and impact on your integrity?
- Are you preoccupied with your sexual behaviour and does it feel out of control?
- Have you tried to stop your sexual behaviour and find you cannot stop?
- Do you think your sexual behaviour is escalating with frequently engaging in longer periods of time than intended?
- Do you feel you need more and more stimuli of the sexual behaviour in order to search for 'the buzz' or 'the high'?
- Are you using sexual behaviours to escape from difficult emotions such as anxiety, loneliness, boredom, depression, stress, pressure or sadness?
- Do you conceal your sexual behaviour and are you frightened of being discovered?
- Are there other activities you would like to do in life rather than be driven by your sexual behaviours?
- Would you like to be free from your sexually acting out behaviours?
Measuring Severity
Sex addiction varies in its severity with some people only struggling occasionally and others battling with the condition on a daily basis. Severity is measured not only by how often the behaviour happens but also by the actual and potential consequences of the behaviour.
Answering the questions below will help you to consider how severe the problem is in your life.
Over the past 6 months, how often have you engaged in compulsive sexual behaviour?
Over the past month, how often have you fantasised about your sexual behaviour?
Over the past month, how often have you struggled with intrusive thoughts and feelings about your sexual behaviour?
What impact does your behaviour have on your everyday life?
What are the potential consequences of your sexual behaviour if it was not secretive?
What impact does your sexual behaviour on your sense of self-worth and self-confidence?
