The Laurel Centre is the home of ISAT – who provide training to professionals within a BioPsychoSocial framework.
ISAT was formed in 2014 as a result of receiving so many requests from professionals for training. Our training in sex and porn addiction counselling started in 2011 when we helped develop the ATSAC Professional Certificate in Sex Addiction Therapy which was warmly received for many years until ATSAC ceased to be a training organisation. Since then we have gone on to develop our Diploma in Pluralistic Practice for Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Disorder (COSRT Accredited Level 7, NCPS, BPS and ATSAC Approved) as well as our Introductory Certificate for organisations. We also provide CPD days online and from our Leamington office and can tailor make training events to suit the particular needs of health professionals and client groups.
Please take a look at our CSBD/sex addiction training course page for more information and please note that all of our training programmes are now available ONLINE.
Who are we
Paula Hall, Clinical Director, (D.Psych.PW)
Dr Paula Hall is a leading UK specialist in Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Disorder (CSBD), problematic pornography use and what is commonly described as sex and porn addiction. She has worked in the field for more than 20 years, following a career of over 30 years in psychotherapy. Paula is founder of the Laurel Centre and Pivotal Recovery CIC, and developed the CHOICE Recovery Model, an integrative, sex-positive approach to understanding and treating compulsive sexual behaviours. She is also the author of several books in the field, including Sex is Not the Problem: A Comprehensive Guide to CSBD and Porn Addiction in the Digital Age (Routledge), as well as books for partners and couples. Her work has been published in academic journals and the professional press, and she has presented nationally and internationally on CSBD, problematic pornography use and recovery. She is a former Chair and founding trustee of ATSAC and has contributed extensively to professional training and the development of specialist practice in this field. Paula is also a regular media commentator and has appeared across BBC, ITV and Channel 4 television and radio, as well as contributing to national and international press.
Nick Turner, Course Director (BA, MSc, PGCE, UKCP Reg, MBACP, COSRT Acc, ATSAC)
Formerly Head of Clinical Services at Relate, the UK’s largest provider of relationship counselling in the UK, Nick is an experienced relationship counsellor, sex therapist, supervisor and trainer. Starting as a counsellor with Relate in 1991, Nick later joined Relate’s national training team where he developed and lead a new university validated counsellor training programme, becoming in 2006 the Director of the newly formed Relate Institute, the training centre for all of Relate’s professional training courses from entry level to Masters degree programmes. Since 2011, Nick has, with Paula Hall, been co-facilitating and facilitating recovery programmes for both men and women struggling with addictive and compulsive sexual behaviours as well as for their partners. Alongside this group work, Nick also works with individual clients struggling with CSBD, their partners and couples.
