Individualised support for every client
Everyone is unique, and so is our approach. We tailor our work to your personal needs, ensuring respect and inclusion for all, regardless of age, ability, gender, sexuality, relationship status, race, culture or beliefs.
Understanding your situation
Whether you identify your struggle as Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Disorder (CSBD), sex addiction, porn addiction, or are unsure if your behaviour is problematic, we start with an initial appointment to explore your concerns. From there, we help you prioritise the support you need, whether it’s recovery, understanding your sexuality, coping with a partner’s compulsive behaviour or managing the impact on your relationship.
Addressing the root causes
Sex and porn addiction often stem from deeper issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem or childhood trauma. Our approach goes beyond relapse prevention, helping you understand and overcome the underlying causes while fostering a healthier, more fulfilling sex life.
Support for partners
Using a relational trauma model, we acknowledge the pain partners experience. We focus on helping you manage your emotions and decide the best way forward, whether that’s remaining with your partner or separating.
A flexible, evidence-based approach
We draw on a range of established therapeutic approaches, including CBT, adapting our work to the needs of each individual rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model. Our practice is informed by the best available research, clinical expertise and, importantly, the needs, values and circumstances of each client.
We take the term ‘evidence-based’ seriously and encourage clients to ask what evidence supports any treatment they are offered. Find out more about what we mean by evidence-based practice.
Therapy that fits your needs
We offer both individual counselling and recovery support groups, allowing you to choose what works best for you. Our goal is not to fit you into a rigid framework but to help you find the most effective path to recovery.
Does our approach work?
We believe clients have every right to ask. Our published research has demonstrated significant improvements following our group programmes, and we continue to evaluate our services as part of our commitment to measuring outcomes, improving what we do and sharing what we learn.
Read our published research or see what previous clients have said on our testimonials page.
Ethical, inclusive, and professional
The Laurel Centre follows a BioPsychoSocial, evidence-based, and sex-positive approach. We are committed to inclusion and treat all people with respect, regardless of age, ability, gender, sex (sexuality, sexual orientation/identity, biological sex), relationship (status, preference), race, culture, religion or belief. We uphold strict confidentiality and ethical standards, and all our therapists hold affiliations with respected professional bodies such as BACP, UKCP, NCPS, AP, IAPST and COSRT.
Our position on the controversy – compulsion or addiction?
As you may or may not know, CSBD or sex and porn addiction is a controversial subject. Some professionals have strong opinions on whether it should be called an addiction and how the issue should be treated. If you’d like a more detailed explanation of the Laurel Centre’s perspective on this debate, see our perspective on CSBD and sex addiction.
