Spouses/Partners of Sex Addicts Groups

The impact of being the intimate partner of a sex addict often results in trauma, “the abrupt disintegration of one’s inner world.” (R. Janoff-Bulman, Ph.D.)  

Spouses and partners of sex addicts (also known as co-addicts) need a safe place to tell their stories, time to identify and mourn their losses, along with resources that support them in their healing process.

Like the addict, they also benefit from a specialized program to help recognize and change behaviors that arise from living with addiction.

Co-Addicts often:

• Feel responsible for the addict’s behavior
• Forget who they are apart from the addict
• Acclimate to lives steeped in resentment and anger
• No longer trust anything they see or hear
• Feel betrayed and manipulated
• Do not know what to do with their feelings
• Struggle with feeling victimized and overwhelmed by the need for control
• Feel forced to participate in the addict’s secrets and lies
• Behave in ways that violate their own values and integrity
• Lack a personal support system and self-care tools

The Spouses/Partners Groups at Impulse Treatment Center are part of an integrated Sex Addiction Treatment Model that includes ongoing individual and group therapy for each partner, as well as a Couples Recovery Group for those seeking to restore their relationship.

“It is within the group experience that many co-addicts heal to a degree they never imagined possible…their healing journey is a gift to themselves that will take them through life and its ultimate challenges.”

Claudia Black, PhD,
Author of “Deceived: Facing Betrayal, Lies and Secrets”