Marie Wilkes

The phrase ‘sex addiction’ can mean many things to many people and other phrases such as ‘sexually compulsive’ or ‘sexually dependent’ as well as porn addict, love addict and out of control behaviours can all describe similar compulsive behaviours. How you describe your own behaviours is not important, the impact those behaviours are having on you, those around you and your daily life are.

By way of a definition, “sex addiction” is described as a compulsive need to perform sexual acts in order to achieve the kind of “fix” that a person with alcohol use disorder gets from a drink or someone with opiate use disorder gets from using opiates.

For some people, sex addiction can have many associated risk factors such as alcohol or drug dependence and may result in considerable difficulties with relationships. It has the potential to negatively impact a person’s physical and mental health, personal relationships, quality of life, and personal safety.

I can work with people who display sexually compulsive behaviour and partners of people who display sexually compulsive behaviour

I am an ATSAC member - The Association for the Treatment of Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity

I am a COSRT member - College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists

I trained to work specifically with sex addiction and sexually compulsive behaviour at the Laurel Centre.

As sexually compulsive behaviour is very specific per individual it is difficult to list a set of specific symptoms. However, in exploring your behaviour consider the following:-

Does your sexual behaviour have a negative impact on other areas of your life?

Does your behaviour contradict your personal values?

Have you tried to stop certain behaviors but so far have failed?

Are you secretive or fear being discovered?

Are your behaviours increasing in frequency in order to achieve the same level of fulfillment?

Do you turn to sexual behaviour to help you deal with difficult emotions?

​

Living with sexually compulsive behaviours can feel both isolating and shameful.

Secrecy and lies can have a huge impact on relationships leaving you feeling cut off and isolated whilst shame thrives in secrecy leading to feelings of not being worthy and internalised blame.

Sessions will revolve around identifying the causes and influences of your sexual behaviour and looking at how these behaviours impact every aspect of your life and your relationships. Relevant assessment tools can be used to identify the severity of your behaviours.

Exploration will cover any circumstances that have had an impact on you including traumatic events, attachment and identifying your core beliefs as well as looking at the neuroscience behind addiction.

I aim to offer a shame free, non-judgemental and supportive environment in which to do this.

The phrase ‘sex addiction’ can mean many things to many people and other phrases such as ‘sexually compulsive’ or ‘sexually dependent’ as well as porn addict, love addict and out of control behaviours can all describe similar compulsive behaviours. How you describe your own behaviours is not important, the impact those behaviours are having on you, those around you and your daily life are.

By way of a definition, “sex addiction” is described as a compulsive need to perform sexual acts in order to achieve the kind of “fix” that a person with alcohol use disorder gets from a drink or someone with opiate use disorder gets from using opiates.

For some people, sex addiction can have many associated risk factors such as alcohol or drug dependence and may result in considerable difficulties with relationships. It has the potential to negatively impact a person’s physical and mental health, personal relationships, quality of life, and personal safety.

I can work with people who display sexually compulsive behaviour and partners of people who display sexually compulsive behaviour

I am an ATSAC member - The Association for the Treatment of Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity

I am a COSRT member - College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists

I trained to work specifically with sex addiction and sexually compulsive behaviour at the Laurel Centre.

As sexually compulsive behaviour is very specific per individual it is difficult to list a set of specific symptoms. However, in exploring your behaviour consider the following:-

Does your sexual behaviour have a negative impact on other areas of your life?

Does your behaviour contradict your personal values?

Have you tried to stop certain behaviors but so far have failed?

Are you secretive or fear being discovered?

Are your behaviours increasing in frequency in order to achieve the same level of fulfillment?

Do you turn to sexual behaviour to help you deal with difficult emotions?

Living with sexually compulsive behaviours can feel both isolating and shameful.

Secrecy and lies can have a huge impact on relationships leaving you feeling cut off and isolated whilst shame thrives in secrecy leading to feelings of not being worthy and internalised blame.

Sessions will revolve around identifying the causes and influences of your sexual behaviour and looking at how these behaviours impact every aspect of your life and your relationships. Relevant assessment tools can be used to identify the severity of your behaviours.

Exploration will cover any circumstances that have had an impact on you including traumatic events, attachment and identifying your core beliefs as well as looking at the neuroscience behind addiction.

I aim to offer a shame free, non-judgemental and supportive environment in which to do this.

Hi, my name is Marie and I am a fully qualified intergrative counsellor. I work with clients across a variety of different areas  both from my office in Swindon and remotely online across the UK.

I believe the most important part of the counselling process is the relationship between the counsellor and the client. Positive change can only occur when the person feels empathy and acceptance in a trusting, non-judgemental environment.

People are consciously able to determine their own behaviour and are driven by a need for self-fulfillment. Difficulties in our daily lives can hinder this ability. I am able to help people to become aware of any barriers they may have to their need for self-fulfilment by understanding the world from their point of view, offering a safe and trusting environment and challenging where necessary. I believe that this will help people to explore previously unrecognised emotions which can allow the person to experience true change.

​With this in mind I believe that the counselling relationship is collaborative, that both the counsellor and the client can work together to identify and monitor goals towards a successful end.

Do you feel isolated and misunderstood? Do you feel weighed down by feelings of anxiety? Are you looking for somewhere to explore these feelings in a safe, secure environment? 

I work in a variety of areas but I specialise in the following:-

working with chronic illness 

working with sexually complusive behaviour

working with obsessive compulsive disorder

I am able to offer you a confidential space in which you can share your experiences without fear of being either judged or misheard. I will be there to support you through any difficult feelings that may emerge and to stay with you as you make any decisions which you feel are right for you. I understand how life can cause increased levels of stress and anxiety, how sometimes relationships can come under extra strain and how OCD can be all consuming. I am aslo aware of the huge impact sexually compulsive behaviour can have on all areas of someones life.

From personal experience I am aware how living with chronic illness can be exhausting, isolating, frustrating and overwhelming. I can offer you the time to explore how these emotions impact you on a daily basis. These feelings can be scary and can leave you with a sense of helpless; often resulting in confusion and being uncertain which way to turn.

Session costs range from £60 to £95 depending on requirements. Please contact me for confirmation.

I'm here to support you through a very personal and sometimes difficult process which can be extremely powerful. If you feel we could be a good fit please get in touch. I offer a free 30min telephone informal chat to help you decide if you’d like further sessions.

This will be your opportunity to ask me any questions, and for us to get to know each other a little. You will be under absolutely no pressure to agree to future sessions after the call. The decision will be completely up to you.

Our first session, with your agreement, will revolve around working to become more comfortable with the process of counselling, looking at the counselling contract and explaining anything within the contract which may be unclear, agreeing on session times and regularity and covering any other questions you may have. Its completely normal to be nervous during the first session and to have lots of questions. If we are working online we will also cover the procedure should our connection keep dropping out.

Hi, my name is Marie and I am a fully qualified intergrative counsellor. I work with clients across a variety of different areas remotely online across the UK.

I believe the most important part of the counselling process is the relationship between the counsellor and the client. Positive change can only occur when the person feels empathy and acceptance in a trusting, non-judgemental environment.

People are consciously able to determine their own behaviour and are driven by a need for self-fulfillment. Difficulties in our daily lives can hinder this ability. I am able to help people to become aware of any barriers they may have to their need for self-fulfilment by understanding the world from their point of view, offering a safe and trusting environment and challenging where necessary. I believe that this will help people to explore previously unrecognised emotions which can allow the person to experience true change.

​With this in mind I believe that the counselling relationship is collaborative, that both the counsellor and the client can work together to identify and monitor goals towards a successful end.

Do you feel isolated and misunderstood? Do you feel weighed down by feelings of anxiety? Are you looking for somewhere to explore these feelings in a safe, secure environment?

I work in a variety of areas including anxiety, overwhelm, bereavement and relationships. I specialise in the following:-

working with chronic illness

working with sexually complusive behaviour

working with obsessive compulsive disorder

I am able to offer you a confidential space in which you can share your experiences without fear of being either judged or misheard. I will be there to support you through any difficult feelings that may emerge and to stay with you as you make any decisions which you feel are right for you. I understand how life can cause increased levels of stress and anxiety, how sometimes relationships can come under extra strain and how OCD can be all consuming. I am also aware of the huge impact sexually compulsive behaviour can have on all areas of someones life.

From personal experience I am aware how living with chronic illness can be exhausting, isolating, frustrating and overwhelming. I can offer you the time to explore how these emotions impact you on a daily basis. These feelings can be scary and can leave you with a sense of helpless; often resulting in confusion and being uncertain which way to turn.

Session costs range from £60 to £95 depending on requirements. Please contact me for confirmation.

I'm here to support you through a very personal and sometimes difficult process which can be extremely powerful. If you feel we could be a good fit please get in touch. I offer a free 30min telephone informal chat to help you decide if you’d like further sessions.

This will be your opportunity to ask me any questions, and for us to get to know each other a little. You will be under absolutely no pressure to agree to future sessions after the call. The decision will be completely up to you.

Our first session, with your agreement, will revolve around working to become more comfortable with the process of counselling, looking at the counselling contract and explaining anything within the contract which may be unclear, agreeing on session times and regularity and covering any other questions you may have. Its completely normal to be nervous during the first session and to have lots of questions. Working online we will also cover the procedure should our connection keep dropping out.

Hi, my name is Marie and I am a fully qualified intergrative counsellor. I work with clients across a variety of different areas remotely online across the UK.

I believe the most important part of the counselling process is the relationship between the counsellor and the client. Positive change can only occur when the person feels empathy and acceptance in a trusting, non-judgemental environment.

People are consciously able to determine their own behaviour and are driven by a need for self-fulfillment. Difficulties in our daily lives can hinder this ability. I am able to help people to become aware of any barriers they may have to their need for self-fulfilment by understanding the world from their point of view, offering a safe and trusting environment and challenging where necessary. I believe that this will help people to explore previously unrecognised emotions which can allow the person to experience true change.

​With this in mind I believe that the counselling relationship is collaborative, that both the counsellor and the client can work together to identify and monitor goals towards a successful end.

Do you feel isolated and misunderstood? Do you feel weighed down by feelings of anxiety? Are you looking for somewhere to explore these feelings in a safe, secure environment?

I work in a variety of areas including anxiety, overwhelm, bereavement and relationships. I specialise in the following:-

working with chronic illness

working with sexually complusive behaviour

working with obsessive compulsive disorder

I am able to offer you a confidential space in which you can share your experiences without fear of being either judged or misheard. I will be there to support you through any difficult feelings that may emerge and to stay with you as you make any decisions which you feel are right for you. I understand how life can cause increased levels of stress and anxiety, how sometimes relationships can come under extra strain and how OCD can be all consuming. I am also aware of the huge impact sexually compulsive behaviour can have on all areas of someones life.

From personal experience I am aware how living with chronic illness can be exhausting, isolating, frustrating and overwhelming. I can offer you the time to explore how these emotions impact you on a daily basis. These feelings can be scary and can leave you with a sense of helpless; often resulting in confusion and being uncertain which way to turn.

Session costs range from £60 to £95 depending on requirements. Please contact me for confirmation.

I'm here to support you through a very personal and sometimes difficult process which can be extremely powerful. If you feel we could be a good fit please get in touch. I offer a free 30min telephone informal chat to help you decide if you’d like further sessions.

This will be your opportunity to ask me any questions, and for us to get to know each other a little. You will be under absolutely no pressure to agree to future sessions after the call. The decision will be completely up to you.

Our first session, with your agreement, will revolve around working to become more comfortable with the process of counselling, looking at the counselling contract and explaining anything within the contract which may be unclear, agreeing on session times and regularity and covering any other questions you may have. Its completely normal to be nervous during the first session and to have lots of questions. Working online we will also cover the procedure should our connection keep dropping out.