Alexandra Katehakis is the founder of Center for Healthy Sex in Los Angeles and an author. Katehakis is a clinical supervisor at American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) and clinical supervisor and member of the teaching faculty for the

International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals The International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP) is one of the most well-known, for-profit organizations that provides training and certification for licensed and interned mental health professionals who want to treat s ...

(IITAP) a national certifying body for sex addiction therapists. She has been a contributor to ''

Psychology Today ''Psychology Today'' is an American media organization with a focus on psychology and human behavior. The publication began as a bimonthly magazine, which first appeared in 1967. The print magazine's reported circulation is 275,000 as of 2023. ...

'',''Psychology Today'' expert: Alexandra Katehakis
/ref

and ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

'', as well as a panelist at sexuality conferences and public events.CHS Clinical Director bio
/ref>

Biography

Alexandra Katehakis holds a doctorate in human sexuality from the

Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality The Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS) was a private, unaccredited, for-profit graduate school and resource center for the field of sexology in San Francisco, California. It was established in 1976 and closed in 2018. Degr ...

, and is a licensed

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...

family therapy Family therapy (also referred to as family counseling, family systems therapy, marriage and family therapy, couple and family therapy) is a branch of psychotherapy focused on families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and ...

with a 1997 graduate degree from

Antioch University Antioch University is a private university with multiple campuses in the United States and online programs. It is the continuation of Antioch College, which was founded in 1852. Antioch College's first president was politician, abolitionist, and ...

. She holds licensure and certification with several different mental health organizations:

Certified Sex Addiction Therapist The International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP) is one of the most well-known, for-profit organizations that provides training and certification for licensed and interned mental health professionals who want to treat se ...

(CSAT-S) with the

(IITAP); Certified Sex Therapist (CST-S) with the American Association of Sex Educators Counselors and Therapists (AASECT); and Licensed

Marriage and Family Therapist Family therapy (also referred to as family counseling, family systems therapy, marriage and family therapy, couple and family therapy) is a branch of psychotherapy focused on families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and ...

(MFT) with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS). She joined the Walking Theater Group in 1992 at the invitation of actor Joseph Culp who co-founded the process with John Cogswell. She later co-founded the Walking-In-Your-Shoes Group with Culp and shared in the further development of this

transpersonal The transpersonal is a term used by different schools of philosophy and psychology in order to describe experiences and worldviews that extend beyond the personal level of the psyche, and beyond mundane worldly events. Definition and context The ...

body mind process. In 1997, Katehakis was one of the early practitioners in the field of sex addiction. She became certified as a sex addiction therapist by

Patrick Carnes Patrick Carnes (born 1944) is an American proponent of the viewpoint that some sexual behavior is an addiction. According to CBS News, he popularized the term sex addiction. He created the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professi ...

. In her practice, Katehakis focuses on treating

sexual dysfunction Sexual dysfunction is difficulty experienced by an individual or partners during any stage of normal sexual activity, including physical pleasure, desire, preference, arousal, or orgasm. The World Health Organization defines sexual dysfunction ...

, sexual anorexia,

sexual addiction Sexual addiction is a state characterized by compulsive participation or engagement in sexual activity, particularly sexual intercourse, despite negative consequences. The concept is contentious; sexual addiction is not a clinical diagnosis in ...

and

love addiction Love addiction is a proposed model of pathological passion-related behavior involving the feeling of falling and being in love. A medical review of related behaviors in animals and humans concluded that current medical evidence does not have def ...

in individuals and couples. Her first book, ''Erotic Intelligence'', offers a healthy model of sexuality for sex addicts. Since 2006, Katehakis has studied

affective neuroscience Affective neuroscience is the study of how the brain processes emotions. This field combines neuroscience with the psychological study of personality, emotion, and mood. The basis of emotions and what emotions are remains an issue of debate wit ...

with Allan N. Schore, incorporating affect regulation theory and interpersonal neurobiology into her psychobiological approach to sex addiction treatment. In 2009, Katehakis' article "Affective Neuroscience and the Treatment of Sexual Addiction" was published in '' Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention''. The article focused on the neuropsychobiological impact of early childhood trauma on the

affective Affect, in psychology, is the underlying experience of feeling, emotion, attachment, or mood. It encompasses a wide range of emotional states and can be positive (e.g., happiness, joy, excitement) or negative (e.g., sadness, anger, fear, dis ...

cognitive Cognition is the "mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

, and

behavioral Behavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions of individuals, organisms, systems or artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or organisms as well as the inanimate p ...

development of sexual addicts. In 2016, the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists awarded ''Mirror of Intimacy'' with the Clark Vincent Award, and in 2015, the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists awarded co-authors Alexandra Katehakis and Tom Bliss with the AASECT 2015 Book of the Year Award. Katehakis is the 2012 recipient of the Carnes Award for contributions to the field of sex addiction, presented by the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH). She was also a co-recipient of the 2013 Clark Vincent Award from the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) for her role as a contributing author to the clinical textbook, ''Making Advances: A Comprehensive Guide for Treating Female Sex and Love Addicts''. In 2013, Katehakis joined the clinical team at the Meadows

inpatient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other heal ...

trauma and addiction rehabilitation center in Arizona as a

Senior Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

. From February 2015 until January 2018, Katehakis appeared as a regular guest expert weekly every Friday on
Dr. Drew Midday Live with Mike Catherwood
' alongside

Drew Pinsky David Drew Pinsky (born September 4, 1958), commonly known as Dr. Drew, is an American media personality, internist, and addiction medicine specialist. He hosted the nationally syndicated radio talk show ''Loveline'' from the show's inception ...

and

Mike Catherwood Michael Dwight Catherwood (born March 15, 1979), also known as Psycho Mike, is an American radio personality. He is known primarily for his work at KROQ-FM on ''Kevin and Bean'' and as the co-host of ''Loveline'' from 2010 to 2016, and ''Neon Bla ...

KABC (AM) KABC (790 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, and serving the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a conservative talk radio format. The studios are located i ...

. From 2011 to 2016, Katehakis was a contributor to ''

'' and ''

'', writing their annual Best and Worst Sex List. Katehakis makes appearances on radio, film and television news shows, as well as online and print interviews. Notable appearances include ''Inside Hollywood'',

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are locate ...

, ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' and

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

. She has appeared on panels at national conferences to discuss sex addiction alongside the likes of Daniel J. Siegel and Christopher Kennedy Lawford, as well as movie screening panel discussions for ''

Shame (2011 film) ''Shame'' is a 2011 erotic psychological drama film, set in New York, directed by Steve McQueen, co-written by McQueen and Abi Morgan, and starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan as grown siblings. It was co-produced by Film4 and See-Sa ...

'' and, '' Thanks for Sharing (2012 film)'', with the film's co-writer

Matt Winston Matthew Winston is an American actor. He is the son of special effects artist Stan Winston. Career Winston's television appearances include the HBO dramas '' Six Feet Under'' and ''John from Cincinnati'', and as Crewman Daniels in '' Star Tre ...

.''Thanks For Sharing'' panel discussion
/ref>

Publications

; Papers * * * * * * *Katehakis, Alexandra (September and October 2016). . ''The Neuropsychotherapist.'' *Katehakis, Alexandra (Winter, 2017)
"Sexual Fantasy and Adult Attunement"
''The American Journal of Play''. 9 (2): 252–270. ; Books * ''Erotic Intelligence: Igniting Hot, Healthy Sex While in Recovery from Sex Addiction'' (Health Communications, 2010) * ''Making Advances: A Comprehensive Guide for Treating Female Sex and Love Addicts'' (SASH, 2012) * ''Mirror of Intimacy: Daily Reflections on Emotional and Erotic Intelligence'' (CHS, 2014) * ''Sex Addiction as Affect Dysregulation: A Neurobiologically Informed Holistic Treatment'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 2016) * ''Sexual Reflections: A Workbook for Designing and Celebrating Your Sexual Health Plan'' (CHS, 2018) * ''What Turns You On?: A Guide to Living Your Best Sex Life.'' (CHS, 2023)

References

External links

Center for Healthy Sex

YouTube: Center for Healthy Sex

Alexandra Katehakis blog at Huffington Post

Sex, Lies & Trauma blog at Psychology Today

The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health

American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists

International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals

The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH)

Alex Katehakis Podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katehakis, Alexandra Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American self-help writers American psychotherapists Sex therapists Sexual addiction