Sex & Porn Addiction Therapy in Florida
You promised yourself it would be the last time. Then the urge came back, along with the secrecy and the shame. If porn or sex has started to feel out of control, you are not alone, and you are not broken. The Renew Center of Florida offers confidential sex addiction therapy and porn addiction therapy in Florida, led by Dr. Lisa Palmer, PhD, LMFT, who has helped adults, couples and worried parents for over 20 years.
What Are Sex Addiction and Porn Addiction?
Sex and porn addiction happen when sexual behavior or porn use stops feeling like a choice. You try to stop, something pulls you back, and the secrecy grows a little more each time. It is more common than most people think, and it is very treatable with the right support.
What Is Sex Addiction?
Sex addiction is a pattern of sexual urges or behaviors you struggle to control, such as affairs, hookups, paid sex, or hours lost on dating and chat apps. It often starts as a way to escape stress and ends in shame, which quietly restarts the cycle. In therapy, we help you break that loop and protect the relationships, career and health that matter most to you.
What Is Porn Addiction?
Porn addiction is porn use that keeps growing even when you want to cut back. Many people find they need more time or more extreme content to feel the same effect, while sleep, focus and real-life intimacy start to slip. In therapy, we help you understand what porn has been numbing for you and build healthier ways to cope that actually last.
Sex Addiction, Porn Addiction or CSBD: Which Term Fits?
You may use one word for what you are going through, and a clinician may use another. This quick guide shows how they connect. Our behavioral addiction counseling in Florida treats all three with the same care.
Term | What it means | How we help |
Sex addiction | Sexual behavior with others that feels out of control | Individual therapy, trauma work, couples support |
Porn addiction | Porn use you cannot cut back on | Individual therapy, digital boundary plan, coping skills |
Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD) | The clinical name for both patterns when they last 6+ months and cause real distress | Full assessment and a personalized treatment plan |
The World Health Organization formally recognizes Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder in its ICD-11 diagnostic manual, code 6C72 (Kraus et al., World Psychiatry, 2018). A national study found that 8.6% of US adults feel significant distress from hard-to-control sexual urges (Dickenson et al., JAMA Network Open, 2018). You are far from alone, and you do not need a label to start getting help.
Signs Your Sex or Porn Use May Be Out of Control:
There is no single test, and the number of hours matters less than what the behavior is costing you. These signs, especially several together, suggest it is time to talk with a therapist for porn addiction or sex addiction.
Signs in Your Behavior
You have tried to stop or cut back, and it has not lasted
You spend more time on porn or sexual activity than you plan to
You need more novelty, risk or intensity to feel the same effect
You hide, delete or lie about what you are doing
Urges spike when you feel stressed, lonely, bored or rejected
You feel relief during the behavior, then shame or panic afterward
Signs in Your Relationships and Daily Life
Your partner has found something, or you live in fear that they will
Real-life intimacy feels less interesting or harder to enjoy
Work, sleep or focus are suffering because of late nights online
You have spent money you did not plan to spend on sexual content or services
You feel cut off from people close to you
Your behavior conflicts with your values, and that gap is growing
If several of these feel familiar, it does not mean you are broken. It means a coping strategy has stopped working, and you deserve support. Schedule an initial discovery call to talk it through privately.
What Drives Compulsive Sexual Behavior?
Compulsive sexual behavior is rarely just about sex. For most people it began as a way to cope with stress, pain or loneliness, and it worked in the short term. Over time the relief got shorter and the cost got higher. Therapy looks at what the behavior is doing for you, so you can meet that need in a healthier way.
Trauma, Shame, and Attachment Wounds:
Many clients carry early experiences of neglect, emotional distance, abuse, or growing up in a home where sex was shameful or never discussed. These experiences can teach the nervous system to seek fast relief instead of safe connection. Shame then keeps the behavior hidden, and secrecy keeps it going. Our trauma therapy in Boca Raton helps clients heal those roots gently, at a pace that feels safe.
Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, and Other Co-Occurring Issues:
Compulsive sexual behavior often travels with other struggles. When these go untreated, urges tend to return, so we assess and treat them together as part of one plan:
Anxiety and depression, where porn or sex is used to escape low mood or worry
ADHD and impulsivity, which can make it harder to pause before acting on an urge
Compulsive online habits, such as gaming or endless scrolling, addressed through our internet addiction treatment.
Alcohol or substance use, which lowers inhibition and raises risk
How Therapy for Porn and Sex Addiction Works: Your First 90 Days
Not knowing what therapy involves keeps many people from starting. Below is a typical path for therapy for porn addiction and sex addiction at our practice. Every plan is personal, so your timing may differ, but this shows how the work builds step by step.
Days 1 to 30: Assessment and Stabilization:
The first month is about safety, honesty and clarity. We start with a free discovery call, then a full assessment of your history, triggers and goals. Together we put early supports in place so you are not relying on willpower alone.
Free 15-minute discovery call to talk about what is happening and whether we are a good fit
Full clinical assessment covering sexual behavior, mental health, trauma and relationships
A personal safety and digital boundary plan for high-risk times, places and devices
Days 31 to 60: Root-Cause Work:
The second month moves below the behavior. We explore the emotions, memories and beliefs that drive urges. This is where methods like IFS, EMDR and hypnotherapy do their deepest work, and where shame begins to lose its grip.
Map your personal cycle from trigger to urge to behavior to shame
Begin trauma and attachment work with the methods that fit you best
Build daily coping skills for stress, loneliness and difficult feelings
Days 61 to 90: Relapse Prevention and Rebuilding Trust:
The third month turns insight into lasting habits. We write a relapse prevention plan you can actually use, and if a partner is involved, we begin structured work on honesty and trust. Some clients also add a peer support group, such as Sex Addicts Anonymous, as extra accountability.
Write a relapse prevention plan with early warning signs and clear responses
Start partner or family sessions where it is helpful and safe
Set goals for the months ahead and decide on the right ongoing level of care
Our Approach to Sex and Porn Addiction Therapy
Our sex addiction therapy is integrative, trauma-informed and free of judgment. Rather than using one method for everyone, Dr. Palmer, your therapist for porn addiction and sex addiction, combines proven approaches to treat both the behavior and the pain beneath it. You will never be lectured or labeled. You will be understood, and given practical tools to change.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
IFS sees the mind as a family of "parts." One part may drive you to act out, while another feels disgust or panic afterward. Instead of fighting these parts, IFS helps you understand what each one is trying to protect. When the parts feel heard, the inner tug of war softens and choices become clearer.
EMDR for Trauma-Driven Patterns
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) helps the brain process painful memories that keep the nervous system stuck in stress or shame. When those memories lose their charge, the pull to escape through sexual behavior often weakens too. We use EMDR only when you are ready and it fits your goals.
Clinical Hypnotherapy and Rapid Resolution Therapy
Dr. Palmer is a Certified Hypnotherapist (CHT) and holds the CRRTT credential in Rapid Resolution Therapy. These approaches work with the subconscious patterns that drive urges, often bringing relief faster than talk therapy alone. Sessions are calm and collaborative, and you stay in control throughout.
CBT and DBT Skills for Urges and Triggers
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps you catch the thoughts that lead to acting out and replace them with more helpful ones. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) adds skills for riding out intense urges and painful emotions without acting on them. These are practical tools you will use daily, long after therapy ends. Together they give you something to do in the hardest moments.
Meet Your Therapist: Dr. Lisa Palmer
Dr. Lisa Palmer, PhD, LMFT is the founder of The Renew Center of Florida and leads every treatment plan at the practice. For more than 20 years she has helped individuals, couples, teens and families through addiction, trauma and relationship crises.
As a sex addiction therapist and pornography addiction therapist in Florida, she is known for a calm, direct style that lowers shame and gets to the root of the problem. Clients describe her as someone who listens without judgment and gives them a clear path forward.
Worried About Your Teen? Porn Addiction Therapy for Teenagers
If you have found something on your teen's phone or laptop, you may feel shocked, scared or unsure what to say. You are not alone, and your teen is not "bad." According to a national Common Sense Media survey of more than 1,300 teens, 73% of US teens aged 13 to 17 have seen pornography online, and the average age of first exposure is 12 (Common Sense Media, Teens and Pornography, 2023). Viewing porn is common. It becomes a concern when it turns compulsive and starts affecting your teen's mood, sleep, school and relationships. That is when porn addiction therapy for teenagers can help.
How We Protect Your Privacy
Your privacy comes first. Everything you share is confidential and protected under HIPAA, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which sets strict rules for how health information is stored and shared. In practice, that means:
Secure online sessions on an encrypted, HIPAA-compliant video platform
Protected records kept in secure systems that only your care team can access
Private scheduling so no one else sees why you booked
Your written consent before anything is shared, except in rare cases the law requires, such as a risk of serious harm
Your rights to see your records and receive our Notice of Privacy Practices
For clients under 18, a parent or guardian gives consent before treatment begins, in line with Florida law. Parents hear about general progress and any safety concerns, while the details of what a teen shares stay private so they can speak openly. We agree on these privacy rules with both the parent and the teen at the very first session.
Schedule an Initial Discovery Call:
Taking the first step is often the hardest part. Our free, confidential 15-minute discovery call is a no-pressure way to talk about what is happening and learn how sex and porn addiction therapy in Florida can help. You can share as much or as little as you like. Calling about your teen? Parents can book the first call.
FAQs:
Do I have to stop watching porn completely?
Not necessarily. Goals are set together and based on what you want for your life. Some clients choose to stop completely, while others aim for a level of control that fits their values and relationships. Therapy focuses on restoring choice, so the behavior no longer controls you. If you are unsure what you want yet, that is a fine place to start.
How long does porn addiction therapy take?
Most clients feel more in control within the first 90 days, while deeper healing often takes 6 to 12 months. The timeline depends on how long the pattern has been in place, whether trauma or other conditions are involved, and the level of care you choose. Intensives can speed up early progress. We review your goals regularly and adjust the plan as you improve.
What if I relapse during therapy?
A relapse is a setback, not a failure, and it is a common part of recovery. When it happens, we look at it together without judgment: what led up to it, which warning signs appeared, and what needs to change in your plan. Many clients learn the most from these moments. Over time, the goal is to catch slips earlier and recover faster, until the old pattern loses its hold.
Can I start therapy if my partner doesn't know?
Yes. Many clients begin therapy before telling anyone, and that is completely okay. Your sessions are confidential, so no one, including your partner, is told without your consent. If and when you decide to share, we can help you plan how and when to do it. A guided disclosure usually causes less harm than a sudden discovery, and it gives both of you support.
Do you work with women and LGBTQ+ clients?
Yes. Compulsive sexual behavior affects people of every gender and orientation. In a national US study, 7.0% of women reported significant distress from hard-to-control sexual urges, compared with 10.3% of men. We offer a safe, affirming space for women, men, nonbinary and LGBTQ+ clients. Our LGBTQ+ counseling in Boca Raton is part of the same practice and the same care team.
