Making Advances:
A Comprehensive Guide for Treating Female Sex and Love Addicts
“Bravo to these authors. Of all the addictions, sex and love addictions have been the least understood, the last treated. And when the lens has landed, it has focused on men, not women. But many women suffer too; and their varieties of sex and love addiction can produce horrifying-and highly complex-problems for them, their families and all who love them. Making Advances will make the female journey to recovery far less confusing and terrifying. It’s a “must read” for therapists, their clients, and all the rest of us who probably know a woman who needs real help. This book is smart, up to date, way overdue, and a good read. I predict Making Advances will become a classic.”
– Helen Fisher, Ph.D., Biological Anthropologist, Rutgers University, Author of Why We Love
A ground-breaking work, Making Advances is the first book to offer a targeted approach for effectively treating women who struggle with sex and love addiction. This long-overlooked population faces significant challenges, including a lack of trained therapists who understand their unique pain. Making Advances describes the problem, explores its biopsychosocial roots, and thoroughly outlines the assessment and diagnosis process. This critical text emphasizes the importance of the therapeutic relationship and describes how treating female sex and love addicts is different from treating men. It delineates the best practices for conducting group therapy, arresting acting out, addressing attachment injuries, and working with male partners of female sex addicts as well as other special populations. Finally, Making Advances explores the process of a female sex addict’s growth into a woman of grace and integrity through building healthy relationships, healthy sexuality, and healthy living practices. Editor Marnie C. Ferree and the gifted writers provide a research and attachment-based treatment guide that is already the standard in the field.
Edited by: Marnie C. Ferree
Authored by: Susan J. Campling, Robin Cato, M. Deborah Corley, Marnie C. Ferree, Linda Hudson, Alexandra Katehakis, Kelly McDaniel, Anna Valenti-Anderson, Jill Vermeire, Sonnee Weedn
Alexandra Katehakis, MFT, CSAT-S, CST-S, along with Dr. Sonnee Weedn and Jill Vermiere, are the recipients of the 2013 Clark Vincent Award from the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) for their role in writing sections of the textbook, Making Advances: A Comprehensive Guide for Treating Female Sex and Love Addicts. The award was presented at CAMFT’s 49th Annual Meeting in Sacramento, Calif. on May 16-19, 2013.
The 2014 International Book Awards also voted Making Advances as the only finalist in the Health: Addiction & Recovery category.
This ground-breaking resource provides a wide variety of theoretical and practical approaches for treating females struggling with self-damaging sex and love behaviors. Comprehensive and much-needed, it is the ‘go to’ reference for working with this population.
–Wendy Maltz, LCSW, DST, coauthor of The Sexual Healing Journey and co-author of The Porn Trap
Making Advances is a terrific example of the best that can happen when 10 experienced professionals collaborate to fill a gap in the psychotherapy and addiction literature. The result is a unique, thorough, and detailed guide to assessment and treatment of female sex and love addicts. This much needed book will provide therapists with the tools they need to understand and effectively counsel a neglected group of women — sex and love addicts — as well as their partners. Grounded in research and thoroughly documented, this well-written book indeed constitutes the definitive resource for therapists to help addicted women overcome their past, heal themselves, and rebuild their relationships with partners and children. I highly recommend it.
–Jennifer Schneider, M.D., Ph.D., author or Disclosing Secrets; Sex Lies & Forgiveness; and Back From Betrayal
At last, a comprehensive book for professionals that gives an in-depth understanding of women and the addictive use of sex. By including up to date knowledge of attachment, neurobiology, and the effects of early trauma, the authors provide a context for understanding addiction and the complex process of healing. A crucial book for all psychologists, counselors and clergy.
–Charlotte Kasl, Ph.D., author of Women, Sex, and Addiction; Yes, You Can: Overcoming Trauma and Addiction with Love, Strength and Power; and If the Buddha Dated (Married, Had Kids)
The title says it all — comprehensive. This book really touches on all the unique aspects of working with female sex and love addicts. Finally a resource written specifically to treat this underserved population!
–Stefanie Carnes, Ph.D. LMFT, editor and author of Mending a Shattered Heart and Facing Heartbreak for partners of sex addicts
Making Advances – An Overview, By Chapter
- PART ONE: SEX AND LOVE ADDICTION IN WOMEN
- Chapter 1
Definition and Understanding of Female Sex and Love Addiction - Kelly McDaniel, Anna Valenti-Anderson with contributions by Marnie Ferree, Linda Hudson, Alexandra Katehakis
- Chapter 2
Etiology of Female Sex and Love Addiction: A Biopsychosocial Perspective - Marnie Ferre, Linda Hudson, Alexandra Katehakis, Kelly McDaniel, Anna Valenti-Anderson
- Chapter 3
Diagnosing Sex and Love Addiction in Women - Susan Campling, Sonnee Weedn with contributions by Deborah Corley, Alexandra Katehakis, Anna Valenti-Anderson
- PART TWO: TREATMENT PHILOSOPHIES AND PRACTICES FOR FEMALE SEX AND LOVE ADDICTS
- Chapter 4
Therapeutic Considerations and Settings - Marnie Ferree, Alexandra Katehakis, Kelly McDaniel with contributions by Anna Valenti-Anderson, Jill Vermeire
- Chapter 5
Best Practices for Group Therapy - Deborah Corley, Marnie Ferree, Linda Hudson, Alexandra Katehakis, Jill Vermeire, Sonnee Weedn
- Chapter 6
Best Practices for Arresting Acting Out - Susan Campling, Deborah Corley, Marnie Ferree, Linda Hudson
- Chapter 7
Best Practices for Addressing Attachment Injuries - Alexandra Katehakis
- Chapter 8
Systemic Treatment Issues in Treating FSLAs - Deborah Corley, Marnie Ferree with contributions by Kelly McDaniel
- PART THREE: LIVING IN GRACE AND INTEGRITY
- Chapter 9
Healthy Relationships - Marnie Ferree, Alexandra Katehakis, Jill Vermeire with contribution by Deborah Corley
- Chapter 10
Healthy Sexuality - Alexandra Katehakis with contribution by Jill Vermeire
- Chapter 11
Healthy Living Practices - Linda Hudson, Kelly McDaniel, Anna Valenti-Anderson, Jill Vermeire with contributions by Marnie Ferree, Alexandra Katehakis
