Christian Counseling Today Vol. 22, Iss. 1

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52 christian counseling today VOL. 22 NO. 1
a
with other women, which are crucial to a female’s
recovery. Group therapy provides a proven training
ground for women to practice relational skills that foster
healthy connections. Eventually, though, a mixed gender
therapy or support group allows women to practice safe
interactions with men.
Address the Roots of the Problem
While the impact of our culture cannot be overestimated,
other roots also drive women’s engagement with
pornography or additional forms of sexual acting out. We
have long understood the correlation between childhood
sexual abuse and later addictive behavior. Current clinical
focus considers disrupted or impaired attachment as
another key etiological factor. Early caregiver attunement
shapes the infant’s neurological system… and without
secure attachments, she lacks the self-regulation required
to function as a healthy individual. Combined with culture
messages about sex and relationships, a woman is prone to
soothe her desperate need for “love” or approval in illicit and
destructive ways.
Resources for Women
Christian-based books, such as No Stones: Women Redeemed
from Sexual Addiction (Ferree, 2010), the Every Woman’s
Battle series by Shannon Ethridge, and Dirty Girls Come
Clean by Crystal Renaud, offer some of the few guides for
women who struggle with pornography or sexual addiction.
Clinicians may also benefit from Making Advances: A
Comprehensive Guide for Treating Female Sex and Love
Addicts (Ferree, 2012), which is the only clinical treatment
manual available for this population.
There is an urgent need for Christian helpers who
are equipped to address the exploding problem of sexual
addiction in women, as well as for the Church to recognize
and support them in their healing process. ✠
MARNIE C. FERREE, M.A., LMFT, is a
Certified Sex Addiction Therapist and directs
Bethesda Workshops, a Christian-based intensive
program for treatment of sexual addiction. She is a
pioneer in treating female sex and love addicts and
has written extensively on the topic. Contact her
through or 615-467-5610.
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