I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, CSAT (Certified Sex Addiction Therapist) and member of the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP).

Since 2010, I have been working in the field of addiction recovery and mental health.

 

My life before being a therapist:

Since I was in kindergarten in Germany, I wanted to study medicine and become a doctor. Helping people in need of healing was my calling. However, at the age of 16 I was cast in the lead role for a TV movie which fundamentally changed my trajectory in life. After a successful career as an actor in TV, I moved to Los Angeles in hopes to extend my career in the film industry. Ahh Hollywood! Unfortunately, nobody cared what I did as an actor all these years in Europe, so I reinvented myself as editor, director and producer for documentaries and video productions. Although this new career thrived, I felt like a loser who didn't reach his goal. This sense of worthlessness manifested in an undiagnosed sex addiction that would eventually upend my life.

 

A fundamental life change and a powerful suggestion 

My path to becoming a therapist started in 2008 after a stay in a residential treatment center for sex addiction. Having experienced good psychotherapy for the first time in my life I was all excited to share this with my sponsees. I followed my wife’s suggestion to turn this into a career and I enrolled for the alcohol and drug addiction counselor program at Loyola Marymount University.

 

In 2010 I became a California State Certified alcohol and drug addiction counselor. While working as a counselor at a residential alcohol and drug addiction rehab facility, I studied at the William Glasser Institute and got certified in Choice Theory and Reality Therapy. After earning a bachelor’s in psychology from Argosy University in 2012 and a master’s degree from Cal State LA in clinical social work with a forensic concentration in 2015, I worked for 5 years in a non-profit organization serving people experiencing homelessness as an outreach worker and program manager. During that time, I completed my CSAT certification. 

 

Where I am now:

For the past 3 years, I have been working at Center for Healthy Sex under the direct supervision of Dr. Alexandra Katehakis, and I obtained my license as clinical social worker in the fall of 2023. I had the privilege to help many with their recovery from sex, love, and pornography addiction. I work with couples who struggle with a betrayed partner situation, or are experiencing intimacy problems. The forensic concentration in my social work program prepared me to work with clients who got in contact with law enforcement and the legal system. My focus is on individuals who are facing charges or have been convicted of sexual offenses. Although I’m not a mandated treatment provider for individuals who have been convicted of a sex offense I developed an alternative treatment program that applies a trauma informed approach to offender treatment.

 

In addition to being a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist, I am certified in Choice Theory/Reality Therapy, Relational Gestalt Therapy, Trauma Informed Care, and level I Internal Family Systems.

 

Combining my formal education with personal experience in my recovery from sex addiction, I am grateful to have the opportunity to offer a safe space for exploring and healing.

 

What I do when I don’t do therapy:

The time outside the therapy rooms is filled with lots of fun and meaningful activities. I love spending quality time with my wife and dog (Multipass). I’m in a flying club and we often go flying to fun locations in and around California with one of the planes of the flying club I’m a member of. Since 2015 I’m on the board of directors of a civil rights organization (Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws) where I facilitate a nationwide emotional support group for people on the registry and their loved ones. And every so often you can hear me rocking out on the guitar.