Lighthouse Counseling Healing for Individuals and Relationships Destroyed by Sexual Addiction and Infidelity

We help Sex Addicts and their Partners heal and recover from damage caused by addiction, infidelity, pornography and all other sexual issues.

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UNDERSTAND SEX ADDICTION

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

December 6-8, 2019. A three-day intensive workshop designed to break the chains of sexual addiction and address obstacles to healthy sexuality. Cost is $1900.
January 17 & 18, 2020 -$650. 9am to 4pm. Lunch Break from 12pm to 1pm. Limited to 4 Participants.
Partners wrestle with PTSD-like symptoms that disrupt everyday living. These symptoms can slow the progress of treatment by robbing partners of much-needed resources like sleep, appetite, concentration and memory. Triggers can shock partners out of work, family and social times placing them right back in the time of traumatic discovery. This 2 Day group workshop helps with this.
Learn and Implement mental and emotional coping skills including mindfulness, distress tolerance, eomtional regulation and effective relationships. Cost is $50 per session for 5 weeks.
Learn about courage, compassion and connection as the antidote to common problems like shame, addiction, depression, codependency, perfectionism, self-doubt, and more. Learn how to create real change in your life with new skills for empathy, self-compassion and authenticity.
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UNDERSTANDING SEX ADDICTION I mean...Is this REALLY even a THING?

For many people “Sex Addiction” just sounds like an excuse. Aren’t they just a cheating bastard?

When we think about addiction our minds recall drug or alcohol addiction. Sex addiction is not like this. When a person is addicted to drugs or alcohol then the answer is abstinence. Avoiding any drugs or alcohol at all. The goal of Sex Addiction healing is not abstinence...the goal is to be healthy and be able to enjoy a fulfilling normal sexual life with one’s partner. Sex addiction is better compared to food-addiction or overeating. The goal of a healthy diet is not to abstain from eating. It is to learn to eat in a healthy and moderate way that doesn’t destroy your body and allows you to enjoy the rest of your life.

The goal is to get your appetites under control.

A sex addict is simply someone who is morbidly obese when it comes to sexuality. Except our sexual appetites and actions don’t just impact ourselves. They affect those we love the most. A sex addict can get their sexual appetites under control and get healthy the same way that losing weight is an option for anyone who is following the right plan.

Lighthouse Counseling has the right plan for you to follow. We’ve seen thousands of individuals and relationships become healthy. People and relationships which seemed hopeless and beyond change. Our therapy plan can help you starting today. We can help the addict get healthy. We can help their partners find healing. We can restore relationships that seem beyond repair. We can establish a system to ensure this healing remains permanent. Get the help you need today. We are here for you.

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SERVICES WE PROVIDE

We know it seems Hopeless. But our process for healing sex addicts and the relationships they have destroyed has changed the lives of thousands of addicts, their partners, and the relationships and families they share together.

We Offer Everything You Need To Find Healing

Therapy for Addicts

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Therapy for Addicts

We offer individual therapy for sexually addicted clients on a 50-minute or 75-minute basis. Therapy appointments are offered weekly or as indicated by your therapist. Your therapist will help you develop an individualized treatment plan specific to your needs and personal goals. Initially, therapy focuses on stopping your addictive behavior and developing a structured recovery plan. As your therapy progresses, your therapist will help you explore and resolve your own unique deeper issues to help you build a sustainable and balanced life.

Sexual addiction and compulsion involves any form of uncontrollable sexual activity that is secretive, shaming, or abusive. The addict will engage in the behavior despite negative, life-changing consequences such as divorce, financial trouble, job loss, health risk, and even arrest. Consequently, sex becomes the most important priority to the addict. As the addict escalates in his/her acting out behavior, feelings of shame, guilt, and even despair increase. This assures that the addict will return to the acting out behavior. Ironically, the addict gains little satisfaction from the sexual behavior because the desired result is to numb out painful feelings and avoid feeling bored. This cycle creates a feeling of insanity to the addict that reinforces denial and the need to isolate.

Signs of Sex Addiction and Compulsion:
    • Unable to complete tasks due to excessive preoccupation with sex
    • Lying to family, friends, and co-workers
    • Spending excessive amounts of money
    • Spending countless hours cruising the internet, parks, or streets
    • Having rituals or ritualized behavior
    • Arrest for sexual behavior or activity
    • Cruising to find a bigger or better high
    • Downloading porn at work
    • Masturbating or having sex in public
    • Feeling tired or low energy from acting out
    • Feeling shame and guilt after acting out sexually
    • Sexualizing conversations
    • Touching someone without their permission
    • Fantasizing and sexualizing others
    • Masturbating to the point of injury
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Therapy for Partners

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Therapy for Partners

We offer individual therapy for spouses and partners on a 50-minute or 75-minute basis. Therapy appointments are offered weekly or as indicated by your therapist. Your therapist will help you develop an individualized treatment plan specific to your needs and personal goals. Initially, therapy focuses on understanding and healing the trauma caused by the discovery of the addict’s secret life and his/her violation of you. Then, your therapist will help you gain stability in your life by creating and implementing internal and external boundaries. As your therapy progresses, your therapist will help you explore and resolve your own unique deeper issues to help you build a sustainable and balanced life.

We believe that spouses/partners need the same level of care and attention addicts receive in their treatment; therefore we have designed a recovery program for you. We know that you are experiencing trauma and betrayal resulting from your discovery of the addict’s secretive behavior. Our goal is to help you address and work through the feelings of fear, anger, confusion, disbelief, and betrayal.

We can help, if you are experiencing:
  • Sexual betrayal
  • Lies and broken promises
  • Diminishing intimacy
  • Infidelity
  • A partner’s double life
  • Risk to your health
  • Broken trust
  • Affairs
  • Cheating
  • Fear of the “next disclosure”
  • Another anonymous phone call revealing your spouse’s misbehavior

We offer a safe and confidential setting for you to work through your feelings and thoughts as you take back your life. To help guide you through this process we offer education, individual therapy, supportive group therapy, and couples therapy. We tailor individualized treatment plans to your needs that will guide and empower you to heal and grow. We look forward to talking with you and working with you.

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Couples Therapy

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Couples Therapy

Infidelity can rock the foundation of any marriage. The hurt, anger, sadness and emptiness can feel unbearable. Additionally, there are so many questions:

  • Should I stay or leave?
  • Is the marriage salvageable?
  • Will I ever be able to trust him/her?
  • Will this pain in my heart ever go away?
  • How can you forgive someone who has hurt you so deeply?

Plus, you want to know the sexual details, but you cannot bear to listen. You feel humiliated, betrayed, and abandoned.

There is Hope. Divorce isn’t necessarily inevitable after infidelity. With committed work, some couples actually emerge with a stronger and more intimate relationship because they address the hurt and guilt and vulnerabilities of their relationship. We are comfortable and experienced at walking with couples through this difficult and potentially rewarding journey. We understand the shock, anger, and frustration caused by the crisis and help couples navigate the many pitfalls involved. We also assist partners in understanding and resolving the vulnerabilities in their marriage so that they can move forward in trust and wholeness.

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Group Accountability

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Group Accountability

Realizing that group therapy offers the most successful and effective form of treatment, we offer two levels of sex addiction groups. Through the group therapy process, addicts learn how to live in sexual sobriety, accountability, and grow in personal integrity.

Recovery Foundations Group: Our initial group for sexual addiction recovery. This group is a 9-month group whereby addicts complete Tasks 1-7 of the task-centered model. This group will help you:

  • Understand the basic tenets of addiction and the addiction cycle
  • Obtain and maintain sexual sobriety
  • Create a clear recovery plan with accountability
  • Identify core triggers and vulnerabilities
  • Learn coping skills to understand and manage feelings as well as obsessive thinking
  • Reduce shame and gain self-acceptance
  • Build healthy, appropriate relationships with others in recovery
  • Establish honesty, openness, and accountability as a foundation for rebuilding trust with spouse/partner
  • Understand how addiction has caused trauma for your spouse/partner

For those who have completed the recovery foundations group, they then move into a Life Recovery Group: A long-term group lasting one or more years. This weekly two-hour group offers recovering addicts the ability to create intimate bonds by engaging in intimate discussions about sex, life struggles, social skills, trauma, body image, and personal relationships. This group will help you:

  • Understand addiction interaction disorder
  • Integrate understanding of abuse and how this has fueled addiction
  • Set boundaries to manage shame and shaming situations
  • Restructure relationship with self by building self-acceptance, self-determination, and autonomy
  • Identify losses and build skills to grieve them
  • Create lifestyle balance
  • Build and sustain supportive personal relationships
  • Develop and practice a daily spiritual life through conscientious contact with God
  • Work through family of origin issues and/or traumatic events
  • Return to dating or heal pre-existing relationship

For spouses and partners of addicts we also offer a weekly two-hour group. Learning about your spouse/partner’s secret sexual addiction creates a variety of painful and difficult feelings including betrayal, shame, and isolation. The journey before you is difficult, but with supportive help along with the presence of others and God, you can make it. Our group process is designed to help you share your shameful secrets in a safe trustful environment so that you can decompress, heal, and thrive again. This group will help you:

  • Heal the trauma caused by the addict’s betrayal and violation
  • Understand the basic tenets of addiction and cycle of addiction
  • Break through the denial of addiction/codependency
  • Identify and set healthy internal and external boundaries with yourself, the addict and others
  • Build healthy, appropriate relationships with others in recovery in a safe environment
  • Restructure relationship with self by building self-acceptance, self-determination, and autonomy
  • Gain insight to your own pain and family of origin issues
  • Learn about healthy sexuality and how to integrate this in your marriage
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Is Your Teenager Looking at Porn? Are they Sexting or Engaging in Promiscuous Activity?

We offer counseling and therapy to help today's teenagers navigate the sexual dangers of a digital world. If you have discovered that your child is hooked on porn or sexting or has begun acting out sexually in promiscuous ways, then we can help them to understand and define what a healthy sexual life should look like for them. 

Contact Us Today to Get Your Child the Help they Need.

TORN BY PORN

Internet porn interacts with the brain in a way that increases desire and causes you to develop an insatiable hunger. It provides unique novelty, endless searching click by click, and the ability to find more shocking and intense images and videos. This is a capability that old school porn could never match.

This new access to porn is creating addictive patterns in people. This is just like smoking in the 1950’s. People who began to smoke never thought, “I want to get addicted to nicotine and get lung cancer and set myself up for a future health crisis.” People just thought it would be a little harmless fun. The smokers became unintentionally dependent upon it.

Porn follows the same pattern. People begin using porn as a means to feel better,  for sexual stimulation, to reduce stress, and even to enhance their sexual experiences, but along the way people get hooked on the novelty and start searching for greater and greater levels of intensity. This begins the pattern of sexual addiction, leading many to a place where even real sexual experiences are no longer enough.

If you want to quit looking at porn, but cannot seem to stop then you have addiction. You need help and we know how to help you. We have helped thousands of people get free from this cycle. Call us today to get help!

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MEET THE FOUNDER

lighthouse counseling 2018-Ben Licata

Ben Licata

(CSAT-S) CERTIFIED SEX ADDICITON THERAPIST - SUPERVISOR

DIRECTOR OF COUNSELING 

Ben, founder of Lighthouse Counseling Center, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the State of Louisiana and is a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist and Supervisor (CSAT-S). He was trained personally by Dr. Patrick Carnes, the creator of sexual addiction therapy, and the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP). As a CSAT-S, Ben is able to supervise and train the entire staff of Lighthouse Counseling Center in the effective techniques of Dr. Carnes 30 task model of sex addiction recovery, and he has previously conducted the Facing the Shadow intensive treatment workshop for sexual addiction at Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services. Ben has seen thousands of clients and couples experience life change using this treatment model.

Lighthouse Counseling was founded in 1997 out of a desire to help people navigate the difficult waters of sexual addiction using a non-judgemental approach. Ben wanted to give back what he received in his own recovery journey. Lighthouse was birthed out of his pain, struggle and desire to overcome. He was trapped in the darkness of his addictions, but light entered his world as He prayed a simple prayer admitting to God that he needed Him to help. He began a lifetime journey of surrender, trust and reaching out to others to help them find a new way to live. The challenges addicts and their families face are complex and frightening to say the least. People who are struggling with addiction can get better when they have the guidance and nurture of a supportive environment blended with exceptional clinical skills. Ben and the Lighthouse team have created a comprehensive game plan to help you get your life back. They all love helping people take back what addiction has stolen and find restoration through their recovery journey.

LIGHTHOUSE COUNSELING LOCATIONS

New Orleans Office

4728 Jefferson Hwy.

Jefferson, Louisiana 70121

504-734-0501

Our New Orleans Office Counselors

 

Ben Licata

lighthouse counseling 2018-Ben Licata
About Ben
Ben earned a B.A. in Sociology from the University of New Orleans and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Tulane University. He has been providing psychotherapy for individuals, couples and families for over twenty-five years. Ben specializes in treating individuals recovering from sexual addiction, codependency, men’s issues, trauma, abuse, depression, and anxiety. He provides individual, marital, family, and group therapy at Lighthouse. Fee is: $150/hr
Email Ben
Fee $150/session

Garry Eldridge

lighthouse counseling 2018-Gary Eldridge
About Garry
Are you at the end of your rope? Is your partner at the end of their (her/his) rope with you? Have you let go of the rope? Has your partner? Garry knows exactly where you are, and what a dark, helpless, panicked place that can be. Garry has the broad experience and expertise to assist you on your journey back to balance, healing, and relationship like few others can. And Garry’s wealth of knowledge is not just from his professional training, study, & over 29 years of working closely with people just like you. Garry has been a life-long learner & student of his own life’s journey, with all of its successes & hurtful failures. He has worked hard to heal the wounds of his past, so he knows how to help you heal your wounds & get your life & your relationships back on track. You can put yourself in Garry’s hands knowing you will be guided safely, steadily & securely toward healing your wounds & the wounds you may have caused others. Garry is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor, Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist, Certified Multiple Addiction Therapist, Emotionally Focused Therapy-trained, and a Certified Partner Trauma Therapist Candidate. Garry is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, & has facilitated workshops, trainings, & personal leadership consulting worldwide. In his work with Lighthouse, Garry is very happy to provide individual, couples, & group counseling in our three office locations, & facilitates our Freedom sexual addiction intensive workshop for men.
Email Garry
Fee $140/session

Christine Rodrigue

Christine-Dusang
About Christine
Christine is a dedicated counselor who is eager to help others on their journey to mental and emotional wellness. She is relentless in her desire to delve into tough subjects, destructive behaviors, and the distress that comes along with these concerns. She works hard to provide a non-judgmental, safe, and trusting atmosphere in order to support transparency in each session. Although she is not an addict herself, she comes from a long line of family addiction and has since grown in her own recovery as an enabler to addiction. Because of these experiences she has developed a strong conviction and passion for helping the addiction community. She is a firm believer that addiction is a family disease and being a member of Lighthouse Counseling allows her the best opportunity to be able to help in the many facets of sex addiction, infidelity, pornography, and a variety of other sexual matters. Christine is also available to treat a wide range of general mental health issues and is a firm believer that everyone has the capacity for change. Christine is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT) who received her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health from the University of Holy Cross. She sees individuals, couples, and families suffering from sex addiction and generalized mental health issues, such as, anxiety, depression, and trauma.
Email Christine
Fee $125/session

Hayden Jernigan

Hayden Jernigan_
About Hayden
As a Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana, Hayden holds a Master of Arts in Counseling with a Specialization to Clinical Mental Health from New Orleans Baptists Theological Seminary. Hayden has experience working with clients from diverse backgrounds who faced a range of challenges, including sexual addictions, various forms of abuse, loss and grief, attachment issues, spiritual concerns, and PTSD. He is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as well as Story-Informed Trauma Therapy (SITT). By employing a blended, evidence-based counseling approach, Hayden provides a valuable support for clients dealing with complex issues. Central to Hayden’s counseling philosophy is the belief that hope, and redemption are within reach for everyone and shape the healing journey. He actively listens to his client’s stories, empowering them to discover enduring transformation and helping them confront difficult issues along the way. Having faced his own struggles related to familial loss, sexual addiction, and other emotional challenges he has embarked on his personal path towards healing. This firsthand experience enables Hayden to understand the courage required to consider counseling. If you believe Hayden would be a suitable match for you, he is eager to walk alongside you on your journey. He sees individuals, couples, and families, while also facilitating group sessions at Lighthouse.
Email Hayden
Fee $100/session

Phil Veneziano

Phil Veneziano
About Phil
Phil earned his MA Degree in Counseling: Clinical Mental Health from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS). Prior to completing his Master’s Degree, he was a Special Education Teacher for over ten years and has worked with a wide variety of students with exceptionalities including those with behavior disorders. Phil has been EMDR trained, has completed level one and two Gottman Couples Therapy, has been trained in Sand Tray Therapy, and is currently undergoing training in Jungian Analysis. His training, education, and previous work history has equipped him to adapt his counseling approach to meet the unique needs of each client. He is committed to respecting and valuing the diversity of clients and providing counseling services that are sensitive and responsive to their individual backgrounds and beliefs. He sees individuals, adolescents, couples, families, and group sessions at Lighthouse.
Email Phil
Fee $100/session

Carol Meche

Carol Meche

Office Manager

Baton Rouge Office

8676 Goodwood Blvd., Suite 204

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806

225-636-2011

Our Baton Rouge Office Counselors

 

Garrison Johnson

Garrison
About Garrison
Garrison is passionate about helping clients to grow in self-awareness of the destructive patterns that are leading to great suffering in their lives and relationships. Though he is now in stable recovery, he previously dealt with a pornography addiction for over a decade. He recalls the great levels of shame and isolation, living a double life, and seeming like a passenger in his own body with the addiction steering the vehicle. Having been on the road to recovery, his experience and insight offers hope of redemption. He knows how difficult it can be to admit powerlessness and to seek help. He understands that counseling can feel intimidating at first, so it is important to him to build a trusting relationship with his clients in hopes that every person who enters his office feels safe, validated, and comfortable to process any life issue and to discuss treatment solutions that move toward healing. Garrison is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Louisiana. He earned his Masters of Divinity with a Specialization in Marriage and Family Counseling degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Garrison is a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT) he specializes in working with sex addiction, trauma, codependency, spirituality issues, groups, and couples. Garrison sees individuals, couples, families, adolescents, and leads groups at Lighthouse Counseling Center.
Email Garrison
Fee $125/session

Garry Eldridge

lighthouse counseling 2018-Gary Eldridge
About Garry
Are you at the end of your rope? Is your partner at the end of their (her/his) rope with you? Have you let go of the rope? Has your partner? Garry knows exactly where you are, and what a dark, helpless, panicked place that can be. Garry has the broad experience and expertise to assist you on your journey back to balance, healing, and relationship like few others can. And Garry’s wealth of knowledge is not just from his professional training, study, & over 29 years of working closely with people just like you. Garry has been a life-long learner & student of his own life’s journey, with all of its successes & hurtful failures. He has worked hard to heal the wounds of his past, so he knows how to help you heal your wounds & get your life & your relationships back on track. You can put yourself in Garry’s hands knowing you will be guided safely, steadily & securely toward healing your wounds & the wounds you may have caused others. Garry is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor, Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist, Certified Multiple Addiction Therapist, Emotionally Focused Therapy-trained, and a Certified Partner Trauma Therapist Candidate. Garry is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, & has facilitated workshops, trainings, & personal leadership consulting worldwide. In his work with Lighthouse, Garry is very happy to provide individual, couples, & group counseling in our three office locations, & facilitates our Freedom sexual addiction intensive workshop for men.
Email Garry
Fee $140/session

Leanna Harvey

Leanna-ofw
About Leanna
Leanna is dedicated to helping clients heal from trauma, grow in self-awareness, and find and establish their identity and value. Leanna and her husband have walked through infidelity in their relationship, and she compassionately understands the devastation betrayal has on an individual and a relationship. Together and independently, Leanna and her husband worked to heal and continue to value and protect their relationship with healthy boundaries, honest emotional check-ins, and dedicated accountability. She understands the difficult questioning that occurs after a betrayal and the excruciating work it takes to become healthy and maintain wholeness. Asking for help after betrayal or in any life circumstance is often difficult, however Leanna’s client-centered approach creates a safe, non-judgmental space for the client to process and begin the healing process. She endeavors to develop and maintain a secure relationship with her clients allowing them space to establish trust and mindful clarity. Leanna is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Louisiana and Texas, and is able to see clients both in person and via telehealth. She earned her Masters of Art in Counseling Psychology in 2016 from Southern Nazarene University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Leanna is a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist (CCPS) through APSATS, a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT) through IITAP, and is an EMDR trained therapist through EMDRIA. Leanna specializes in working with betrayal trauma, religious trauma, sex addiction, relational trauma, identity and value issues, spiritual issues, disordered food relationships, and couple/parenting/family issues. Leanna sees individual adolescents and adults, and couples, and leads groups at Lighthouse Counseling Center.
Email Leanna
Fee $150/session