Alexandra Katehakis


Alexandra Katehakis is the Clinical Director of Center for Healthy Sex in Los Angeles and the author of Erotic Intelligence: Igniting Hot, Healthy Sex While in Recovery from Sex Addiction, Sex Addiction as Affect Dysregulation: A Neurobiologically Informed Holistic Treatment and co-author of the award-winning daily meditation book, Mirror of Intimacy: Daily Reflections on Emotional and Erotic Intelligence and contributing author of the award-winning clinical text Making Advances: A Comprehensive Guide for Treating Female Sex and Love Addicts. She is also the author of Sexual Reflections: A Workbook for Designing and Celebrating Your Sexual Health Plan. Katehakis is a clinical supervisor at American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists and clinical supervisor and member of the teaching faculty for the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals a national certifying body for sex addiction therapists. She is a regular contributor to Psychology Today and The Huffington Post, as well as a prominent expert panelist at sexuality conferences and public events.

Biography

Alexandra 'Alex' Katehakis, Ph.D., holds a doctorate in Human Sexuality from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, and is a licensed psychotherapist with a 1997 graduate degree from Antioch University. She holds licensure and certification with several different mental health organizations: Certified Sex Addiction Therapist with the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals ; Certified Sex Therapist with the American Association of Sex Educators Counselors and Therapists ; Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
She joined the Walking Theater Group in 1992 at the invitation of actor Joseph Culp who co-founded the process with John Cogswell, Ph.D. She later co-founded the Walking-In-Your-Shoes Group with Culp and shared in the further development of this transpersonal body mind process.
In 1997, Alexandra Katehakis was one of the early practitioners in the field of sex addiction. She became certified as a sex addiction therapist by Patrick Carnes, Ph.D. In her practice, Katehakis focuses on treating sexual dysfunction, sexual anorexia, sexual addiction and love addiction in individuals and couples. Her first book, Erotic Intelligence, offers a healthy model of sexuality for sex addicts allowing for the diversity of erotic expression while raising the possibility of consecrating sex as a spiritual act. Since 2006, Katehakis has studied affective neuroscience with Allan N. Schore, incorporating Affect Regulation Theory and interpersonal neurobiology into her Psychobiological Approach to Sex Addiction Treatment.
In 2009, Katehakis’ article was published in. The article focused on the neuropsychobiological impact of early childhood trauma on the affective, cognitive, and behavioral development of sexual addicts.
In 2016, the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists awarded Mirror of Intimacy with the Clark Vincent Award and in 2015, the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists awarded co-authors Alexandra Katehakis and Tom Bliss with the AASECT 2015 Book of the Year Award. Alexandra Katehakis is the 2012 recipient of the Carnes Award, an acknowledgement for contributions to the field of sex addiction, presented by the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health . She’s also a co-recipient of the 2013 Clark Vincent Award from the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists for her role as a contributing author to the clinical textbook, Making Advances: A Comprehensive Guide for Treating Female Sex and Love Addicts. In 2013, Alexandra Katehakis joined the clinical team at the Meadows inpatient trauma and addiction rehabilitation center in Arizona as a Senior Fellow.
From February 2015 until January 2018, Alexandra Katehakis appeared as a regular guest expert weekly every Friday on "Dr. Drew Midday Live with Mike Catherwood" alongside Drew Pinsky and Mike Catherwood on KABC. From 2011-2016, Alexandra Katehakis was a regular contributor to Psychology Today and The Huffington Post, writing their annual Best and Worst Sex List. Katehakis makes appearances on radio, film and television news shows, as well as online and print interviews. Notable appearances include Inside Hollywood, Spike TV, Los Angeles Times and CNN. She has appeared on panels at national conferences to discuss sex addiction alongside the likes of Daniel J. Siegel and Christopher Kennedy Lawford, as well as movie screening panel discussions for Shame and, Thanks for Sharing, with the film's co-writer Matt Winston.
During the fall of 2017, amidst revelations of sexual abuse by movie producer Harvey Weinstein and others, Katehakis offered her expertise on sex addiction to several publications, including Rolling Stone, the Washington Post, the London Times, and others.
In May 2018, Katehakis received the Leadership Award from the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals.
July 2018, Katehakis started the where she explores an array of topics with fellow curious minds at Center for Healthy Sex.
In May 2019, Katehakis was elected to the International Service Organization of Sexual Compulsives Anonymous as Outside Director and member of the Executive Committee.

Publications

; Papers
; Books