Frequently asked questions.

If your sexual behaviour has started to feel out of control, whether that's drugs and sex including chemsex, apps, pornography, hook-ups, escorts, or a pattern you keep promising yourself you'll change, this was built for exactly that. You don't need a formal diagnosis. You don't need to have hit rock bottom. If something about your sex life is causing you problems and you can't stop on your own, that's enough to start the conversation.

Most men who come to us felt the same way. Many describe realising, through the group, how much the behaviour had been affecting their mental health, relationships, and sense of self, without having fully acknowledged it before. If you're asking the question, it's worth having the conversation with us. That's what the consultation is for.

No. The programme is for men of all sexualities. We organise groups broadly around sexual orientation, so that men in each group share a broadly similar sexual and social context. Gay, bisexual and men who identify as any other non-heterosexual sexuality work in one type of group, and straight men in another. This is because their experiences can differ; the culture around them, their relationships, what sex means and what it has cost. Arranging the groups this way means you can speak without having to translate yourself first.

Yes. Drug-involved sex, including chemsex, is one of the presenting issues the programme works with, but it's not the only one. Many men come because of compulsive use of apps, pornography, hook-ups, or escorts, without any drug involvement. The programme addresses the underlying patterns, not any one specific behaviour.

Many men in the programme are. You don't have to tell your partner you're attending, that's your decision. Everything is confidential. Some men find the programme helps them have conversations they've been avoiding. Others work through it privately. Either way, it's your choice.

No. There is no qualifying criterion for how long you've been struggling or what you've tried before. Some men come having fought this for years. Others are just beginning to realise something isn't right. Both are welcome.

No. You can self-refer directly. The first step is a confidential conversation with us.

Usually, yes. Individual therapy for other issues, anxiety, depression, trauma, is generally fine alongside the programme. What we'd want to avoid is you being in another group programme addressing the same issues at the same time. We will discuss this with you during the consultation.

You don't need to be clean or sober to start. The programme isn't abstinence-based. What matters is that you're able to attend sessions consistently and engage with the process. If drug or alcohol use is making day-to-day life hard enough that coming every week would be difficult, we may suggest getting support with that first, and we will point you to the right help. This isn't a judgement, it's about making sure you get the most from the programme when you do it.

Most men who come to us have tried other things, individual therapy, counselling, support groups, willpower. The difference is that this is a structured, specialist programme designed specifically for compulsive sexual behaviour, led by a clinical psychologist with published research in this field. It uses a compassion-focused approach rather than an addiction model. And it's a group, which addresses the shame and isolation that individual therapy alone often can't reach.

No. The CIC is fully funded for up to 100 free places, and men offered one of these places pay nothing. Places are offered first come, first served, subject to clinical suitability.

In person in London, with Brighton, Essex, Suffolk and Manchester subject to demand. You can also take part online from anywhere in the UK.

Both are available. You'll be matched with a group based on your needs, availability and preferences, either in person or online.

Consultations are taking place now for programmes starting in January 2027. The programme runs for 24 weeks in two phases, Programme 1, New Chapter, and Programme 2, New Direction, with a short break between them.

Start on the Apply page, which takes you to Jane, our secure medical records provider, to register. Dr Michael Yates then sends you a short questionnaire, followed by a confidential conversation to check the programme is the right fit.

The programme runs in two phases. Programme 1, New Chapter, is 12 weeks of structured group therapy, building understanding, mapping patterns, learning the compassion-focused framework, and beginning to change your relationship with the behaviour. After a short break, Programme 2, New Direction, is a further 12 weeks that goes deeper into identity, relationships, intimacy, and what a sustainable and fulfilling sexual life looks like for you.

The main weekly group therapy session is two hours and is clinician-led with a therapeutic structure. Sessions combine learning about what drives the behaviour, talking and listening as a group with other men who understand, and compassion-focused exercises. No session is a free-for-all, there is always a shape and a purpose, but there is also space for what comes up in the room.

The programme meets once a week for twenty-four weeks, for a two-hour group therapy session. Between sessions, you will have practical exercises to work on. Where it may help, we may also suggest other sources of support, such as free groups run by charities and other organisations.

You'll have practical exercises to work on between sessions, which give you structure across the week. Where it may help, we may also suggest other sources of support, such as free groups run by charities and other organisations.

Life happens. Let us know. The programme works best with consistent attendance, but an occasional absence doesn't mean you have to drop out. If you miss more than two sessions in a row, we may talk to you about restarting in a later group. Missing too much can make it harder to get the most from the programme. The key is to talk to us; if you think you are going to miss any of the sessions, we can work with you to find solutions so that you don't miss out.

There is a planned four-week break between Programme 1 and Programme 2, a deliberate pause to consolidate what you've learned before moving into the next phase. We will talk through timing with you as Programme 1 comes to a close.

Completely. In Dr Michael Yates's previous clinical groups, almost every man felt the same way before they started. In research on this approach, nervousness about the group was consistently the thing men were most worried about, and the thing they said helped most. The worry usually disappears after the first session or two.

Up to ten. Small enough that you get to know each other. Large enough that you hear a range of experiences and perspectives.

Almost certainly not. Men are screened before joining and groups are carefully composed. In the unlikely event that you recognise someone, we will handle it sensitively during the consultation process.

No. You share what you're comfortable sharing, when you're ready. Nobody is forced to speak. We do often ask people to share something about themselves in the first session for us to get to know each other and build early connection, but it is not compulsory. Trust builds gradually over the weeks, you're not expected to open up about everything on day one. Most men find that hearing others talk first makes it easier to find their own words.

Confidentiality is a ground rule, not a suggestion. Everyone agrees to it before the programme starts. It's taken seriously because everyone in that room has something they need to protect. Everything spoken about stays within the room, and to participate we require everyone to agree to this. We also discourage friendships or connections forming outside the group while the programme is running.

That's what the consultation is for. We will talk it through with you honestly. If a group isn't the right fit, we'll tell you, and suggest what might work better. Not everyone needs a group. But most men who were nervous about it say the same thing afterwards: it was the thing they were most worried about and the thing that helped most.

No. We don't see compulsive sexual behaviour as an addiction. We see it as behaviour that started making sense at some point, often as a way of coping with something else, and over time became something you can't manage. There are no twelve steps, no addiction labels, no requirement to abstain from sex. The approach is compassion-focused: it's about understanding why the behaviour developed and changing your relationship with it. Shame doesn't stop the behaviour. It feeds it. That's what we work on.

No. This is not an abstinence programme. The goal is not to stop you having sex, it's to help you have a sexual life that feels like yours again. One that isn't driven by compulsion, substances, or patterns you can't control.

Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) was developed for people with high levels of shame and self-criticism, which describes most men dealing with compulsive sexual behaviour. It helps you understand why the behaviour developed, not to excuse it, but to change your relationship with it. Instead of fighting yourself, you learn to respond differently. Published peer-reviewed research on this model shows significant reductions in sexual shame and meaningful improvements in self-compassion, the two things that tend to drive the cycle.

Twelve-step programmes like Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) are peer-led, use an addiction framework, and typically involve open-ended attendance. This is a clinician-led, time-limited, structured programme that uses a psychosexual and compassion-focused model rather than an addiction model. There is no sponsor, no steps, no requirement to label yourself as an addict. Both approaches help people, they are just very different in philosophy and structure.