Marriage Counseling Miami

Charlene Lewis – Couples And Sex Therapist with specialty in sex addiction

Charlene Lewis is a Certified Sex Therapist and Addiction specialist seeing patients in the greater Miami, Fl area.  As a solution-focused therapist, Charlene’s goal is to help her clients enjoy a fulfilling life, filled with joy and meaningful relationships. 8 years of training as a therapist at South Miami Hospital’s Addiction Treatment Program allowed her to shape her own methods for effectively treating individuals, families, and couples with addiction, intimacy issues, and trauma. Her understanding of addiction as a form of maladaptive coping, and at the same time a well studied medical illness, led her to explore the ways in which trauma might play a roll in addiction. With  learned and biological (hereditary) components she found that most of her patients experienced Trauma, sometimes in the form of one “Big T” or many small “Little T’s” as a catalyst for addiction and intimacy issues that they experienced. Identifying and processing trauma and coping skills that no longer work, seemed to loosen the grip of addiction, denial, and begin a healing process for both the individual and the immediate family. The truth is just this: when healing takes place on the individual level, it positively impacts primary relationships, family dynamics, and most importantly, the primary patient. Seeing the wellspring of recovery envelop individuals and entire family systems is what motivates Charlene to continue to work on her practice.

Charlene will walk her patients through fear, self-doubt, negative self-talk, and negative self-fulfilling prophecy, to develop a more loving relationship with themselves, and consequently their partners. Intimacy and vulnerability can feel terrifyingly foreign at first. The process  of learning how to reparent our inner child by way of reprocessing our past experiences, requires a safe environment and a well trained therapist. Among the many techniques that Charlene employs to treat past trauma and old constructs that no longer work, are EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) talk therapy, and Imago therapy. With Charlene her patients seem to be able to uncover, discover, and discard negative thinking patterns and unhealthy coping mechanisms, in a safe environment without judgement.

Avoiding intimacy through compulsive behaviors like Drug and Alcohol use, sex addiction, compulsive overeating or under-eating, work addiction, work avoidance, gambling, compulsive gaming, compulsive  shopping, codependency and a myriad of other process addictions seems to be more the rule than the exception in today’s society. More pervasive than at any point in human history, these addictions largely go undiscussed, undiagnosed, with most people suffering in silence, experiencing an existence of quiet desperation, in the wake of which their loved ones suffer. Charlene has seen hundreds of patients walk out of this darkness.

Charlene has found that a great many of her patients suffering from process addictions tend to be very high functioning executives, public personalities, and professionals with great responsibility and heavy work demands. She offers a concierge type service to help accommodate these patients who often times require special considerations and “remote tele-sessions.” The benefit and joy of treating these individuals for Charlene is that, when these high profile clients do recover, they are able to give back to society in a way that gives them the greatest satisfaction – serving those less fortunate.

Whether you are a couple or individual, a “stay at home mom” or a celebrity of world renown, Charlene would be honored to help you develop better “life tools” to care for yourself and those you love. 

Charlene Lewis Sex Therapy Radio from joshlew on Vimeo.

If you feel that you are ready to become an active co-creator in your life I would be honored to help you in your  journey.

Charlene Lewis LCSW, CAP, CSAT, Certified Sex Therapist, AASECT Certified.

Call (305) 800-3699 for miami therapy and marriage counselor