Partner Advocacy Survey

To be completed ONLY if your loved one has sought treatment in residential or Intensive outpatient settings. 

When facing sex addiction in a primary relationship, there are different types of trauma: discovery of betrayal, disclosure trauma, etc. Then there is Treatment-induced trauma which occurs when partners are mistreated, disrespected, marginalized, gaslighted, misjudged, dismissed, etc. by well-meaning mental health professionals or programs.

APSATS has developed a special Task Force aimed at treatment -induced trauma of partners while their significant other attends an (IOP) Intensive Outpatient Program or residential program. Specifically, the goals of the Task Force include the following:

1. to gain a better understanding of the magnitude of these problems.
2. to develop comprehensive recommendations to reduce and hopefully, eventually eliminate these occurrences with improved awareness and sensitivity toward partners.

This survey is designed as a preliminary tool to gather important information about partners’ experiences while their significant other has attended a residential program or (IOP) Intensive Outpatient Program. This is not meant to be a research project at this time. In particular, the goal is to further understand how these programs address the needs of partners and their families. The survey will take approximately 30-45 minutes of your time.

Your feedback will help us to identify problem areas, gaps in services and develop ways to improve overall awareness and sensitivity toward partner trauma in these programs. Your comments will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality and will not be used for any public exposure of any kind. You have the option of providing your name. Please feel free to tell us your experience. We hope that by articulating your story, not only will it help us to help others, but it may also be healing for you. We deeply appreciate your thoughts and opinions. Partners and their families deserve to be treated with the highest degree of respect and kindness when their SA goes to treatment.

Please note that in this survey, we refer to the sex addict as SA and significant other as Partner. We realize this is not gender specific. We also want to caution you that these questions may be triggering and cause you distress. Please utilize your local therapist for support or reach out to an APSATS therapist. Thank you for completing this survey.

Partner Advocacy Survey