Darrin Ford is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Internationally Published author. Specializing in the treatment of sex addiction and other mental health disorders. He currently provides addiction treatment in Long Beach, California. His degrees include a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology. Darrin is licensed with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and has more than 10 years of professional experience. He serves as the Director of sex addiction treatment here at Mindful Centers for Addiction and Trauma Therapy.
Darrin Ford is also a Certified Mindfulness-Based Addiction Therapist Supervisor (CMBAT-S). He established the Mindfulness-Based Addiction and Trauma Therapy (MBATT) model, developing the curriculum used in intensive out-patient programs. As a CMBAT-S, he is qualified in training and certifying therapists in the MBATT model.
In Darrin’s Own Words
“I have experience working in multiple settings including intensive outpatient, day treatment, and private practice. I have created and designed intensive outpatient programs for sex addiction as well as drug addiction from the ground up. Driven by the Scientific research of Richard Davison, John Kabat-Zinn and many others, I have brought mindfulness and meditation practices to the forefront of these treatment programs resulting in a high-level of improvement in the lives of my clients.
I am directly trained by Patrick Carnes, Ph.D.. Dr. Carnes is one of the leading researchers in the field of addiction and has been a pioneer in the field of sex addiction treatment.
Addictions to sex and other things are not about morality. They are not about any judgments of right or wrong. They are coping mechanisms we have used to adapt to emotional trauma in life. Genetics also plays a role; however, emotional trauma is almost always a highly influencing factor. Providing treatment gives me a sense of meaning and purpose in my life. I whole-heartedly feel it’s the greatest privilege in the world to be able to treat someone and see them heal and start living a fulfilling life, outside of their addiction.”