Clinical Research Library
Mental Health & Substance Abuse
A curated library of licensed peer-reviewed scholarly articles, selected and clinically reviewed by Joseph W. LaFleur Jr., LICSW, MBA, C-PATP for their direct relevance to the populations we serve.
About This Library
Clinically Reviewed. Evidence-Based. Human-Curated.
The articles in this library are selected and clinically reviewed by Joseph W. LaFleur Jr., LICSW, MBA, C-PATP, Clinical Director of District Counseling and Psychotherapy at Joseph LaFleur and Associates. Joseph brings over 25 years of clinical experience in psychotherapy, trauma, LGBTQ+ affirming care, psychedelic integration, somatic therapy, and substance abuse treatment.
Each article is selected because it directly informs active clinical practice — not to fill a content calendar. Joseph's clinical director's note on each article reflects his own clinical perspective: why the research matters, what it means for the patients he sees, and how it shapes his therapeutic approach.
Articles cover the full range of mental health and substance abuse topics treated at the practice, including anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, LGBTQ+ mental health, psychedelic integration, somatic therapy, young adult counseling, relationship counseling, and co-occurring substance use disorders.
Questions about this research?
Our clinical team reviews every article in this library. If you have questions about how this research applies to your situation, reach out confidentially.
Begin Confidential InquiryMental Health & Substance Abuse — 2024
Sex and the Executive: The Drama of Sexual Addiction
Compulsive behavior, attachment wounds, and the longing beneath the pattern
Kets de Vries, Manfred F.R. · INSEAD Working Paper No. 2024/25/EFE · 2024
When sexual thoughts and activities completely consume a person's life, compulsive sexual behavior emerges as a form of self-medication for underlying emotional conflicts. Kets de Vries argues that beneath the pattern lies a deep desire to be loved and to assuage feelings of loneliness.
Clinical Director's Note — Joseph W. LaFleur Jr., LICSW, MBA, C-PATP
"What presents as sexual compulsivity is often, at its root, an attachment wound. The work is relational, not behavioral — and it requires a clinical environment where shame can be examined without judgment."
Library Indexing Methodology & Clinical Framework
The Mental Health & Substance Abuse (MHSA) Clinical Research Library serves as an integrated academic repository for the DMV community. Curated by Joseph W. LaFleur Jr., LICSW, MBA, C-PATP, this digital directory functions to bridge the gap between peer-reviewed empirical data and live, active psychotherapy practice.
Our indexing process prioritizes deep qualitative literature focusing heavily on depth-oriented talk therapy, object relations framework analysis, and self psychology dynamics. By maintaining a strict focus on clinical utility, the literature curated here addresses complex diagnoses, systemic trauma patterns, compulsive behaviors, and attachment wounds commonly observed within the clinical populations we serve.
Core Scholarly Fields & Curation Clusters
- Somatic Experiencing & Physiology: Research exploring how the autonomic nervous system stores and releases physiological stress, shock, and chronic hyperarousal patterns.
- LGBTQ+ Affirming Care & Minority Stress: Academic literature examining the psychological impacts of structural stigma, proximal stressors, and internalized shame on sexual minorities.
- Psychedelic Integration Therapy: Peer-reviewed studies on the clinical utility, safety protocols, and psychological integration of assisted therapeutic modalities.
- Co-Occurring Substance Use & Process Addictions: Evaluation of attachment-based models for treating compulsive behaviors, chemical dependencies, and relational self-medication strategies.