Clinical Topics & Methods Category

Treatments for Internet Addiction, Sex Addiction and Compulsive Buying:

A Meta-Analysis

2.25 CE Hours
351 members have taken this course

Updated 19 days ago. Consider reviewing the exam questions below before taking the exam.

Enroll In This Course

About the Course

This is a research heavy course with technical terms and language

The article reviews the effectiveness of various treatment approaches for internet addiction, sex addiction, and compulsive buying. The meta-analysis examines 91 studies involving 3,531 participants to assess the short-term and long-term efficacy of psychological, pharmacological, and combined treatments for these behavioral addictions. The results show that all three types of treatments (psychological, pharmacological, and combined) are associated with significant improvements in reducing the global severity of these addictions. The study also finds that combined cognitive-behavioral and pharmacological interventions are generally more effective than monotherapies. The authors highlight the need for more rigorous clinical trials to further validate these findings and explore potential moderators, such as the mode of treatment delivery and cultural context, which can impact treatment outcomes.

This course is based on the reading-based online article, "Treatments for Internet Addiction, Sex Addiction and Compulsive Buying: A Meta-Analysis" created by Martina Goslar et al in 2020.

Publication Details

Publication Date: Journal of Behavioral Addictions: 9 (2020) 1, 14-43 Apr 2020

Course Material Authors

Course Material Authors authored the material only, and were not involved in creating this CE course. They are identified here for your own evaluation of the relevancy of the material this course is based on.

Martina Goslar

Martina Goslar is a researcher at the Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen. She specializes in clinical psychology with a focus on behavioral addictions, particularly internet addiction and compulsive buying. This is one of her recent works published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Astrid A. Müller

Astrid A. Müller is a senior researcher at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School. She is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist with extensive experience in addiction research, focusing on both behavioral and substance-related addictions. She has published multiple works in peer-reviewed journals.

Course Creator

Tiara Totten

Tiara Totten is a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist and Licensed Professional Counselor with more than nine years of experience working with adolescents and adults utilizing person-centered, motivational interviewing, solution-focused, and cognitive behavioral techniques to help individuals achieve optimal wellness. She has extensive experience in individual therapy, group therapy and supervision and is currently working on her PsyD in clinical psychology.

Target Audience

Counselors, addiction specialists, marriage and family therapists, psychologists and social workers. This course is appropriate for intermediate and above with statistical knowledge.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

  1. 1 Define how Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software is used to evaluate addiction treatments.
  2. 2 Compare the impact of different addiction treatments based on study results.
  3. 3 Describe how the EPHPP tool is used to rate the reliability of studies.

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Material Authors

Any relevant financial disclosures for course material authors can be found in the article.

Course Creator

Tiara Totten – None to report.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

Use our CE Approvals tool to look up your state requirements and how can help you meet them, or log in to your member account to show approvals relevant to your licensure.

National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until Apr 30th, 2026
CE Learning Systems has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5951. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CE Learning Systems is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 2.25 NBCC hour(s) awarded.
More Info
Logo: Approved Education Provider - NBCC

NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC)

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until Sep 29th, 2026
This course has been approved by CE Learning Systems, service provider of Impact CE, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #192243, CE Learning Systems is responsible for all aspects of their programming.
More Info
NAADAC Approved Education Provider

Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (FL CSW, MFT, MHC)

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until Mar 27th, 2027
Impact CE, a service of CE Learning Systems, is approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (Provider # 50-315).
More Info

Florida Certification Board (FCB)

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until Dec 30th, 2027
Impact CE, a service of CE learning Systems, is approved by the Florida Certification Board (FCB) to offer continuing education programs (Provider # 5069A).
More Info

Missouri Credentialing Board (MCB)

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until Dec 30th, 2026
AddictionCounselorCE is an approved provider of the Missouri Substance Abuse Professional Credentialing Board (Provider #101). AddictionCounselorCE maintains responsibility for this course and its contents.
More Info

New York Education Department Board of Social Work

2.25 contact hours
Eligible until Mar 30th, 2027
CE Learning Systems, LLC, (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers. Provider #0060.
More Info

New York Education Department Board of Mental Health Counseling

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until Jul 29th, 2026
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.
More Info

New York Education Department Board of Psychologists

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until Dec 29th, 2026
CE Learning Systems, LLC, (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for psychologists, # PSY-0016.
More Info

New York Education Department Board of Marriage and Family Therapy

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until May 30th, 2027
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0045.
More Info

Virginia Certification Board (VCB)

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until Jul 31st, 2026
Virginia Certification Board educational provider # 106
More Info

Course Material

References begin on page 36.

Material Item

Access Course Material

Viewing External Material

This course material is hosted by , a web site separate from Impact CE. When you're done, just close the tab/window to return to this course page.

Exam Questions

All exam questions for the course are visible on this page for members of Impact CE.

Membership is free, and you can register today! You'll only pay when you're ready to purchase a course, or if you take advantage of the Unlimited Package.

If you're already a member, please sign in to see the exam questions for this and all other courses.

Enroll In This Course

Discuss this course

You can share your thoughts about this course after you pass the exam.

Sign In or Register to get started.
$20.25
Enroll In This Course

Course Details

2.25 CE Hours
Reading Online
Course 103579

Profession Group

  • Addictions

Related Topics

Addiction Theory

Availability

This course is available until Oct 15th, 2034.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, most likely. Look Up Your State Board for more detailed information. Logged-in site members will see the relevant approval information displayed in the Approvals tab for every course.

If you are having trouble using Impact CE, please contact us! We would be happy to accommodate your needs right away, and your input will help us make Impact CE more accessible for future users too.

Use the Enroll In This Course button and just follow the instructions! You don't pay anything until you're ready to take an exam.

To complete the course, review the course objectives, then review the material, and then pass the exam with a score of 75% or greater and lastly complete an evaluation.

Most of our self-paced courses are based on online articles available for free to the public. Some courses, such as those based on books, require that you purchase the material. Use the Materials tab for more info. Live courses simply require that you attend.

Your certificate(s) will be available to download or email immediately when you pass the course exam and complete the evaluation.

Yes! Use the Help widget at the bottom-right of the screen anywhere on Impact CE to search our help docs, or to ask our support team for help. Unlike most of our competitors, Impact CE has live US-based support reps to help you by email, chat, or phone.

Start your CE Journey now - complete your first course today, on us.

Try for free - no commitment required.

Start a Free Trial Course

Continuing Education

Copyright © 2026 CE Learning Systems LLC

Please Confirm