I am Antonio Presencia Crespo, a therapeutic companion. I created ATVE (Acompañamiento Terapéutico de Vínculo Extensivo, “Extended-Bond Therapeutic Accompaniment”) from something I have seen many times in my work with people who want to leave an addictive behaviour. In a session, a person can understand clearly what is happening to them. But when they return to their life, an argument, a lonely night or even the euphoria of a good day can overwhelm them. The bond we build in session is extended through agreed contact between meetings. Over time, the person can make their own an experience that is hard to take in after living a long time keeping things to themselves: what happens to me, I can share it, and I can do so before reaching my limit.
This learning happens on good days, in moments of euphoria, on routine afternoons and also when something frustrates, hurts or causes shame. Sometimes the starting point is as simple as saying “I don’t know what is wrong, but I have been going over the same thing all afternoon”. Being able to share it when that thought starts to gain weight opens a space to understand what lies behind it. For someone who has difficulty recognising and naming what they feel, which we call alexithymia, these conversations are a way of learning to tell anger from sadness, loneliness from boredom, or tiredness from the wish to escape for a while.
Putting into words what one feels is also a way of regulating it. When a person learns to recognise what is happening to them, to share it and to find out what they need, they gain room to respond differently. In this way, the addictive behaviour can gradually lose part of the function it served as quick relief. What is first learned in the bond (noticing, saying it, asking for help in time) gradually becomes a capacity of their own to look after themselves in everyday life.
How ATVE support works
Acompañamiento Terapéutico de Vínculo Extensivo (ATVE) is a psychosocial support model focused on behavioural addictions, especially pornography. It relies on a sustained bond that reaches into the client’s daily life.
Two ways of being present
In-person or virtual sessions are combined with agreed messages, audio notes or calls. A sustained presence to recognise what you feel, spot triggers and face the difficult moments.
Understand, sustain, move forward
Recognise early signs. Look for ways to regulate emotions. Prepare responses to the urge. Learn from a relapse without losing sight of your dignity and your autonomy.
Who is ATVE for?
For adults who decide to ask for support of their own free will. Antonio’s support focuses on behavioural addictions, especially pornography, and on behaviours related to sex, gambling and digital use. He also supports substance addictions, such as alcohol and cannabis, and situations of polysubstance use (use of several substances).
It is not aimed at minors or at people who are obliged by third parties. The support does not replace medical or psychological treatment or care for detoxification. When clinical care is needed, referral or professional coordination is proposed.
What can happen between two sessions
Imagine that the urge to watch pornography usually appears when you get home, when you are tired and have your phone at hand. In session we review what happens at that moment and agree on a response you can put into practice. If it is part of what was agreed, you can send a short message or indicate with a number how strong the urge is. In the next session we review what helped, what was difficult and what needs adjusting. Over time, this work aims to help you recognise sooner what is happening to you and make your own decisions with more room.
What happens at the first meeting?
At the first meeting we talk about what brings you, and you do not have to tell anything you do not want to. We explore what is happening, what you have tried and what you hope for. At the end we assess together whether the support suits you and, if we go ahead, we agree how to begin: pace of sessions, contact channels and a first concrete goal.
How is contact between sessions organised?
Contact between sessions is agreed in a personalised way: which channel we use (messages, audio notes or calls), for what kinds of situations and with what expectations of reply. It is not an emergency service or one of continuous availability: it is agreed support within clear limits that we set at the start.
What happens after a relapse?
A relapse does not interrupt the support. In the next session we review what happened before, at what point it was hardest to ask for support and what should change in the plan. The work is done without blame: the relapse is used as information to adjust what was agreed.
When is coordination with other professionals arranged?
When psychological, medical or other specialised care is needed, referral or coordination with those professionals is proposed, always agreed beforehand with the person. ATVE complements that care; it does not replace it.
A view from the geography of care
The geography of care studies how places, schedules and relationships influence whether a person can receive support when they need it. From this perspective, ATVE brings care closer in four ways: it reaches the places where the person lives their difficulty, it can accompany, as agreed, at moments of greater fragility, it reduces the shame of asking for help thanks to a bond with a known person, and it offers a sustained presence of trust. More about this line of research.
Support with clear limits
The aim is not to control the client, but to accompany their progressive autonomy. The pace and the channels are agreed in a personalised way. ATVE complements psychotherapy or medical treatment; it does not replace them.