Speakers

Lisa Etherson is a psychosexual therapist, PhD researcher, and creator of Shame Containment Theory (SCT), an innovative framework for understanding and working with shame from an attachment perspective.

With over a decade of clinical experience, Lisa’s research focuses on how childhood attachment injuries shape adult shame experiences, particularly in men with compulsive sexual behaviour, though her theory applies broadly to all human experiences.

She has a background working in public sector and NHS drug and alcohol services, collaborating with social workers and criminal justice professionals. Through her PhD and clinical work, Lisa developed SCT to describe shame as a complex, lifelong process involving attachment injuries, shame containment strategies, and the impact of uncontained shame. She is committed to advancing therapeutic knowledge and helping people transform their relationship with shame.

Lisa is the co-author of “Jake and his Shame Armour: Helping children recognise and manage shame” (July 2025, Little Bridges Publishing), an illustrated children’s book, helping young people to understand shame.