As an individual in long-term recovery, I intimately understand the challenges of getting and staying sober from alcohol and other substances. Loss of friends and your social circle, persistent feelings of isolation, and finding new means of coping with difficult situations/emotions/stress are just a few of the issues I tackle with clients in recovery. I am uniquely equipped to help both newly sober individuals as well as those in long-term recovery.
I have been working in treatment of addictions for over a decade. My evidence-based approach combines therapy and holistic techniques to address the underlying causes and empower lasting recovery.
I have extensive experience and training with addiction and substance use including completion of education requirements of California Association for Drug/Alcohol Educators (CAADE) and years of working in substance use treatment. I bring my experience to help recognize and work with whatever stage you are in with your relationship to drugs and/or alcohol for you to get back to living your life.
I offer psychotherapy, usually in conjunction with 12-step or other addiction-specific group -participation. Conducting research and publishing in the field, I help people struggling with substance abuse overcome those long-standing pathogenic beliefs getting in their way. As clients achieve a clean and sober life, free of the chemical prison of addiction, an optimistic future opens up before them. I follow my clients as they overcome the challenges ahead and support their efforts as they redesign their lives while learning to use methods useful in relapse prevention.
I enjoy helping clients accept and like themselves, organize around strengths, achieve greater emotional presence, think clearly, and let go of shame, guilt and old habits of emotional survival. I believe therapy should lead to better decisions, as well as improved quality of life and relationships.
Thinking about changing your drinking or substance use can feel daunting or overwhelming. After all, drinking and using do offer some benefits, such as experiencing pleasure, feeling more social, or perhaps even enhancing your sexual experiences. On the flip side, many people also experience numerous downsides, side effects, or unwanted repercussions when they use. Taking inventory of what you have at stake can be helpful in making a decision about whether or not to change. Those reasons can be especially helpful in moments of distress or temptation.
Exploring what might be underneath your drinking or substance use is crucial. Sometimes painful experiences from your past propel you to find a quick solution to the pain. Alcohol and drugs can be effective at numbing pain, but you may be left with unresolved grief, trauma, anger, shame, or guilt. Treatment requires an integrative approach that addresses both the substance use and your emotional pain.
If you have decided that you’d like to change your drinking or substance use, therapy can help you accomplish your goal. There is no “one size fits all” treatment approach when it comes to treating addiction or substance misuse, so let’s work together to determine what will best help you live the life you want. Give me a call me today to get help reaching your substance use treatment goals.
We build on your strengths and the passion you have for life and work to create the lifestyle that you want, whether the ideal lifestyle includes drug and alcohol use or not. The assumption is, that as we strengthen your healthy self, the impulses to use in an unhealthy manner will decrease. Using a harm reduction strategy I work hard to meet you “where you are at” and together we determine the path forward.
I have many years experience working directly with individuals who want to stop or decrease their use of alcohol and other drugs. I have worked extensively with people who are in a 12 step program. I have a deep understanding of that philosophy and can utilize the principles of 12 step recovery in the therapy session. I also have in-depth experience working with people from a Harm Reduction point of view, meaning we work to mitigate the harm drugs or alcohol is causing in your life. To learn more about Harm Reduction, click here.
Life Coach, Trauma, PTSD, BSc Sciences, DoD Career Councilor, SARC, DAPA, Pre Licensed Human Intelligence / Psychology, Life Coach. | Professional Support: LSSBB, PgM, Bluestone PMP,
I work to understand your roots cause addiction and substance abuse behaviors and get you the help needed for recovery.