If you’ve ever felt caught in a cycle with sex, drinking, drugs, or gambling (one that feels impossible to stop, even when you want to) you’re not alone. Maybe part of you wants change, while another part isn’t sure it’s possible. Or maybe the behavior brings some relief… until it brings shame, regret, or disconnection.
You may find yourself thinking:
“I know it’s not good for me, but I can’t seem to stop.”
“I feel like I’m living a double life.”
“Part of me doesn’t even want to let go of it.”
That kind of ambivalence makes total sense, and it’s exactly where our work begins.
I Help You Understand What’s Driving the Behavior, Not Just How to Stop It
As a psychotherapist with experience helping individuals with addiction, I draw from evidence-based approaches including Motivational Interviewing (MI) and AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) to help you move toward change at your own pace.
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With MI, we explore your internal conflict with compassion. I help you get clear on what matters to you, what you’re afraid of losing, and what might become possible if things started to shift. We move at your speed without judgement or pressure.
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With AEDP, we go underneath the behavior. We work together to gently uncover the emotions, needs, or past experiences the addiction may be protecting you from. Instead of treating the behavior as the problem, we get curious about what it’s helping you manage. Often, that leads to deep healing — of grief, trauma, shame, or loneliness — that opens up new choices and ways of living.
When the underlying pain starts to feel seen and cared for, the urgency to escape it often softens.
You’re Not Broken — You’re Protecting Something Tender
Whether your relationship with gambling, sex, alcohol, or substances feels out of control or just quietly unsustainable, you don’t have to wait for things to get worse to ask for help. You don’t even have to be ready to quit entirely. You just have to be open to exploring your relationship with these behaviors with someone who will hold space for all the parts of you that are scared, stuck, or unsure.
If that sounds like what you’re needing right now, I’d be honored to work with you. You can reach out to book a consultation, and we’ll talk about whether this work feels like a good fit.