If you or someone close to you has been worried about your substance use, it can be helpful to speak to a therapist about your concerns. I provide a space for us to think together about whether your substance use has become problematic.
Perhaps you have noticed that your pattern of use has changed, or that there is an impact on your life that you are becoming concerned about. Therapy can help you identify changes that you would like to make for yourself, and help you to follow through on your goals. You may learn more about the role that substances play in your life, as well as strategies and skills to alter your habits.
I use a harm reduction approach to substance use work. From this vantage point, we will identify realistic and manageable goals for you, both short-term and long-term.
Changing how you use substances, like changing any challenging behavior, involves both understanding and skill building. As your goals change, so might some of our approaches. Some of the modalities that I draw from include:
Cognitive-Behavioral skills
Relapse Prevention skills (RPT)
Motivational Enhancement (MET)
Motivation Interviewing (MI)
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
MIndfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT)
A treatment plan sometimes includes coordination with other treatment providers, substance abuse settings or mutual-aid groups. For example, medication might help you to reduce your substance use or help you to maintain your goals. I work with many addiction-focused psychopharmacologists who can assist you. Adjunctive mutual-aid opportunities could involve groups such as:
12-Step groups (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous)
