I specialize in working with those who have been through treatment for their addiction, whether it was yesterday or years ago, and are now on their path of long-term abstinence and recovery. If you are still in the throes of substance use, you are strongly encouraged to seek the services of a detox center along with at least 90 days of in-patient treatment.
I will happily work with family members or friends related to someone with a substance use problem and offer guidance that may help them move their loved one toward recovery.
For someone in the recovery process, I will continue the provision of therapy as an extension of treatment. With the help of a signed release, I can communicate with your therapist and/or treatment counselor to find out what you accomplished while in treatment and what I can do to further the success of the process.
I will encourage you to form a support structure to help you maintain your sobriety, which may include a sponsor, depending on the model of treatment you received.
I will encourage you to attend some sort of community support outside of therapy. This may include regular recovery meetings or participation in group therapy. We can follow up and discuss what you learn about yourself in these conversations.
If you are taking any psychotropic medications to help with mental health symptoms, I will help monitor the effectiveness of your medication regimen. I will help you work with your psychiatrist to monitor symptoms and even communicate with your psychiatrist as necessary if we determine your symptoms have become problematic.
I will be happy to meet with as many family members as you deem necessary to learn more about your relationships with them. In these conversations, I would like to know more about how your relationship with them will help or harm your on-going sobriety. If the relationship is helpful, I will help you to keep the relationship strong and productive. If the relationship is harmful, I will strive to work with you and this family member to improve the situation if you decide this is the best course of action.
I will remain open to whatever spiritual process you decide to bring into your therapy as long as we both feel comfortable that the process is helping maintain your sobriety. If you would like guidance in finding a spiritual process that is fulfilling for you, I will help you do that.
I will encourage a lifestyle that promotes good health and respect for your body: good diet, regular exercise, and a consistently good night’s sleep. A healthy body promotes a healthy mind and makes it easier to stay sober.
Each session of therapy will be a check-in of what life has been like over the past several days. Our focus in that session will be dealing with the life situation in that moment based on life’s terms. You will learn that with perseverance, you can overcome challenges. Over time, you may realize that the spiritual growth you attained since the bottom you hit at the height of your addiction will be your source of grounding, peace, and self-acceptance.