Substance Abuse Counseling
Are You Seeking Support As You Navigate Your Relationship With Substances?
Is your substance use a source of shame or worry?
Do you use alcohol or other drugs to numb, tolerate, or cope with intense feelings?
Has your use started to negatively impact aspects of your relationships, performance, and mental or physical health?
Maybe you’re just now beginning to evaluate your relationship with substances, or maybe you’ve been struggling with addiction for years. Your drug of choice might be alcohol, cannabis, or another mind-altering substance that you use on a daily basis, binge on the weekends, or reach for as a crutch when you feel stressed or overwhelmed. Even when you experience positive feelings like excitement and joy, it might feel necessary to temper them with a substance.
Whatever the case may be, you likely feel caught in a harmful cycle of emotional overwhelm, a desire to use, and the shame that follows. Despite feeling desperate to escape, you may believe that there is no other way to find relief or process your emotions. The consequences of your use are beginning to catch up with you, but you may not yet have the skills or perspectives needed to replace addictive behaviors.
That’s where counseling for addiction and substance abuse comes in. As a highly experienced substance use therapist, I can help you figure out if your use meets the criteria for abuse or addiction as we develop new ways to help you cope with tough feelings. Working together, we will individualize a unique toolkit you can draw from when the urge to use arises.
Reducing Or Quitting Substance Use Altogether Can Be Difficult To Achieve On Your Own
Despite the shame and guilt spiral that often accompanies substance abuse, the fact of the matter is that addiction is a very common issue. For example, not only is binge drinking an acceptable form of socializing—it’s glorified in our society. In a world that is becoming increasingly isolated and “online,” it’s becoming easier and easier to mask substance use issues and struggle with them in solitude.
Moreover, not everyone who struggles with substance use meets the criteria for addiction or a substance abuse disorder. There are certain stereotypes we think of when we imagine an addict, but the truth is that substance abuse exists on a spectrum, affecting people of all backgrounds and experiences. Some use substances to “solve” a problem, while others have created a daily habit that is simply too hard to break. In many cases, co-addictive behaviors occur, wherein alongside substances, activities like eating, gambling, sex, and exercise are overused to further numb feelings of distress and overwhelm.
Working in community with a therapist specializing in substance abuse counseling can provide a sense of accountability, reduce feelings of isolation, and offer an outlet you may not be able to find elsewhere. Even though it can be difficult to escape the cycle alone, it is possible to cultivate an environment that reinforces sobriety, self-esteem, and healthy coping.
Addiction And Substance Abuse Treatment Through Jay Counseling, LLC
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – helps you identify the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and need to use
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – teaches skills that expand your window of tolerance and assert boundaries so that you can halt the cycle of substance abuse before it even starts
Strengths-based counseling – draws on your innate skills and talents to foster self-esteem
Grounding techniques and deep breathing exercises – encourages mindfulness and presence as you work through cravings
Motivational Interviewing – provides insight into any ambivalence you may be feeling in order to strengthen your internal drive to quit using and push through the maintenance phase of change
All therapy sessions are conducted online, drawing from some of the most effective approaches to counseling for addiction and substance abuse that exist.
At the start of counseling, we will spend ample time working together to explore your use—where it comes from, what its function is, and how underlying issues like trauma or low self-esteem are exacerbating the desire to partake. Through this exploration, you will learn more about the unique factors that pose the risk of relapse so that you can bring more awareness and intention to situations that are likely to trigger a craving.
As you identify the root causes of your addiction or substance abuse in counseling, I will work with you to nurture healthy coping skills that can ultimately replace addictive behaviors. We do this by incorporating aspects of the following therapeutic approaches:
I have worked across the spectrum of substance use and understand the kinds of feelings of hopelessness and despair that are keeping you trapped in this cycle. However, I have witnessed first-hand that community support works! In addition to the work we do together in counseling, I can offer you additional resources to help you navigate addiction and reinforce sobriety.
Many of my clients have experienced significant relief by discussing their substance use, discovering new skills, perspectives, and self-esteem in counseling that have ultimately allowed them to be successfully substance-free. My thorough, compassionate, and evidence-based approach has worked for them, and I am confident it can help you, too.
Common Concerns About Therapy For Addiction And Substance Abuse…
Therapy is frowned upon where I come from—what if I have a hard time opening up about my substance use?
When we come from communities that stigmatize mental health support, the prospect of needing therapy and opening up to a stranger can be very daunting. It takes a lot of strength to seek counseling—especially when making a big decision regarding substance use. The decision to stop using often feels like falling off a cliff without knowing what’s below to catch us.
My job as a therapist is to support you in every way possible through this process as you explore what you have been holding inside all these years. I will collaborate with you to set achievable goals, assess your progress, and build up the support around you as you embark on this next chapter.
What if I am not sure I want to stop drinking/using yet?
It is completely normal to begin counseling even if you’re not fully sure that you want to quit or struggle with addiction/substance abuse in the first place. It’s likely your use right now is helping you process some aspect of your pain or distress, and suddenly cutting off your connection to that outlet can be scary. Therefore, we can start with small, actionable steps with the goal of stopping to see what happens when you give yourself a meaningful chance to implement new boundaries, coping skills, and community in your life.
Are you going to pressure me to attend AA meetings? I’m not sure those are right for me.
My goal is to support your recovery journey, no matter which tools we draw from in therapy. While AA and other 12-step programs have been beneficial to some of my clients in recovery, they’re not for everyone. It’s possible there are other community resources available that align more with your goals and values, and I will strive to set you up with whatever safety nets are necessary to reinforce sobriety.
You’re Strong Enough To Break The Cycle
If your substance use habits have become disruptive or concerning, online substance abuse treatment is available through my practice. For more information, contact me.
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