Addiction Therapists in Balzac, AB.

If you or someone you know are addicted to prescription drugs, Dr. Mervin (Paraklesis Counselling) can come alongside you and help you to break the cycle of lapse and relapse. Often people with depression become dependent on taking benzodiazepines (a suppressant that depresses the mood), and they therefore struggle not only to get out of the depression but also to stop taking the tranquilizers. With an understanding of the working mechanisms of the drugs, and with the guidance of a psychopharmacologist, you can begin a new chapter in your life.

I have deep experience helping individuals navigate addictions using twelve-step supportive therapy in a safe virtual space. Together, we explore behaviors and underlying factors while cultivating self-awareness, accountability, and healthy coping skills. My approach focuses on building resilience, fostering growth, and sustaining recovery in a supportive and nonjudgmental environment. Online sessions provide flexibility and security while allowing clients to engage fully with the twelve-step framework and create meaningful, long-term change.

Addiction can be a lonely burden to carry. Those around you may have trouble understanding what you are going through which can create separation in relationships and leave you feeling worse. My approach is to find the right strategies to get you back in control and leading a healthy life. We will explore the roots and meaning behind ones addiction and develop healthy coping.

This isn't who you are. Is it time for a change? Ready to consider doing something different in your life? My approach to addictions looks at behavioral, emotional and cognitive changes that can support your recovery, building a new you and a new life. Drawing on CBT and other approaches, the supportive, non-judging space I provide teaches you practical strategies to cope with life, alternative (aka more rewarding and fulfilling) behaviors (and to learn to like them!), and helps you heal. You'll come to know greater freedom and satisfaction with who you are, your relationships, and with your life.

Having worked previously at an addictions treatment facility for over 9 years, I have seen both the damage caused by a variety of addictions and the ability of individuals to arrest addictive behaviors and re-build healthy addiction-free lives. Whether you are attempting to moderate your use of an addictive substance or behavior, or abstain completely, therapy is an important tool. Together we will explore your triggers for addiction, relapse prevention strategies, and look at the resources available to you as you recover.

I will work with you to understand the underlying emotional and psychological factors contributing to your addiction. I employ a harm-reduction approach to substance abuse treatment as opposed to complete and sudden abstinence. I will work with you to build effective coping strategies, heal trauma and provide techniques which will help you navigate the stress and complexity of long-term recovery.

Are you tired of feeling like a substance has more control over your life than you do? You're drinking, drug use or other substance use may be affecting your relationships, your confidence, and the way you see yourself. You may know that you are capable of so much more, but struggle to access that part of yourself. I won't judge you or reduce you to your substance use/abuse or addiction. I'll meet you where you're at, and help you understand what's driving it, what you're trying to cope with or escape, and what keeps pulling you back. Together, we'll work toward healthier ways of dealing with what hurts, rebuilding trust in yourself, and creating more control in your life.

Addictions in the family significantly impact the lives of children. Family addictions can have many consequences for a child and impede his or her development in behaviour, education, and social-emotional wellbeing. Without help these children are at risk of developing severe mental health concerns including: depression, anxiety, issues with self-esteem and self-worth, issues with peers, sleep disorders, substance abuse disorders, etc. Keystone offers counselling and support for children with a family member struggling with substance abuse. Additionally, family therapy is offered to help develop healthy family patterns and strengthen relationships between family members.

I know from the inside what it is like to live with an addiction. I have been in recovery from my own for several years now. I also know this field as well as almost anyone. I am an international expert in addictions and the author of a national award-winning textbook on addictions counselling, now in its second edition. If you want someone who combines lived experience with genuine expertise, I have been a practising psychologist since 1986. I am based in Calgary and see clients across Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick by secure video. Book a session now: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14249112

Substance use or compulsive behaviours often begin as ways to cope with overwhelming stress or trauma, eventually feeling like a trap. At Curio Counselling, we reject punitive models. Our Calgary addiction counselling is grounded in empathy and curiosity. We collaborate with you using evidence-based tools like ACT to process underlying distress and navigate cravings without judgment. Lasting recovery is built on genuine connection.

Addictions counselling provides a structured, compassionate space to understand the patterns driving substance use or compulsive behaviours. We work collaboratively with clients to explore underlying stressors, emotional triggers, and unmet needs while building practical coping strategies that support lasting change. Using evidence-based approaches, we focus on increasing self-awareness, strengthening accountability, and developing healthier ways to manage distress. Clients benefit from improved emotional regulation, clearer decision-making, and greater confidence in maintaining progress, fostering stability and a renewed sense of control over their lives.

In our early environments, we absorb a lot of information about ourselves and the world. Sometimes this stuff is positive – like language or self-soothing, but sometimes it comes from a disruptor and is not. Things like criticism, alcohol used by a parent, detachment from parents, perfectionism, or whatever can cause limiting beliefs about one’s self.

Addiction can feel overwhelming, not only for the individual struggling, but for the relationships and systems around them. Whether substance use or behavioural patterns have become a way to cope with stress, trauma, or emotional pain, Renee provides a compassionate, non-judgmental space where clients can begin to explore change without shame. Recovery is not linear, and setbacks do not equal failure.