Addiction Therapists in Calgary, AB.

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.

An addiction, whether to a substance or a behaviour, is an attempt to alleviate distress, self-soothe or fill an emptiness. The substance or behavior cannot bring relief because it is not what you truly need. No matter how you have been self-medicating your stress and pain thus far, I can help you treat the underlying issues in ways that are life-sustaining rather than destructive. The earlier you get help, the better. I will compassionately help you no matter how many times you have tried to quit and will help you establish ways that will help you stay quit. I provide therapy for various addictions with a sex addiction specialty. I help those addicted as well as their families.

I help clients with addictions using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a research-based form of therapy in which I am certified. Strategies include avoiding high-risk situations and activities, managing urges and emotions, thinking of the benefits of staying on track and the downsides of using, and countering permission-giving thoughts.

Addiction can be anything from annoying to devastating in terms of the effect on your life. Addictive behavior of any kind, substances, technologies, food, sex, porn has the potential to limit the quality of life of those affected. If you are reading this it is possible that you may be having an experience with an addiction of your own or someone you care about and are interested in wanting change. Addiction is very understandable from a brain science perspective. There is a part of our brain that has a habit making function. We very easily form habits that have an emotional payoff for us. Once a behavior has a payoff then this brain jumps into action to create a brain pathway that helps us repeat the behavior. In other words, it helps us to keep...(view profile to read more)

Someone experiencing an addiction is unable stay away from the substance or stop the addictive behavior,and have an increased desire for the substance or behavior. With any form of compulsive or addictive behavior, the important question is: Is it interfering with any aspect of your life? If it has any harmful effect in any area, such as relationship, finances, work or health, you might want to do something about it. Every addiction has 3 components including emotional trauma, biology and habit. Using Internal Family Systems, CBT and tapping, I address those components to heal childhood wounds and reorient one’s compulsive energies into positive activities.

Ready for change? In your life, relationships, and with yourself ? Change begins with you. Exploring how your addiction has influenced your life and imagining how your life can be by rewriting your relationship with addiction. Our lives and our pathways are not written in stone. When we tell our stories in ways that can make us stronger, we can discover - we are not the problem - the problem is the problem. When we separate ourselves from the problem, we can begin to revise our relationships with problems and gain new insight into different ways we can live our lives. I can help you discover ways to reclaim your past and re-envision your future and change your relationship with addiction.

Clients with lifelong addictions have found freedom and hope again. "The first time I saw Kathryn I was a mess! ...I was depressed, confused, hurt, angry and desolate and almost to the point of ending it all. Life just didn't seem worth living... Kathryn was so understanding and kind and helped me to change my negative thoughts into positive ones ...She also taught me that no one can make me feel anything happy, sad, lonely, miserable - these are my own thoughts and they come from my own guilt or shame,people just trigger them... I now want to live and I understand how important it really is to live an honest clean life and to care for and love myself like I never knew how to before."

For every woman, the first step towards freedom from addiction is always the step of coming to believe in freedom and to believe that freedom is possible. We can show you a way out of the guilt and away from the shame that keeps you from the love your heart longs for. Reject the lie that you will always be an addict, reclaim your ability to know truth and choose life!

Addictions are hard but not hopeless. I my self battled with my own addictions. Along with education I also have understanding at a deeper level due to my personal experience. The substance that you are addicted to is not so much the issue as is the feelings, thoughts, experiences and behaviours. Processing ones story within therapy allows a person to step one foot closer to freedom and hope in a better life. It is a risk to reach out and be vulnerable. The key is to keep picking oneself back up and keep trying.I look forward to hearing your story and journeying with you as you process it.

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.

"Addiction is a normal human response to trauma," Gabor Mate. This may be new information to you and you may not think you have ever been traumatized but this is the latest research on addiction. It has been our society's approach to think of the addict as a bad person who is lazy or has made bad choices to put themselves in this situation. This is outdated, judgmental and uninformed thinking. Addicts are often the most sensitive person in their families who got the most hurt by a toxic family environment. Addiction is definitely one of the most misunderstood afflictions out there. Start your healing journey today. I am here to help, message today to set up an appointment.

Addiction is often the surface problem, it's a way of staying away from a greater pain that is below the surface. Doing addiction counselling with me is a gentle and compassionate process of tending to the real issues below the addiction, so that there is no longer a need to engage in this harmful behaviour. When you pull out the roots of a weed, the weed will not grow back, and real change has been achieved!

[I OFFER VIDEO SESSIONS THROUGHOUT ALBERTA AND ONTARIO]. I know what it is like to be an addict. I have been in recovery from my addiction for several years now. I am also an international expert in this field. My American textbook called “Addictions Counseling Today: Substances and Addictive Behaviors” was published recently. I have been a practicing psychologist since 1986. If you need a competent psychologist, book now at https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14249112

Life can be challenging. There are times when coping with the difficulties seems impossible and we find temporary relief from the pain by using substances (alcohol, drugs) or behaviours (gambling, sex, work, video games). Together, we can start to unravel what led to the addition and learn new tools and behaviours to get your life back on track and moving toward a meaningful life.

Do you ever wonder what it would feel like to truly be free? Not just hanging on for dear life and hiding a life of secrets, but to be truly able to look in the mirror and say, "I'll never go back again?" You don't need to wonder anymore. Let us walk with you as you discover how to be free of that hunger inside and to never feel that fear again. Our Registered Christian Addictions Counselling can help you set love in order and you can truly live again!

Dr. Val has certification designating her as an expert in assessing for addictions, and counselling within that realm. She has experience in addressing a number of types of addiction: alcohol, drug, internet, sexual, pornography, binge eating. You will find her non-judgmental and empathetic in helping you overcome this insidious complaint. Working together you will identify the triggers for your addiction and how to find healthier ways to answer the needs these addictions seem to assuage. Cognitive behavioural, biofeedback, and hypnotherapy include some of the approaches Dr. Val will use.

Research shows that early childhood developments and trauma can lead to addiction. Some have a higher risk of addiction than others and authenticity and attachment are two basic survival needs that are often unmet. Addiction is ultimately a solution to emotional pain. I introduce psychoeducation around how human's search for pleasure can lead to addiction. The brain can be rewired by finding new meaning and purpose, while also learning how to deal with stress through self-soothing skills and other mindfulness techniques.

Do you find you want to cut down or eliminate substances from your life yet continue to come back to it? Are you experiencing cravings or using more of the substance than you used to or for longer periods than you intended? Are your usage patterns interfering with your ability to fulfil important obligations at home, or at work, or with extended family members or friends? If so, we can help you talk about and come to terms with the next steps to take to begin the healing process, gain greater self-awareness and understanding of how to overcome addiction, receive the support you need and improve your sense of accomplishment and self-worth. Call us today at 403-255-8577 to book an appointment or to gain more information.

The question is not why the addiction, but why the pain (Dr. Gabor Mate). Addictions can be difficult to overcome because it both causes problems AND medicates the pain of life in the short-term. Also, there is great stigma from society around addiction--so many have said, Why dont you just stop using? Motivational interviewing, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Relapse-Prevention techniques can be very helpful in supporting people through recovery rather than shaming them towards quitting a substance without dealing with whatever is underlying the addiction.

Don't let addiction rule your life for another minute. We work with folks who struggle with addiction on a maintenance level and who have been in recovery for some time. We can help with creating a path forward for healing old wounds, understanding the behaviors and for installing positive habits as replacements.

Jennifer believes in the value of 12-step programs, due to their high success rate and popularity worldwide. She also believes, however, that often more issues need to be dealt with that are not treated in 12-Step programs, for clients to see long lasting success. If you have completed, and/or are currently a part of a 12-Step program, but feel you would benefit from working through some additional issues in therapy, Jennifer would be a good fit.

While most treatment approaches to addiction include 12 step programs, rehabs, and now sober living houses, Grey Matters International, Inc. provides a wildly successful alternative to traditional models of addiction treatment----that keeps the brain in mind. That is, talking to the conscious brain while the primal brain is deciding things even before you are consciously aware? Well, that is the problem to solve in addiction. We have the solution utilizing a new cutting edge neuroscience-centered brain rebalancing system. Contact kevin@kevinflemingphd.com or call 877-606-6161.

As a counsellor with years of experience working with addiction and its effects on the family, I have the skills to help you gain insights, change your behaviours, heal your pain and recover a sense of wholeness for life. My goal is to help you find a way out of the bondage of self hate, shame, and pain that is often caused by living with addiction. I believe that with hard work, you can regain the hope that this disease steals.

Have your addictions and/or compulsive behaviours taken control of your life? Does life seem unmanageable and you feel the things you value slipping away? Does someone you love appear unable to quit doing something even though it is hurting them? As a therapist, my role in the recovery journey is a supportive one. I help people who are already in a 12-step or other program to maintain sobriety by exploring their unhelpful thinking styles, helping them mourn past losses, and addressing other underlying issues that have led to the addictive behaviours. I also help the loved ones of addicts, especially partners of sex addicts who are trying to heal from the trauma of betrayal.

Addictions, in any of their many forms, from shopping and gambling to sex, tobacco, alcohol or drugs (street or prescription), exert a stranglehold on individual quality of life and relationships that can be devastating. The first line of attack against the addiction is information and awareness. I can help you begin that process. Together, we can look at how the addiction has convinced you it can help you cope with life ... and we can begin to address the lies addiction has told you. We can look at the triggers for your addiction, alternative strategies for coping with emotions and stressors, and ways to maintain your gains. I can help you rebuild your relationships and your life.