Addiction Therapists in Calgary, AB.

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.

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.

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!

Therapy is essential if you are struggling with substance dependence or addictive behaviours, or have a loved one who is. Having worked with various mental health and addictions programs, including with individuals who have concurrent mental health and addiction problems, I am experienced in providing therapy/counselling to move you towards health, wellbeing, and happiness again. Together we will work towards your goals of reducing or abstaining from addictive substances or behaviours, as well as preventing of relapse during stressful times. You are not alone on this journey.

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.

My work with addiction is to examine the beliefs, thoughts and feelings that lay beneath the addictive behaviour. My approach is to help you see the value that the addiction has in your life and why you have held onto the behaviours associated with the addiction as long as you have. Once we identify what you are getting from the addiction we can begin to look at replacing the behaviours.

One of my favourite authors on addiction says "What if we replaced the word "addict" with: “A human being who suffered so much that he or she finds in drugs or some other behavior a temporary escape from that suffering"? G. Mate. When I see clients struggling with an addiction, I also see them struggling with pain. I work on both pain and the addiction as a method.

Addictions issues can both result from distress in relationships and precipitate or create distress. Support in addressing addictions issues can have a signifiacant positive impact on overall relationship functioning. The fact that relationships are one of our primary coping mechanisms multiplies the potential distress when addictions is present as it impacts the very mechanisms we use to cope.

Is your use of porn, alcohol, shopping, prescription medication, illegal drugs, tv, food, video games and online activities bothering you or someone you love? Are you wondering if it is an addiction? Sometimes a good strategy goes bad when it is relied on too much. Then the strategy has become the boss and not just a tool. Discover the addictive voice and learn about the sober/healthy voice. Learn to respond to the part of you that would like relief and wants to be addiction-free (your noble self). Learn more effective ways to manage stress so you are not turning to substances or behaviors that are costing your peace of mind.

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)

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.

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.

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.

Elizabeth has many years of experience working in the field of addiction. She has worked in a detoxification unit, several difference inpatient addiction treatment facilities, an outpatient clinic and as an addiction specialist within a hospital and forensic settings. Elizabeth works with addiction. Elizabeth uses various approaches to treat addiction including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Accelerated Resolution Therapy, as well as learning skills such as identifying triggers, high-risk situations and developing a relapse prevention plan.

I know what it’s like to be an addict. I have been in a recovery from my addiction for several years now. I am also an expert in addictions and I am currently writing an American textbook called “Addictions Counseling Now: Substances and Addictive Behaviors.” If you need a competent psychologist, book now at https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14249112

The term “addiction” is often used to describe relating to a substance/process in a way that leads to unwanted outcomes. For example, a substance addiction might be alcohol, while a process addiction might be unwanted pornography use. I believe that the relationship one has to a substance/process exists in the system of their whole self. Through psychotherapy, patterns of emotions, thoughts, and behaviours that support addiction can be shifted. In my experience, working through deeper issues which can underlie addiction behaviours leads to more sustainable outcomes. If there is a behaviour present in your life that you can’t seem to kick, therapy can aid you in achieving the change you want.

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.

I have worked in the addictions field for the past 15+ years. My understanding of addiction is that it stems from multiple traumas whether beginning in childhood or adulthood. My approach to counselling is mind/body focused and aims to assist clients to heal wounds caused by trauma at the body level where trauma is stored. If we experienced early childhood trauma, often the body is the only access point to heal trauma as we experienced trauma before we had the ability to process things verbally. I also believe that in order to heal trauma, we need to heal in relationship as the majority of our traumas occurred in relationships which counselling provides between therapist and client.

At the core of addiction is the inability to live in your own skin. We live in one of the most distracted, numbed out and addicted cultures in the history of mankind. I read a statistic recently - there are over 100 million prescriptions written in the United States for antidepressants and/or mood altering prescription drugs. As a culture, not we're not good at dealing with reality and we look for all kind of ways to avoid our internal experience – drinking, drugs, eating, workaholism, "shopaholism" and perhaps most common is addiction to TV, Internet and electronic devices. Using mindfulness and ACT therapy, I teach clients how deal more effectively with their internal experience and feelin

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.

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!

Don't let addiction rule your life for another minute. I work with folks who struggle with addiction on a maintenance level. Meaning if you are in recovery I can help you crystallize the path forward of of healing and commitment. Addiction can cripple the person and their family members. The compulsion to feed deeper rooted issues is often the culprit and needs to be remedied for lasting change. I can help with creating a path forward for healing old wounds, understanding the behaviors and for installing positive habits as replacements.

Addiction is a concern that many people struggle with. Often people are unaware of the way in which addiction can significantly affect life, and cause harm to self and others. Feeling out of control and unable to stop harmful behaviours is a normal experience when someone is addicted to a substance or behaviour. Addiction is a treatable disease, which can be managed through therapy and a recovery program. I treat individuals with addiction to alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, food.

I can help you challenge and overcome your addiction through a handful of therapeutic techniques and modalities. I can assist with exploring the route of the issue- and overcome these powerful forces that sometimes overtake us. I can help you identify triggers, and break the cycle of addiction. Do you feel stuck in a cycle? Are you controlled by the guilt and shame that comes with addiction? I can help you forgive yourself and heal those wounds.

I do not label clients as “addicts.” I work with a person addicted to a drug or porn, pornography, sexual/sex addiction, by asking questions like: What do you see is the most pressing issue? What do you believe other’s concern of you being addicted to this thing? Do you hear what your significant partner say(s) about your concerns? One client indicated to me that: he felt heard because of the nature of the questions (I asked) did not take sides instead I asked ‘relational questions.’ I recommend to my clients to attend detoxification programs. I encourage healthy lifestyles, values and practices and inform clients about negative side effects related to drug/substance abuse also.