Addiction Therapists in Kelowna, BC.

I will help you learn alternatives to substance use. By identifying the difficult emotions that substances help you cope with we can create a new plan that will allow you to manage these uncomfortable experiences while still decreasing your substance use. This way, we target the underlying reasons you drink/do drugs/eat and address the core issues that motivate your unhealthy behaviours.

Robin Menard has her Masters in Social Work and over three years full-time experience working in the field of addictions. She uses a biopsychosocial holistic approach. She does comprehensive assessments to determine strengths and deficits emotionally, cognitively, mentally, physically, socially, as well as assessing negative core beliefs about self, others, and the world. She works along side her clients to draw up comprehensive treatment plans which create transparency, focus and direction to help her clients heal in every area needed. Some of the benefits that clients have reported when working with Robin include: increased self-esteem, increased competency, reconnection with family, increased ....

“It was a long and heavy day and I just need to break the edge.” “I communicate better after few drinks” “I can’t fall asleep if I don’t have my…” When a substance becomes a “priority”, or becomes overused, it begins to creep into and destroy an individual’s health, family, relationship and even work. The question becomes "Do I have control over it or does it have control over me?". Often substances are used as coping mechanism without realizing that it often creates even more anxiety and depression, leaving a person feeling more stress and low down the road. Feeling anxious without a "quick fix" or a “temporary Band-Aid” is a strong indicator that a person is or has lost control with the desired substance. In counselling, we work to support...(view profile to read more)

Working through addiction can be a raw and difficult process, that often reveals the pain that the addiction was helping to disguise. My approach to treating addiction applies cognitive awareness and mindfulness strategies to managing and reducing addictive tendencies and impulses. Addiction tends to thrive in isolation, so having a guide to help anticipate the struggle of addiction, identify and exercise strategies that are clinically effective in relief of addiction, and trauma.

Addiction counselling with me involves taking the time to unpack the dynamics that contribute to coping through addiction. With me you can expect a non-judgmental space, and to move at a pace you are comfortable with. Together we will take a compassionate and curious approach, locating strengths and supports and practicing mindfulness to grow in a sense of agency in decision making.

Addiction treatment is a challenging and ongoing process that requires a lot of support. What is often helpful for clients is using a CBT approach or a DBT approach which has been shown with evidence-based research to help manage addiction. Some of the focusses in counselling with addiction is often to prevent relapse, have better communication, improve family relationships, discovering better and healthier ways to cope than using the addiction. We would also discuss other factors that can help manage the addiction, such as meditation, religious involvement, and others.

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.

Often in life, stress, responsibility and unhappiness can lead to managing/medicating with a variety of substances; marijuana, alcohol, gambling, sex, internet, drugs, ect. This can lead to an unbalance in the usage of these substances, create a significant strain and negative affect on relationships, family, work and one self. We will work to uncover the motivating force that has driven to substance abuse and help to regain control. Through this work we will strive to regain a healthy and balanced life, free of addiction or dependency.

Clients with addiction issues will benefit from seeing a counsellor. Whether you are ready to make the change or just wanting education, we can assist you. We use motivational therapy and harm reduction techniques. Addiction assessments are available. Additionally, we offer training and support to families with a member who is dealing with an addiction.

Whether it is a physical addiction or substance abuse, there are areas in your life that are too big to control by yourself. Your addiction is hurting those you love most in your life, and you can't seem to stop. Counselling can help you identify patterns your addictive behaviour. Together with your counsellor you will see an awareness of what drives your addiction, a clear plan of action for when cravings strike, and a restored and reinforced relationships in your life.

I am adept at support clients in finding the root of their addiction whether it be trauma or challenges with emotional regulation. Addictive behaviour always makes sense. Unfortunately, there is still so much shame, judgement and misunderstanding when it comes to addiction. I will help you make sense of your addictive behaviour and achieve freedom.

In addiction counselling, we focus on providing a compassionate and non-judgmental environment where clients can explore the underlying factors contributing to addiction. My approach combines evidence-based therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, to help clients understand and manage their triggers, develop healthier coping mechanisms, and set achievable goals for recovery. We work collaboratively to address both the psychological and emotional aspects of addiction, fostering resilience and self-efficacy. By supporting clients in building a solid foundation for change, we aim to empower them to create a more fulfilling and balanced life.

What emotions are your addiction trying to mask? What are you escaping from? Is your addiction costing you your relationship, your family, your work? Your addiction or dependency, is serving a purpose. Let’s explore, understand and uncover what that purpose is and what the core issues are. It’s time to lead a healthier and more intentional life.

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.

I provide specialized support for individuals in recovering from addiction, recognizing that true healing extends far beyond abstinence. We'll address the underlying trauma, emotional patterns, and nervous system dysregulation that may have contributed to addictive behaviours, while strengthening your connection to your innate resources for healing. Using a trauma-informed approach, I help you develop sustainable self-regulation skills, process unresolved emotional material and cultivate a deeper relationship with yourself based on self-compassion.

I have been a substance abuse counsellor for over 25 yrs.This included 12 years of facilitating substance abuse groups in a day treatment program.I will provide a safe, comfortable place for you to explore the underlying issues around your substance abuse. Addictions are a way of coping and often become a practiced way of managing difficult feelings. Counselling will include making connections to your past, healthy self-care, exploring thoughts that impact feelings, self esteem and anger. We'll take steps towards breaking unhealthy patterns that support substance abuse and learn more about boundaries, honesty, vulnerability and moderating our ways of showing up in the world

I am presently employed as a clinical counsellor in Bridgeway Addiction Services. I take a biopyschosocialspiritual approach. I work on both the symptoms and the root of the problem of addiction. The root usually includes work regarding past abuse and trauma, low self worth, negative core self beliefs, family of origin, etc. With the addition use of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) I can help people with both the causes of addiction and impulse/urge control.

Addictions come in many forms--substances, gambling, sex, shopping, social media. The addictive behavior is just what we see, and is about 15% of what's going on. The other 85% is what lies underneath, driving the behavior. What need is being fulfulled by the addiction? Is it a way of coping with uncomfortable feelings? Unresolved trauma? Loneliness or boredom? Only by dealing with the underlying unmet needs or feelings can a true shift be made in the addictive behavior. Together we can figure out what's going on for you, and then work to make changes--address the unresolved trauma, change relationship patterns, make the emotions manageable to deal with, or find healthy substitutes.

The pain of addiction is real. & So is the pain that leads us there. I believe we are drawn to substance, process, sexual, & an unending list of other addictions for a reason. & Often that reason is simply to escape our own inner pain or turmoil...that just feels too overwhelming to bear. That makes the journey to freedom from addiction rarely an easy one, but certainly a rewarding one. & It is not one I believe any of us were meant to take alone. Let me come alongside you & support you on your journey back to freedom, joy, & ultimately yourself. & All that you were truly made for.