Addiction Therapists in Pitt Meadows, BC.

My hope for clients facing challenges with addictions is that they will develop an openness and willingness to explore the underlying issues related to the addictive behaviours. Clients will benefit from looking at childhood factors and relationships issues, both past and present. Clients will identify any limiting and self-defeating beliefs which may have contributed to harmful and alienating behaviours. Clients will learn to replace negative thought and behaviour patterns with self-affirming thoughts and behaviours. They will also explore and create support systems. It is my hope that clients will develop greater self-acceptance and kindness to Self.

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.

Individuals who suffer from addiction could come from a very complicated background. This could include complications, crises, and trauma from the first few years of life up until the present time. To treat addiction, we use a biopsychosocial model of treatment which is focused on all aspects of the individual's life. In treating addiction, we use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Human-Centered Approach, Emotion Focused Therapy, and other therapeutic approaches as needed. Since individuals who suffer from addiction come from diverse backgrounds, we help each individual through their recovery by focusing on their unique needs and helping them toward their best healing journey.

Substance and behavioral addictions are widely misunderstood, and as a result, those that experience addictions can be unjustly pathologized and even criminalized. The term “addiction” stands for diverse, multi-faceted, socio-cultural, biological, and psychological phenomena. The idea that addiction is a brain disease is an ideological narrative, not a fact. I offer non-judgmental and non-coercive counselling to support an individual’s growth and future pursuits. I hold a deep empathy for your life experience, choices, and lack of choices. I will coach you to tap into your inner resources, resilience, and “brilliant sanity.” I am an advocate for decriminalization and harm reduction policies.

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.

Has an addiction to sex, porn, alcohol, drugs, or any other addiction caused problems in your life? Has an addiction caused problems in your relationship or your family? If so, my counselling approach can bring understanding of the reasons of your addiction and ways you can manage issues more effectively. We will discuss your unique situation and address underlying causes of the addiction and offer solutions to get your life back on track and live a more fulfilled and happy life.

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.

If you or someone you love suffers from substance use disorder or other behavioral health issues, we can help. From acute detox and residential rehab programs to recovery homes and long-term outpatient & mental health services, we’re here with the safe support you need to work through the root of your addiction and find your own recovery lifestyle.

Addiction is the symptom of the core issue. People who suffer with addiction often feel out of control, fractured, chaotic, and suffer guilt, shame, embarrassment, anger, and mental health issues. They often miss work or have relationship breakdowns. I work with people from a completely non-judgemental basis. Treating the whole person is essential to attaining a long lasting healthy life.

Recovering from addiction is an greater process then just abstaining from a particular substance. Developing an awareness about the triggering issues that fuel the addiction is key towards developing the strength and skills that will propel you forward in living sober. I approach addictions from a perspective that develops positive skills and thoughts patterns to over come the triggers to use such as: anxiety, depression, trauma, and negative thought patterns, and self-medication. In addition, it is important to remember that with addiction partners, family, and friends are also affected. Working to rebuild bridges in this area, without demotivating or creating conflict is key.

Stuck in a rut? Trying to get out, but don't know how? Don't like AA? Let me help you unshackle yourself from that annoying addiction. Personalized help, skill building, and non-judgemental support in overcoming an addiction. Call 604-657-9534 now if you are ready to take a step into the first day of the rest of your life.

I consider myself an expert in addiction therapy. My focus is not the addictive substance or activity. I focus on the root cause for why you engage in the various activities for the purpose of self-medication. As we flesh out the emotional and traumatic scars from past life events, you will find that your desire to self-medicate reduces significantly.

I help individuals cope with addiction by aiming to understand the root cause of the addiction and how this is currently serving the individual by keeping them safe. Often individuals who have addictions have underlying issues such as anxiety, trauma, or mental health disorders. I work with individuals to identify their triggers and dysfunctional thought patterns and help modify their thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours that lead to addiction. Therapy can help to improve coping skills to manage stress, recognize triggers, and navigate through challenging moments in recovery.

I view addiction with true compassion as it can be so painfully difficult to battle. I feel for those suffering and those who love them. Well-recognized addictions include use of cigarettes, alcohol, street drugs, and marijuana, but I personally believe that issues like self-harm and trichotillomania (skin-picking) can be seen as addictions as well. I support people no matter where they are in their substance use or behaviour, from those ready and wanting to stop to those not there yet. I also support harm reduction, abstinence, or a combination of these. EMDR Therapy and DBT are both effective approaches depending on your story, your goal, and where you are at.

As a therapist with a specialty in Addictions Counseling, I can help you work through the underlying issues that may be a contributing factor to your addiction. I can help you identify triggers and help you with coping skills, which are also a contributing factor to addiction. Developing a strong sense of self is key to a healthier and happier you. I can help you learn how to set boundaries, increase your self-respect, and how to give yourself what you need.

I have worked in a number of treatment centres and I am able to help clients face the fear of not having their addiction to deal with life's difficult times and the subsequent emotions . I work with clients struggling with addictions to the internet, gambling, shopping, drugs and alcohol, exercise and work. By looking at the purpose/reason behind the addictive or compulsive behaviour the client is able to begin to resolve their relationship with their addiction and to be free!!

After working with clients that struggled with drugs and alcohol addiction, I learned that these clients need ongoing support after they leave their treatment programs. I help clients explore their stresses, traumas, and their mental and physical vulnerabilities to address the issues behinds their addictive behaviour patterns. The treatment plan includes an incorporation of mindful exercise and CBT techniques to regulate stress responses and reduce the stressors. Other evidence based techniques and literature is included in the plan to assist the client in adjusting to physiological and mental changes with no addiction and replacing it with positive changes.

Addiction can be debilitating. However, recovery is possible. In my 25 years working as an addiction counsellor, I have come to learn that addiction is usually the symptom of a deeper issue, perhaps an unresolved trauma or loss. My approach is to address and heal the initial trauma and then explore new ways of coping and being in the world. In this way, an individual can live life more authentically and be free from the grip of addiction.

Olivia has a deep passion for helping individuals overcome addictions and specializes in guiding clients through various struggles. As a Certified Sexual Recovery Therapist, Certified Partner Betrayal Trauma Therapist, and Certified Partner Recovery Therapist, she brings expertise in addressing sexual addiction, love addiction, and their impact on relationships. Olivia has experience leading freedom and life transformation groups, empowering clients to reclaim their lives and find healing. She also works with those battling other addictive behaviours. Her compassionate and informed approach fosters hope, growth, and long-term transformation for individuals and their loved ones.

My qualifications include a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology and I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. I am also completing the education and supervision hours needed for certification as a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT-Candidate) and Certified Couples Betrayal Recovery Therapist (CCBRT-Candidate) with the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP). The programs offered by IITAP have provided me with specialized training, strategies, and tools to support and rebuild relationships that have been shaken by infidelity, problematic sexual behaviors, complex trauma, mistrust, and addiction.

Working with addiction, I focus on cultivating awareness of triggers and cravings without judgment. I teach mindfulness practices like meditation to help clients observe their thoughts and sensations. This awareness helps them break automatic patterns and make conscious choices, reducing relapse risk and promoting self-compassion. Mindfulness empowers clients to manage urges skillfully and build a healthier relationship with themselves and their behaviors.

Addiction can affect every area of your life, from your physical health, mental health, emotional health, social life to your core values. I view addiction problems not through a lens of a lack of willpower, but through a lens of brain dysfunction and see that through brain training with Neurofeedback (NFB), processing with EMDR or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) there is a great potential for improvement.

Have you ever had fresh baking in the house that were saving for Christmas or some other celebration? You had to stop yourself from eating it. How it called your name while you were watching TV, or sent visions of sugar plums dancing in your head while you were hungry cooking dinner? Well that is a small snap shot of the feeling of addiction. Having such a strong compelling desire to experience the rewarding outcome, regardless of how short-lived it might be. Well not all compulsions ( or addictions) are only as dangerous and life changing as a 5 lb weight gain encountered by January 2. Some addictions can own us to the point that there is nothing left of who we really are, or were.

Having any kind of addiction places stress onto a person as well as his/her/they family and friends. As a clinical therapist, it is important to stress to the client that a person develops an addiction for a number of reasons, and that the identified addiction is a coping mechanism that was developed during a time of stress and emotional challenge. Providing an atmosphere of safety and acceptance is needed for a client to become vulnerable and to seek support. Addictions are both physical and physiological. Helping a person understand the nature and underlying needs that are being met is essential in the change process.

Do you wake up in the morning with a feeling of regret and remorse over how many glasses of wine you had, again? Are you struggling with a habit that you thought was temporary and now you find you can't walk away from. The realization that you may be struggling with an addiction may gradually unfold or a loved one may bring it to your attention. Often addiction arises from a need to 'take oneself away' from the rough spots on life or it may be a habit out of control. Whatever the background, together we will look at what has contributed to your desire for you habit, what is reinforcing it and get you back in the drivers seat of your life.