Addiction Therapists in Pitt Meadows, BC.

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.

In line with Gabor Mate, I am convinced that all addiction is rooted in pain, and this overwhelming pain is connected to unhealed trauma. I believe that addiction is a treatable condition, and that everyone has the capacity for healing and growth. Since trauma is an emotional wound/injury, true healing can only occur within contexts that provide corrective emotional experiences that will produce positive brain change.This is why therapy can be so powerful. A skilled therapist helps clients get back in touch with themselves, which results in recovery.