Addiction Therapists in Port Coquitlam, BC.

I work with most areas of addiction although in cases of serious drug or alcohol addiction I will usually recommend or refer to a specialist or treatment centre to help you deal with that. There are many kinds of addiction from internet addiction to shopping addiction, sexual addiction and hoarding to name a few. Dealing with these issues is a multi faceted. Our upbringing and childhood play a role as does mental health issues and chronic stress and anxiety. Understanding what is behind the need to self medicate and learning to substitute healthier options can be very beneficial in dealing with and overcoming addiction.

Many people suffer from various addictions, whether it be drugs and alcohol, sex, gambling, social media or video gaming. Most people use their drug of choice as a way to cope with various stresses they have in their lives. I help clients recognize their stressors and also uncover what is going on with them that they need to self-regulate using their addictions. I also look at their pasts and often use narrative therapy and genograms to help them process some of their past life trauma and family upbringing.

We use certain behaviours or substances when we are fearful of facing emotional, physical or spiritual pain, or when we feel a lack of control in our lives. We may engage in addictive behaviours when we do not want to feel the fear of facing what is really happening in our lives. An addiction can distract us from difficult issues at hand, and change what we are feeling. Or, there may be some of us who believe deep down that we do not deserve happiness, and allow the addictive behaviour to take over instead of creating the space to face our feelings. EMDR therapy can facilitate greater self-awareness, more self-compassion, and create a path of concrete strategies to stop engaging in addiction

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.

I know from personal experience how terrifying it is to overcome an addiction, but I truly believe that everyone is capable of change. If you're feeling unsure about taking this step, we can move slowly and work toward the changes you're thinking about making. We will work together to build an individualized treatment plan, and you won't be forced to do anything you don't want to do. There are many different models of recovery, and I don't believe that there's a one size fits all approach. If you're stuck in an addiction and you feel scared and hopeless, I understand how you feel and I can offer you a safe and confidential space to start moving toward recovery.

I worked for many years for a retreat centre and I have seen and worked with many addicts. I think that it is essential that someone suffering from an addiction is wanting help and change for themselves. I help the person with an addiction look at what negative core beliefs created the addiction in the first place.There are many types of addictions and although some take the form of alcohol or drugs, the most insidious are the emotional addictions. Understanding the "pay off" for the addiction is an important component for wanting change. It can also be helpful to work with then family members of an addict to help them understand what they can do to help their family member.

You’ve tried to stop, but you can’t. You know you need to. You hide or pretend it doesn’t exist. Maybe, it’s too late to hide. You’re suffering. You know there’s another way, but you don’t know how to get there. Maybe, I can help. As an Addictions Therapist with over 12 years experience, I have supported people to overcome: alcohol, drug, food, gambling, internet, money, perfectionism, shopping, sex, status and other addictions. Together, we will learn about your destructive impulses and behaviours and transform them into understanding, healthy living, authentic expression, and positivity. Confidentiality is assured.

A person with addiction usually goes straight from feelings into behaviour. And it is usually such an unbearable feeling that the person resorts to 'self-cure', i.e. substance abuse in order to bury it deep down inside. So after building trust, I carefully inquire about the painful events in the person's life. As alcohol and drug abuse is often sustained by denial, the client learns levels of discounting the problem (How am I lying to myself?). Often, clients will embrace alcohol/drugs because they have given up on people; sometimes, they don't know how to protect themselves from poisonous relationships: "discovering a 4-step approach to assertivity" can be of much help!

Drugs, alchol, food ,sex, gambeling...these do not cause addiction. Many people use or have used these in their life and do not become addicted. Some people are much more vunerable to addiction than others. I understand this and work form a bio/phycho/social and mostly spiritual model. I have worked for many years with people in recovery...YOU can recover and re build your life now, you can have the life you deserve. If you or a loved one is suffering because of addiction please call me or go to any AA NA or ALONON meeting that you can.

Beneath every addiction is trauma. This means that the trauma is the issue and the addiction is the symptom. Working from this perspective requires connecting with the client so they can feel the strength and support that will be necessary to face the pain that drives the addiction. Healing the pain is the path to recovery.

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.

If you struggle with any form of addictive behavior I can help you regain control over your life. In therapy you will learn to identify your triggers and permission giving thoughts, manage cravings, regulate your nervous system, self-soothe distressing feelings, cope with stress, prevent relapse, and deal with underlying issues such as childhood abuse, trauma, and mental illness.

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.