Addiction Therapists in Compton, CA.

I specialize in helping people who are struggling with addiction. I provide a safe, empathic environment that will enable us to build a trusting relationship that you can come to depend on instead of dependency on a substance. Through our relationship, you can learn to explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors so that you can learn how to tolerate and regulate them without a substance.

Addiction is complex and encompasses many entities. One of them is the participation in an AA program, another one the therapist. I can help on the therapeutic side, as addiction is often connect to underlying trauma. We will work through the trauma and the tools needed, while AA provides the tools required for sobriety. It's an ongoing process, providing growth and stability over time.

Addiction is a mental health condition and I treat addiction by a multi-pronged process predominately from a Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) model. I help my clients understand the reasons they use a substance or engage in an addictive behavior, teach them skills regulate their emotions and tolerance distress that might otherwise lead them to engage in their addiction, and address any underlying issues that contribute to their addiction. I also help clients with with concerns about their substance use or compulsive behavior to avoid developing addictions.

Most often, nothing becomes an issue until it starts to interfere with your own level of functioning. Depending on the level of addiction, may depend on your level of treatment. Outpatient therapy is focused on those who are more stable within their addiction, and are wanting continued accountability and personal growth as their focus. Treatment may be more collaborative at this level (psychiatrist, physician, sponsor) to ensure that progress is continuing. Types of addiction treated in my practice: drug/alcohol use, food/exercise, shopping and co-dependency issues.

The benefits of Addiction Counseling and Treatment are manifold. Too often individuals are controlled by substances in their life and don't feel free to make their own choices. People can be addicted to everything from drugs, to caffeine, to shopping, to gambling, to alcohol, etc. Addiction counseling is about understanding the need one may feel to be attached to a substance. Counseling focuses on developing other coping skills to manage ones' life without depending on a substance to get through each day.

Addictions are beyond our understanding. Together, we can walk through the path of your life to help make sense of what you are trying to relieve through addictive behaviors. Whether your addiction is chemical, eating, sexual, pornography, gambling, or internet/gaming related, I can help you understand why you are making the choice of avoidance, even though it doesn't feel like a choice.

If you're battling an addiction, know that you're not alone. My sessions offer a supportive environment to explore the triggers and underlying reasons behind your addiction. We'll work together to develop healthy coping mechanisms to manage cravings and build relapse-prevention strategies. This might involve exploring past traumas, managing stress, or identifying alternative ways to cope with difficult emotions. My goal is to empower you to take control of your life and build a future free from addiction.

I do not work with severe drug and alcohol addiction. I work with clients who are able to function, yet finding it becoming more difficult and needing to stop their behavior before they hit bottom. We use cognitive behaviorial techniques to protect them from acting out and build up a support network. We also begin to explore soothing and coping techniques which are needed and missing.

I strongly believe that the first step in overcoming an addiction is to feel supported in a safe and comforting therapeutic environment. Without trust, it is nearly impossible to address the issues, including shame, that so often accompany substance abuse. My approach is to help my clients learn to identify the thoughts and beliefs (often negative thoughts about themselves and their lives) that lead them to turn to drugs or alcohol. Treatment helps the client unlearn old patterns of behavior and to learn new ways of coping with situations and thoughts that may have led them to use substances in the past.

My evidence-based treatments will help you to stop uncontrollable behaviors and obsessions that feel secretive, shaming, and abusive. Our sessions will focus on giving you the tools you need to stop these painful and troublesome patterns and move on to your blissful life! I provide individual therapy to support my clients with: Alcoholism Prescription and non-prescription drug abuse Sex addiction Gambling and trading addiction Shopping addictions I welcome the uniqueness of each patient who comes through my door!

Addiction can ruin lives. Whether it is a substance (like alcohol of drugs) or a behavior (like eating or gambling) it stimulates that part of or brain that is the reward center and makes us feel pleasure. Humans, not surprisingly, like all animals, seek pleasure and avoid pain. We can get addicted to such a degree that we lose sight of the important things in our lives; our family, friend, job etc. Anything and everything can get side-lined by our addiction. Breaking free can be hard, it can involve many attempts and yet the rewards are enormous. I don't have the magic bullet but I can walk alongside you and help you on the path to recovery and sobriety.

I prefer to steer well clear of the term "addict." Addict is a word that carries the power to define people in a way that does not reflect their own wishes nor come close to reflecting the totality of their lives. My approach is first to recognize the power, and the allure, of the many substances available for abuse. I will be curious to learn about your journey and relationship with substances, and how you hope to see your relationship in the future.