Addiction Therapists in El Cerrito, CA.

Are you sitting with feelings of shame, guilt, regret, angst, or fear in regards to your battle with addiction? Have you been through one program after another, but keep resorting to the same old patterns that ultimately lead to relapse? Are you struggling to understand what has you turning to drugs time and time again despite your various efforts to abstain? I specialize in working with people through profound shame and helping them understand the various ways it manifests in their lives. I work with those battling addiction in trying to understand their patterns and thirst for something more in life by getting them to focus more deeply on the complex issues they face in a safe space.

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.

Addiction is usually the symptom, not directly the problem. Addiction is usually present initially because someone has really hard experiences and feelings that they are trying to escape from. But once we find a substance or behavior, it can be physiologically and emotionally/psychologically addictive. The addiction is so hard to break partly because it helps relieve us of the thoughts and feeling that we don't want to or even can't deal with. Don't beat yourself up for having addictive tendencies. A large portion of our community does. I can help you find relief, understanding and compassion as you evolve to a more nourishing and growthful existence. You're not alone.

There are so many different approaches to treating substance abuse and addiction. Without shame or judgement I work with clients to help them uncover the underlying pain that often maintains addictive behaviors. I encourage clients to take back control of their lives by exploring and understanding their unique relationship with the addictive substance or behavior. Clients can learn to make different, healthier choices and will begin to feel that they really do deserve a better way of life. This increase in self worth and new found peace can guide clients as they heal from within and work to improve the relationships in their lives.

Addictions are highly entrenched behavioral patterns that seem to take on a life of their own. I view addictive patterns as ways that parts of ourselves are trying to fill unmet needs, search for comfort, relieve stress/tension and sometimes to express a powerful urge to be independent or defiant. In addition to encouraging group supports such as AA/NA, I use body awareness to help us identify triggers and to allow them to act out/ express themselves in sessions. This lessens the likelihood that they will be acted in the world- and fills in the unmet needs. I also teach ways of grounding in our body, and holding a strong stance, so that we can contain the urges when they arise.

Addiction can be a powerful force that can quickly take over your life and can lead to many negative consequences. Trying to understand your addiction(s) and the underlying reasons that led you to this way of coping can be the beginning of more control and management of these behaviors. It can be difficult to look at behaviors that have caused harm, hurt and shame. Together we can work through this process and I will support you throughout.

I am a Substance Abuse Professional, providing assessment and referral for treatment for individuals who have failed drug and or alcohol tests at work. DOT and safety sensitive work requires drug and alcohol testing to ensure the safety of the public. Once a positive test is returned, there is a procedure that must be followed for assessment, referral and follow up. Please contact me for further information on this specialization.

Are you having difficulty coping with stress and find yourself repeatedly doing those unhealthy things that you want to quit? This does not have to be a full-blown "addiction" to substance but maybe you find yourself having problems stopping yourself. If so this is the perfect time to get some help to understand what you need and how to stop those habits.

I see addiction from the perspective of what is called "The Hungry Ghost". That when we aren't fed the nourishment we need as children, love, support, being seen, heard, cared for and held safe, that we then feel a huge hole in our psyche's. And when we have not experienced the natural highs of intimacy and love in relationships, we will naturally find a replacement for that feeling in an addiction. The solution is not to shame the addict, but help them see that there addiction is simply Mal-adaptive, and to help guide them to get their needs met with health intimacy. In other words to show them that once they find healthy ways to meet their needs they won't need the addiction.

I welcome those who have had previous experience in a recovery program, and now wish to use counseling to strengthen sobriety and rebuild self confidence and self esteem. The goal: to work through the painful emotional experiences that led to addictive behavior, and to develop a solid foundation for the future. I also welcome adult family members who are seeking help relating to a loved one who is currently engaged in the recovery process. The goal is to identify codependent emotional patterns and enabling behaviors, so that healthy interpersonal boundaries and deeper intimacy can be reestablished. Please visit KinseyLeaseCounseling.com for more.

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.

Addiction can be layered with loss, grief, and isolation. It might seem impossible to give up or reduce something that has felt so central to your life. I will provide a safe and nonjudgemental space for us to explore your experience and to create change and movement. My style is warm, empathic, and collaborative. By making links between your past and present experience we can develop and increase understanding and awareness and create space for something new to happen.

For many people who did not get the emotional support and security that they needed as a child, drugs, alcohol, and other compulsive behaviors can become a powerful way to experience a sense of calm, comfort, and internal cohesion. Ultimately, however, these same substances that once offered somewhat of a haven and a comfort, become a source of great stress, anguish and upheaval. I try to help my clients understand both how this behavior serves them and the damage that it has done to them and to get them to the point where they feel capable of giving it up because they have the tools available to help them to cope without it.