Addiction Therapists in Hermosa Beach, CA.

Seeking treatment for alcohol and/or drug addiction is a courageous undertaking. I have 20 years experience treating patients who suffer from alcohol and addiction from cocaine, heroine, crystal methamphetamine, marijuana and prescription medication addictions. Individuals often have an underlying symptom of depression and anxiety for which alcohol and drugs provide some relief. I integrate psychotherapy and encourage participation in AA, NA or other 12 step programs to provide additional support for sustaining sobriety. Many patients often abuse alcohol and drugs and wish not to use the 12 step programs or desire complete sobriety. Psychotherapy can be beneficial in decreasing abuse.

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.

I specialize in hypnosis and meditation to help you on your journey towards recovery. These methods have great benefits for overcoming compulsive behaviors and replacing them with positive habits. Through counseling, you can find support, discover coping strategies, take steps to prevent a relapse and gain insight into creating and repairing healthy relationships. Together, we can create a safe environment for you to develop a healthy routine and stay on the path of lasting recovery.

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!

Are you abusing, addicted, or not sure? Are you concerned about substances (alcohol, pot, cocaine, meth), behaviors (sex, porn, computers, gambling, spending, cutting), or both? Together, we can see if these issues are really a problem for you. If you’re having problems in these areas, we can sort it out and deal with it. Some people benefit from 12-step programs, and others don’t want them. I can work either way. Together, we’ll see what triggers you, how you deal with them, what works, what doesn’t, what situations affect your using and not using, and how this ties in with your earlier life. We’ll see what helps you to cope, where that works and doesn’t, and what other options might be.

Addiction can be a tricky and slippery issue to deal with due to its nonlogical nature. I know this from personal experience because I dealt with with addiction issues before becoming a psychotherapist. It is this combination of personal and professional experience that makes me uniquely qualified to help people recover from this particular issue. With the aid of tools like EMDR CBT and guided visualizations I can help you overcome this issue and heal from the issues that drive it. Additionally, I can provide tools, coping skills, and other resources to help you manage particular issues while I’m helping you heal.

Are you struggling with addictive lifestyle behaviors around food, exercise, gambling, shopping or sex? If so you may feel like your out-of-control. A part of you may know you have to stop this behavior or your life will be a mess, but you can't seem to do it. Are you filled with broken promises to yourself to change? So why not get help? I use a task-centered approach to behavioral addictions. It is a structured path that leads to recovery. It is a step by step approach that has helped others change their lives. Do the tasks and get better. It is simple but not easy. Don't wait until it is too late. If your ready to change then give me a call.

The long-term goals for working with addiction consists of improving the quality of life for clients by maintaining ongoing abstinence. Therapy assists clients in identifying the negative ways that using has impacted their lives. Treatment consists of educating client's about the disease, decreasing resistance and denial, finding ways to obtain sobriety, identifying triggers for relapse, and finding social and emotional support to overcome their addiction. My approach is to assess the type and severity of the addiction and provide my clients with referrals necessary to help them in the journey for recovery.

I work with individuals navigating addiction through a compassionate, nonjudgmental lens. Whether it's substance use, disordered eating, or compulsive behaviors, I help clients explore the underlying emotional and relational patterns that fuel their struggles. My approach integrates mindfulness, parts work, and trauma-informed care to support both accountability and self-compassion. Together, we work to reduce shame, build healthier coping tools, and reconnect with what truly matters. Healing from addiction is possible, and you don’t have to do it alone.

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.

Does it feel like sex or a substance is out of your control? Maybe it feels compulsive, it's the fix for sadness, hurt, anger and stress its also what you’ve used to increase your joy, peace and good feeling. Whether you call it addiction or just problematic, you're reading this because you're hoping things could be better. I'm here to tell you they can be. Together we will work to understand what's really going on and get you to a place where you feel a sustained sense of goodness. If you're ready--let's connect. I'd love to meet you and see how I can help.

Are you struggling with addiction and feeling misunderstood? Do you believe that if someone truly understood you, you could turn things around? Addiction isn’t just about stopping—it's about uncovering the deeper issues driving it. Together, we’ll build healthier coping mechanisms to replace your addiction, offering you support along the way. Once you feel more stable, we’ll explore the root causes behind your addiction and work through what’s really been troubling you.

I believe that as we grow up we are shaped by our relationships; this starts from the time we are little and continues for the rest of our lives. Through these relationships we are also shaped by society. In being shaped we create various meaning from our experiences as well as receiving and giving instructions on how to live. When we form new relationships of any kind, this gets challenged; coming together and finding a path forward that celebrates all involved is the key to success. Sometimes this gets stalled through unspoken expectations and anticipated or unanticipated pressure related to shame. Lets explore this!