Addiction Therapists in Argyle, MB.

Addictions are a way of coping with deep, unrelenting emotional pain. You may be self-medicating to avoid the painful thoughts and feelings often arising out of traumatic childhood experiences. Whether the addiction is to alcohol, drugs, pornography, sex, shopping or gambling the purpose is the same. You are desperately attempting to avoid debilitating emotional pain. Therapy can help you identify and resolve the underlying negative emotions that trigger your addiction. You can learn to control your urges and initiate alternate, healthy responses. You can feel physically and mentally healthier. You can develop a positive sense of self, and re-establish loving relationships.

As a counsellor with years of experience working with addiction and its effects on the family, I have the skills to help you gain insights, change your behaviours, heal your pain and recover a sense of wholeness for life. My goal is to help you find a way out of the bondage of self hate, shame, and pain that is often caused by living with addiction. I believe that with hard work, you can regain the hope that this disease steals.

Addictions of any kind rob not just the one with the addiction but make victims of all who are a part of that person's life. Addictive behaviour runs deep and requires discernment and expertise to fully reconcile its harmful effects emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally and relationally. But, it is surely worth the work to root it out and bring peace and freedom for all.

Many approaches to addiction emphasize willpower and deprivation, but this only works temporarily. Alcohol, substances, or other addictive behaviours like gambling and gaming offer short-term relief of underlying issues at a long-term cost to one's relationships and health. As an addiction counsellor, I can help you resolve underlying issues, regain control, and build a sense of meaning and purpose, so you can start living the life you want. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to addiction recovery. I meet each client where they are at, tailoring my approach to each person's unique needs. Send me a message and we can connect for a quick call to discuss next steps.

I work with addictions from a transtheoretical model of therapy. This approach is a model that embraces intentional change; client's decide what change they want to embrace. I focus on the decision making of the individual client, along with assessing an individual's readiness to act on a new healthier behaviour. I also explore and provide strategies for change, or processes for change. This guides my clients through the various stages of change. This is done in a client centered manner, essentially empowering my client's to embrace life in a new, healthy, and fulfilling way.

What emotions are your addiction trying to mask? What are you escaping from? Is your addiction costing you your relationship, your family, your work? Your addiction or dependency, is serving a purpose. Let’s explore, understand and uncover what that purpose is and what the core issues are. It’s time to lead a healthier and more intentional life.

As a therapist, I have extensive experience in working with addictions of all types. Having worked for 7 years in residential addiction treatment, I understand the challenges of getting sober. I have worked with families enduring, done interventions, worked with community halfway housing, and am a drug and alcohol educator with CODA (Council on Drug Abuse). Whether it be drug, alcohol, gambling, sexual addiction, I can help.

Trying quit, but just can't? Dr. Don Russell knows that quitting a bad habit or addiction doesn't come without skill, and support. Dr. Russell uses a scientifically proven revolutionary approach to curb the urge, and change the thoughts and feelings that drive the addiction. "I never thought I could get rid of this" is a comment Dr. Russell often hears as people begin to experience of being free of the urge and the habit. Best of all this doesn't come through willpower alone. It comes from cutting edge therapy in a safe, supportive enviroment.