Addiction Therapists in Burnsville, MN.

I have experience working with individuals who struggle with mental health and chemical health. We look at where things are at and how to address each concern. I look at therapy as building a proverbial toolbox. The tools that fill this toolbox are coping skills. Some things we try will work for you while other coping skills won't. We work together to figure out what will work best for you. You will find that psychotherapy with me addresses your primary concern, not mine! I work with you to identify goals and we work to achieve those goals.

I use a harm reduction/collaborative model for dealing with addiction and substance abuse. Abstinence may be your goal but if it's not, I'll support you in structuring your life to see if you can successfully reduce your use. I'll help you process the shame and negative experiences that are part of addiction and overuse. I'll work with you to identify your needs are and how to meet them in ways that increase feeling connected and cared for, and give you a sense of pride and purpose.

Addictions can overtake your life and pose a signficant barrier to success in multiple areas of living Whether the addiction be to shopping, alcohol, or even food, these addictive objects can be used as tools to numb your sense of feeling. My experience indicates that people battling addictions tend to be highly sensitive by nature and thus, when overwhelmed, may seek ways to lessen this intensity of feeling through means outside of themselves. Our work together can focus on building healthier ways for you to manage and cope with strong emotions, lessen both your fear and/or avoidance of emotions, promote healing and trust building, and limit the influence of addiction on your life.

I work with a wide variety of addictive and compulsive behaviors. These include chemical, sexual, eating, shopping, Internet, gambling and relationship addiction problems. I have 35 years clinical & teaching experience in the field and I’m the founder of the Addiction Psychology PhD program at Capella University. Not all addictions are the same, there is no one size fits all approach that is always effective. I’ll take time to understand the true nature of your problems and work with you to design a plan that will help you in make the changes that are needed. I will use a collaborative vs. confrontive approach to working with you. Contact me with your questions about how i can help.

Addiction and chemical abuse often have impacts that extend beyond one person and are rooted in a variety of life experiences and unmet mental health needs. Chemical dependency can become detrimental not only to the individual who is using and also to the person's loved ones. It is important to acknowledge that accountability is core intervention needed to resolve the many impacts of addiction/chemical abuse issues. There must be accountability for the individual, the loved ones who may be enabling behaviors and the loved ones who recognize there is an issue however may feel uncertain or uneasy about bringing the issue up directly.

If you are feeling controlled by your addiction and feel like you are losing your quality of life, I provide individual therapy for various addictions such as food and alcohol. While in therapy you can begin to learn about this out of control aspect of yourself. Addictions are a sign of a need for help and intervention. Coming to understand what this part of your life serves for you and it's destructiveness is part of the healing. Often shame, grief and depression inhibit the ability to reach out for help. Breaking this cylce and reaching out for professional help can be the first step to change.

I work with the families of those who are struggling with chemical dependence, including: spouses & partners, adult siblings, parents of teenagers and adults, adult children, as well as intergenerational family units, as well as couples who are struggling with the challenges of relationship and recovery. Addiction is called a family disease, because it affects the relationships of everyone in the family. If a person trying to recover, but their family isn’t working just as hard to change, chances are recovery won’t last. I work to provide education around addiction, relationships, and recovery, as well as teach new skills to deal with the anxiety that often accompanies them.

We can support your recovery with skills. We encourage those of our clients whom struggle with addiction, to use skills to manage their emotions and distress, while participating in individual therapy, community sobriety programs, and their community as a whole. We can support you recovery through encouragement and accountability. Our therapist are DBT informed and we offer phone coaching.

I have experience working with people on all types of addictions. I am comfortable working from an abstinence or a harm reduction model. People struggling with addictions benefit from my use of Solution Focused Therapy and Narrative Therapy to reduce the influence of shame and to increase the level of agency they feel they have over their addiction.

I view addiction as the compulsive overuse of a self-prescribed stress management tool. The addiction may be to a person, activity, or substance. But regardless of how addiction manifests itself, the goal is to understand what the client gets out of it, and find healthier, sustainable ways to manage their stress. But regardless, but in addiction counseling is to assess the compulsive behavior, so I can understand where it comes from and what keeps .

Are your family members or friends concerned with your alcohol or drug use? Are you ready to make a change? Are you worried that your substance use is damaging your relationships? Together, we will explore your underlying reasons for using substances, while working to understand and manage the triggers that hinder your recovery process. I offer individual, couple, and family therapy to help you overcome addiction while strengthening your support system as you progress toward health.

As a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor this is my Passion Area of Counseling. I work with clients to identify their “Future Vision” or what they want their life to look like 5 years down the line in their recovery. I have found over time that clients seem much more motivated to work on maintaining their recovery goals, when they have a clear vision of what they are working toward. I find it much more effective than focusing on the Consequences of Relapse Prevention. Clients are guided to develop their own customized recovery programs that they can invest in, because it is theirs. We examine addictive behavior patterns to identify potential problems areas to reduce reoccurrence.

You have made the first step toward recovery but identifying that you may have a problem. We will work together to identify the issues you have that contribute to the need to "medicate" away your pain. In addition we will work on skills to prevent relapse. Each client is unique and your path to wellness will be unique based on your specific goals. We work with clients who are in 12-step programs and those who choose Harm Reduction models.