Addiction Therapists in Clearview, ON.

I work with family members supporting or living with someone with an addiction. I help them find ways to support themselves and their loved one, while staying safe and healthy themselves. We will look at communication, boundaries, self care, handling crisis, getting help. We will also spend time discussing healthy ways to respond when someone you love has an addiction. You are not alone.

Many research studies have confirmed that addictive behaviors are usually caused by underlying feelings of anxiety. In other words, if you have developed an addictive behavior (i. gambling, substance dependency, etc), there is great likelihood that you experience excess feelings of worry and anxiety. Psychotherapy can specifically offer you strategies to manage the addictive behavior while helping reduce the feelings of anxiety that fuel and perpetuate the addictive behavior. Typically therapeutic modalities that help anxiety management (Mindfulness stress reduction, EMDR) have promising effects on treating various types of addiction.

We all have patterns that take on a life of their own; drive us toward harm rather than good. Addiction is most usefully understood in this way. It can show up as a substance or behaviour that may merely draw our attention too often or dominate our waking hours. All addiction arises from attempts (conscious or not) to survive otherwise unbearable situations by distracting ourselves from thoughts or feelings that we become deeply afraid to face. Through increased awareness and understanding of what we are running from, building our resilience & developing skills to face those buried experiences, you can become whole again and get back in control of your choices.

Addiction can be scary. Addiction issues can be wide and vary. To name a few: alcohol and drug abuse, gambling, food, pornography, etc., can easily consume our lives. Part of the difficulties is understanding one’s journey through the continuum of addiction….from indulgence to over-indulgence to true addiction. Besides a behavioral approach, most importantly we need to understand why we enter into this cycle of dependency. These two weapons will help us to take our lives back and protect us from re-entering into our addictive cycle.

My approach to addiction utilizes a variety of methods including psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and emotion-based therapy. In working with addiction, individuals may struggle in different ways, and as a result, the solution needs to be person-specific. My approach includes a root-cause analysis that explores the underpinnings of the addiction towards a sustainable solution for treatment.

Many addictions stem from underlying issues or experiences that an individual has gone through in the past. By exploring these experiences, clients are able to better understand why they may have turned to substances or unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with these issues. I strive to help clients develop more healthy coping mechanisms, build a more desired future and redevelop severed or strained relationships from their past.

Addiction usually has two dimensions: the effects of the habit and the reason for starting the habit.With backup medical assistance we will identify the triggers for your behaviour. We will change your thinking and actions around your behaviour cycle. If you are honest and transparent about the addiction with your hard work, our support and community based agencies, if needed, success will be attainable.

If we do something repeatedly, that we would rather not do, then we have an addiction. The problem with addictions is that people get hurt. The addicted person may not recognize the seriousness of their situation, but eventually both the addict and their loved ones suffer tremendously in a state of helplessness. Many families have been destroyed from addictive behaviour such as substance addiction (drugs/alcohol), gambling, sexual addictions, gaming/internet addictions. A counsellor can help. Workshops, groups, individual or family counselling can assist in breaking the devastating cycle of addiction. Coping skills and emotional awareness to negotiate compelling urges and compulsive in

Approaches to addressing addictions really vary from one treatment setting to another. My approach focuses on helping people manage their addictions. Not everyone chooses abstinence, and not everyone needs to. In fact, for many problem drinkers learning to become a controlled drinker can offer a more sustainable way of living. I tend to work with people to help them manage their addictions in a way that is sustainable, and in a way that works for their personal situation.

I have had extensive experience working in front-line settings such as Vancouver’s Downtown East Side in the addictions field and have become highly familiar working with both abstinence-based and harm-reduction approaches to addiction and concurrent mental health concerns. It’s important to me that my approach is client-centred, meaning that I work from the individual client’s goals and degree of readiness. My therapeutic approach integrates mindfulness, CBT, the Stages of Change Model, and trauma counselling. I also help clients explore the underlying factors contributing to the addictive behaviours and teach alternative coping strategies in order to promote lasting change.

At MCCG we provide addiction counselling for those who feel they have lost their way and are struggling to gain control in their lives. Our therapists provide empathic support and guidance, along with a nonjudgemental atmosphere, to help those who want to make a change. We are committed to helping you implement the changes necessary for long term success.

It is important to better educate yourself on alcohol and drugs, or any addiction you may have, increasing your awareness of how it affects your life, what puts you at risk of the behaviour, how to reduce the behaviour, and how to reduce stress. I will help you examine your thoughts and emotions and learn how these inner experiences affect how you behave, how you interact with others, and how others see you. It is important to manage cravings and temptations to behave in harmful ways, and to meet your basic needs with a healthy lifestyle. A major focus is also to meet and socialize with people who do not have an addiction or substance abuse problem.

We view addictions compassionately, as a symptom of unresolved emotional pain or trauma, and offer an alternative to traditional AA/12-step models. Our therapists can support you in the journey towards processing and healing the underlying hurts that are resulting in addictions as a coping strategy. Together, we can build the emotional regulation, distress tolerance and impulse management skills on the inside that can reduce the reliance on addictions on the outside, so that pain isn't so overwhelming. We are trauma-focused and can help you navigate the complex interplay of shame, triggers, anxiety, secrecy, codependency, body sensations, relationship dynamics and relapse patterns.