Addiction Therapists in Etobicoke, ON.

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.

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.

Addictions are a form of self-medication or self-soothing. When we are stressed or upset about something, we just want to 'feel good.' Addictions are the result of relying for too long on some substance or behavior that 'feels good' - and then turns into a pattern of behavior, or an addiction. The process of therapy for addictions, whether substances, internet porn or other problem behavior that has become an addiction, involves becoming aware of of the 'dis-ease' that resulted in the development of the addiction, and addressing that through your counseling.

I have significant experience working with alcohol, drug, internet, gambling and sex addictions. My goal is to help reduce the harm to you and others and to restore your sense of dignity and integrity, and your feelings of being in control of your own life. You are not require to completely stop your use forever in order to change or access therapy. These choices are yours.

Research indicates there can be both a biological and emotional element to addictions. Addictions can flow through families and can go hand in hand with ADHD as a result of genetic based nutritional deficiencies. An addiction can therefore represent a self-medicating boost in the stimulation of dopamine and other neurotransmitters, creating a desire for more. As research into addictions continues understanding has also grown around the role of relationships in addictions. While unsatisfying relationships and negative emotional dances can be at the root of addiction, healing connected relationships and resolving negative emotional patterns can also facilitate choices which stop the addiction.

Addictive behaviours may feel like comfort to the vacuum left by aloneness or detachment. The feeling of aloneness can start early. Children require a lot of emotional interaction to develop trust that their needs for support and caring will be met. If they don’t experience positive attachments, they may turn their needs for love and caring into physical cravings, which are easier to fill, and develop relationships with their addictions because they're more in control of them than those they look to for love and attention. I create a therapeutic environment in which individuals can deepen their understanding of their feelings and learn to trust their inner resources to connect with others.

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.

Addiction is incredibly difficult for the individual and those close to them. I do not blame or shame anyone. I look for solutions and change. Sometimes interventions are needed. Regardless individuals and families decide what they need. It is important to note that addiction by its very nature makes interventions difficult. To heal imdividuals need to decide to stop destructive behaviours. Even when the behaviours often give relief. Stopping is critical.

Addiction is often born of a coping strategy that has gone awry and taken over much of our lives.I t's not only devastating to the individual with the addiction, but can cause significant harm to our family and friends. It's no wonder why feelings of shame can be so strong when it comes to addiction. Change is not only possible, but likely when you have the right support and are truly ready.

I am a highly trained and experienced Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT), trained by Dr. Patrick Carnes of the International Institute of Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP). I am the only Certified Sex Addiction Therapist for a large area of southern Ontario. I offer programs for both addicts and partners of sex addicts, and hold Men's and Women's Groups . I am experienced in the treatment of all sexual addictions e.g. pornography, cybersex, sexual and emotional affairs, massage parlors, escorts and anonymous sex, etc. I am a facilitator of the Facing the Shadow Recovery Start Kit and an interpreter of sexual addiction tests. For more information see: www.btaylorsolutions.ca.

The Family Enhancement Centre offers therapy and counselling for individuals who are addicted to drugs, alcohol, smoking, gambling, internet or sex, to help them better understand their dependency and to support their efforts to recover. Our addiction counsellors can provide lasting change in dealing with your addiction. We can help you to explore the root triggers of your addiction, which can include emotions, workplace issues, family relationships, and social environments. Call us today to know more about how we can help you!