Top addiction therapists in 98221: Anacortes, WA.

I consider myself an expert in addiction therapy. My focus is not the addictive substance or activity. I focus on the root cause for why you engage in the various activities for the purpose of self-medication. As we flesh out the emotional and traumatic scars from past life events, you will find that your desire to self-medicate reduces significantly.

In his persuasive TED talk, Johann Hari explains, "the opposite of addiction isn't sobriety, it's connection". Whatever we're addicted to, we have a love relationship with (albeit a destructive and unhelpful one). As humans we need connection like we need food and water. Some of us find it in gambling, pornography, drugs, alcohol, workaholism or video games. The new science of addiction empowers me to help clients do more than abstain from addictions. It reveals how begin transforming your relationship to addiction, freeing you to turn toward, and fully invest in healthy and rewarding interests and relationships.

Addiction is a mental health condition and I treat addiction by a multi-pronged process predominately from a Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) model. I help my clients understand the reasons they use a substance or engage in an addictive behavior, teach them skills regulate their emotions and tolerance distress that might otherwise lead them to engage in their addiction, and address any underlying issues that contribute to their addiction. I also help clients with with concerns about their substance use or compulsive behavior to avoid developing addictions.