Addiction

I've worked in the field for addiction for 10 years, specializing in substance abuse, behavioral addictions, and now digital media overuse (gaming addiction, internet addiction, spending addiction, social media addiction, and internet addiction.) While some people only struggle with one type of digital media overuse, many struggle with multiple types of problematic behaviors with technology. It's not technology that is the problem in and of itself, it’s what it replaces that is problematic.

As an individual in long-term recovery, I intimately understand the challenges of getting and staying sober from alcohol and other substances. Loss of friends and your social circle, persistent feelings of isolation, and finding new means of coping with difficult situations/emotions/stress are just a few of the issues I tackle with clients in recovery. I am uniquely equipped to help both newly sober individuals as well as those in long-term recovery.

Maybe you're drinking a little more than you would like. Drinking can temporally take away our worries or stress, as well as providing comfort and confidence. However, drinking can also numb our feelings and affect relationships, our sleep, cognition, and our health. Together we can explore what you're drinking is providing you, while looking at a moderation management program or becoming sober.

As an individual in long-term recovery, I intimately understand the challenges of getting and staying sober from alcohol and other substances. Loss of friends and your social circle, persistent feelings of isolation, and finding new means of coping with difficult situations/emotions/stress are just a few of the issues I tackle with clients in recovery. I am uniquely equipped to help both newly sober individuals as well as those in long-term recovery.

Addiction is a "relapseable, chronic, progressive and often fatal disease." It affects everyone in the family - so it's called "a family disease." Addiction is also a Brain Disease - affecting your thinking, judgment, perception, decision-making, and moods. And then there's "Recovery" & being "Clean and Sober." We'll talk...

I have 27 years' experience working in addictions.

I am a Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor (CADC) in the state of Illinois, having completed a specialized addiction counselor training program in graduate school and accumulating years of experience in the addiction treatment field. I recognize that addiction is most often the result of deep-seated pain, and I work with my clients to reduce the harms associated with substance use, clarify and connect with their substance use goals, and alleviate the pain that underlies addiction.

Addiction is a "relapseable, chronic, progressive and often fatal disease." It affects everyone in the family - so it's called "a family disease." Addiction is also a Brain Disease - affecting your thinking, judgment, perception, decision-making, and moods. And then there's "Recovery" & being "Clean and Sober."

Since 2010 I have worked with addiction treatment. Much of my experience is working at an all women's treatment facility as a counselor, a program manager, and a director. This includes working with co-occurring disorders that often are part of the puzzle when solving issues of addiction. I have lived experience in this area.

I provide counseling for clients who have achieved some form of sobriety and abstinence from drugs and alcohol. In early recovery, some incidences may trigger you to want to go back to what was once comfortable through your active addiction. This is why continued addiction counseling is crucial. Substances and alcohol are used to help put uncomfortable feelings to sleep. I can help by guiding you to tolerate and integrate uncomfortable feelings rather than using substances to keep them down.

Addiction is a "relapseable, chronic, progressive and often fatal disease." It affects everyone in the family - so it's "a family disease." Addiction is also a Brain Disease - affecting your thinking, judgment, perception, decision-making, and moods. And then there's "Recovery" & being "Clean and Sober."

I have experience working with folks in recovery from substance use disorders at an inpatient facility. In my current practice, I take a harm reduction approach and strongly believe that each person needs an individualized plan for recovery. Typically, substance use is a symptom of another underlying hardship or trauma. I work with clients to heal the underlying cause while also working to build coping skills to help manage the substance use itself.

When it comes to working with different types of addictions some starting question are: 1. What is the person trying to escape? 2. Where is the emotional pain coming from? 3. What purpose does the addiction serve? 4. What was life like before the addiction? I help people emotionally navigate through these questions and arrive to their own inner-clarity and truth about themselves and the relationship they have with their substance/behavior addictions.

You may have been to treatment or achieved sobriety on your own. But you’re realizing that getting sober isn’t the same as staying sober…and that’s what you really hope to do. You’re likely already aware of some of the stressors or triggers that can arise, and you know how important it is to be prepared to navigate those before you encounter them. Substance abuse counseling is a safe, non-judgmental, and supportive space to help you achieve your goal of long-term sobriety.

I've spent years of my career developing recovery program for people who use substances to escape or feel better. We will assess the degree of the issue. We do not require abstinence; we move toward harm reduction using motivational interviewing.

Addiction is a "relapseable, chronic, progressive and often fatal disease." Addiction affects everyone in the family - so it's called "a family disease." Addiction is also a Brain Disease - affecting your thinking, judgment, perception, decision-making, and moods. When your family gets into Recovery too, it's easier for you to stay clean and sober, AND, if your family doesn't want to, you can still enjoy your own "Recovery." You can have a better, easier, healthier life being clean & sober.