Therapy Services

Counseling

Our group offers individual, couples and family counseling. With a comfortable and supportive atmosphere, clients achieve the personal growth they’re striving for.

Treatment specialization includes:

• Addiction Treatment
• Addiction Intervention Services
• Depression and Anxiety
• Trauma and Abuse Victim Recovery
• Medical and Health Concerns

Substance Abuse/Addiction Therapy

Addiction is challenging to treat and many people suffering form addiction find it difficult to seek-out and accept help. Many people who are addicts or are abusing substances do not feel that it is a problem for them but rather for those who can not accept their usage as OK. There is the challenge when trying to get help for a loved one; how to get them to accept help.

Anyone who has been through some form of treatment may have encountered a focus on abstinence and 12 step meetings as a primary approach to treatment. Or perhaps they have tried to stop on their own with limited to no success. Our approach to treatment is with a philosophy of "whatever it takes". As Mark Twain said "it is easier to stay there than to get there" and with addiction nothing could be more true. Shame and embarrassment are a part of why people do not seek treatment. Other reasons are that they do not want to give up their drug of choice to suffer the emotions with no coping mechanism. This leads to our approach to treatment, which to focus on the reason for usage and not the behavior itself.

It is important for me to give the client a sense of collaboration and partnership in the counseling relationship. This is accomplished in three ways. First, I have spent the last 16 years treating addiction and so I possess a thorough knowledge of addiction and the lifestyles of addicts. Second, no matter how much of an expert I am in the field, I fully understand that it is the client who is the expert in discussing his or her own life. I never judge but look at each individual as having issues that are unique to them and I am focused on their narrative and more interested in how they came to be in my office than deciding what is important about their life for them. Third, I convey to the client that he or she has an ally in the struggle to break the cycle of addiction. Their relationship with me as a counselor is a collaborative one and based on what we refer to in the counseling wold as the therapeutic alliance. This simply means that we are in this together not as two people with one in charge and the other following instructions.

Intervention Services

Intervention is a proven, successful process that has enabled thousands of addicts to receive treatment despite the fact that they have already refused to do so. Their addictions can be to alcohol and other mood altering drugs as well as to food, anorexia, gambling, internet, sex and others. Contrary to myth, people do not have to hit bottom in order to receive help. Sometimes that is too late. An intervention, by breaking through the denial of the addict succeeds in “bringing the bottom up” by creating a crisis. Through clear, detailed, often documented information, presented in a loving, firm and supportive way the person is able to see the effect their addiction has had on everyone who is important to him/her as well as on their own lives

We follow the Johnson Model of intervention in most cases. This model focuses on the positive aspects of the addict’s personality and the negative changes that occur as a result of their addiction. Specific examples of their behavior are presented in a loving, caring approach with the intent of breaking through their denial of their addiction. The group, together as a unit, all reinforcing the same caring message has an positive effect on the addict and on average, more than 90% of addicts will then accept treatment.. Should they decline, the group is prepared to provide serious consequences that will make a considerable negative impact on his/her life. This leverage often is sufficient to convince them. There are other times when the Johnson Model is not right for the client. When that is the case we will follow the Motivational Interviewing (MI) Model or the Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) Model.

Which ever model is followed the overall goal is, of course, to get your loved one into treatment and then for them to successfully complete treatment and start to walk the path of sobriety. The initial treatment (residential or outpatient) is just the beginning of the process. As part of the intervention services I also include six months of follow -up with the client as well as working with the family to help them find and actively participate in effective aftercare. Addiction is a disease that affects the entire family and so treatment must include the entire family.

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