Addiction Therapists in Paramount, CA.

Addiction can be a tricky and slippery issue to deal with due to its nonlogical nature. I know this from personal experience because I dealt with with addiction issues before becoming a psychotherapist. It is this combination of personal and professional experience that makes me uniquely qualified to help people recover from this particular issue. With the aid of tools like EMDR CBT and guided visualizations I can help you overcome this issue and heal from the issues that drive it. Additionally, I can provide tools, coping skills, and other resources to help you manage particular issues while I’m helping you heal.

Most often, nothing becomes an issue until it starts to interfere with your own level of functioning. Depending on the level of addiction, may depend on your level of treatment. Outpatient therapy is focused on those who are more stable within their addiction, and are wanting continued accountability and personal growth as their focus. Treatment may be more collaborative at this level (psychiatrist, physician, sponsor) to ensure that progress is continuing. Types of addiction treated in my practice: drug/alcohol use, food/exercise, shopping and co-dependency issues.

I strongly believe that the first step in overcoming an addiction is to feel supported in a safe and comforting therapeutic environment. Without trust, it is nearly impossible to address the issues, including shame, that so often accompany substance abuse. My approach is to help my clients learn to identify the thoughts and beliefs (often negative thoughts about themselves and their lives) that lead them to turn to drugs or alcohol. Treatment helps the client unlearn old patterns of behavior and to learn new ways of coping with situations and thoughts that may have led them to use substances in the past.

I specialize in helping people who are struggling with addiction. I provide a safe, empathic environment that will enable us to build a trusting relationship that you can come to depend on instead of dependency on a substance. Through our relationship, you can learn to explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors so that you can learn how to tolerate and regulate them without a substance.

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.

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.

I prefer to steer well clear of the term "addict." Addict is a word that carries the power to define people in a way that does not reflect their own wishes nor come close to reflecting the totality of their lives. My approach is first to recognize the power, and the allure, of the many substances available for abuse. I will be curious to learn about your journey and relationship with substances, and how you hope to see your relationship in the future.

Battling an addiction is one of the hardest hurdles to overcome because you basically have two enormous issues to work through. You have the addiction, which is an overpowering urge to engage in a particular activity despite it’s negative consequences and then you have the issue underneath that you’re attempting to cope with by means of the addiction. Therefore, my approach is to work with the client on reducing the addictive behaviors so we can explore the root cause of it. Obviously elimination of the addiction is the goal, but sometimes just slowly reducing it is enough to begin work on the underlying cause. Benefits of this would be gaining back your control over your life.

My approach to addiction therapy is holistic and compassionate. I understand that addiction is a complex issue that affects not only the individual struggling with substance abuse, but also their loved ones. Together, we will work to identify the root causes of the addiction and develop coping strategies to overcome it. We will also address any co-occurring mental health issues that may be contributing to the addiction. My goal is to provide a safe and supportive environment for individuals to work through their addiction, while also addressing any other areas of their life that may be affected. I may incorporate evidence-based interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational

Any Unresolved issues from your past can lead to more serious disorders such as an alcoholism, drug addiction, sex addiction and others. We will go beyond the symptom of the addiction you are experiencing and treat the underlying cause and possible unresolved psychological trauma. This will help you restore your sense of control and reduce the poweful hold that any the addictive behaviors have on you.

I specialize in hypnosis and meditation to help you on your journey towards recovery. These methods have great benefits for overcoming compulsive behaviors and replacing them with positive habits. Through counseling, you can find support, discover coping strategies, take steps to prevent a relapse and gain insight into creating and repairing healthy relationships. Together, we can create a safe environment for you to develop a healthy routine and stay on the path of lasting recovery.

Struggles with addiction and substance abuse can often be accompanied by guilt and shame, and this guilt and shame are typically triggers for continued use/relapse. Use of a strengths-based approach to treating substance abuse can tap an individual's own strengths to gain insight and to increase coping skills. Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Interpersonal Therapy can also prove useful to address unmet needs, feeling "stuck" and challenging irrational thoughts that lead to continued use.

I bring an empathetic, non-judgemental style to my approach to treating addiction. I have extensive experience working with a variety of addictions including but not limited to pornography, gaming, shopping, cosmetic surgery and drugs and alcohol. I am currently the Program Director of The Haven at University of Redlands serving as a Clinical Life Coach for University students in recovery from drugs and alcohol living in a sober collegiate community.

Addiction can ruin lives. Whether it is a substance (like alcohol of drugs) or a behavior (like eating or gambling) it stimulates that part of or brain that is the reward center and makes us feel pleasure. Humans, not surprisingly, like all animals, seek pleasure and avoid pain. We can get addicted to such a degree that we lose sight of the important things in our lives; our family, friend, job etc. Anything and everything can get side-lined by our addiction. Breaking free can be hard, it can involve many attempts and yet the rewards are enormous. I don't have the magic bullet but I can walk alongside you and help you on the path to recovery and sobriety.

For many people, addictions can be a private pain that they keep hidden away from others. Often times, people feel powerless to overcome these temptations that may eventually impact their relationships and life functioning. In the safety of therapy, we will work towards identifying triggers or times when you feel most vulnerable to your addiction. We'll process through underlying issues and develop feasible steps for you to resist temptations and replace them with constructive and healthy ways of coping. Whether it's internet addiction, pornography, substance abuse, binge eating- you do not have to let your addiction consume you any longer.

We become addicted to certain behaviors when painful feelings about ourself cannot be recognized or expressed, and therefore unprocessed. Caught in these unrecognized feelings that never get understood, behaviors of accommodation take hold and keep us trapped. Therapy is a process of recognizing these emotional patterns leading to a personal empowerment to speak what one really desires and needs. This process breaks the addictive patterns.

Seeking treatment for alcohol and/or drug addiction is a courageous undertaking. I have 20 years experience treating patients who suffer from alcohol and addiction from cocaine, heroine, crystal methamphetamine, marijuana and prescription medication addictions. Individuals often have an underlying symptom of depression and anxiety for which alcohol and drugs provide some relief. I integrate psychotherapy and encourage participation in AA, NA or other 12 step programs to provide additional support for sustaining sobriety. Many patients often abuse alcohol and drugs and wish not to use the 12 step programs or desire complete sobriety. Psychotherapy can be beneficial in decreasing abuse.