Addiction Therapists in Cobourg, ON.

We are social beings who thrive when we feel connected to others. When we are unable to connect with our loved ones, we feel painful disconnection. These feelings of disconnection can lead us to explore other strategies to feel good, even temporarily. The use of substances or addictive behaviours can temporarily reduce our feelings of emotional and physical pain while increasing our sense of pleasurable feelings. Because it is temporary, we must continue to engage in these addictive practices to cope with feeling disconnected, and our use becomes more problematic and destructive. Together, we will explore the disconnection that is driving the addictive behaviour.

My approach to counselling is attachment based and trauma informed. I have extensive training in emotionally focused therapy, the gold standard in couple's therapy, which I apply in my work with couples, families, and individuals. Addiction often isolates us and keeps us from forming meaningful and intimate relationships with those most important to us. During our sessions I will be engaged and focused on helping you to make the positive changes you are looking to make and helping you to build stronger and more authentic relationships.

Addiction can be a scary thing that is often surrounded by ambiguity and confusion: why do I continue to use when I know it is bad for me? Why do I want to use in the first place? Why can't I seem to stop using and why cant I change? In working with clients, step 1 of our work is figuring out the answers to these questions and figuring out why addiction occurs in the first place. After this, we explore tools, resources, and therapies that will best work for clients in helping them create the changes they need and to promote the lives they want.

Having an addiction is not a sign of weakness or lack of character. In fact, reaching out for help and being open to change takes a great deal of strength. My approach is one of openness and non-judgment. I follow a harm reduction approach meaning that I respect my clients right to set their own goals which will then guide our sessions. I appreciate that not everyone is ready to, nor wants to, work towards full sobriety. Harm reduction is about reducing the negative impact that substance use has on that person’s well-being and life. I strongly believe that any positive change is a success. If you think that my approach would work for you, please book a free consultation.

Addiction is a multifaceted challenge, and understanding its roots is key to recovery. While I do not offer therapy sessions for addiction, we have several addiction specialists at Psychotherapy Collective who are available to schedule a free 15-minute consultation with you to ensure they are the proper fit for your journey. Visit our profiles at https://www.psychotherapycollective.ca/our-team

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.

Many of the clients I have supported over my professional life have struggles with mental health and battles with substance use. I work from a harm reduction model. In addition, I can offer support to family members struggling with the heartache of seeing someone they love fighting their misuse. Please feel free to contact me for a consultation to discuss you accessing my services.

Addictions can be very difficult to overcome, but there is hope. Clients will gain an understanding of what drives their addictions as well as ways they can overcome them. Many people feel that when the "home" of their life has been ravaged by an addiction, they need to do major renovations, or even tear it down and build a new house. I give you the tools to do that. Very often the addict has a partner that is also affected, and we are here to help them understand and help with recovery. Start on the path to freedom and recovery today. I work a lot with clients engaged in compulsive sexual behaviours such as pornography addiction and see great results in helping them recover.

My belief is that all addiction is a distortion of connection with our wholeness. Some describe it as a spiritual disorder with a core of emptiness at the source. Whatever the conceptualization, there is always biopsychosocial involvement so my approach is holistic and will depend on a client's readiness, or in what stage of change a client presents. The treatment approach can range from utilizing harm reduction strategies, deeper psychodynamic work to resolve long standing wounds, family-based interventions or cognitive behavioural approaches. Cravings and compulsions can often be alleviated via the use of self-applied acupressure and/or hypnosis. EMDR may also be helpful.