Substance Use/Misuse Counseling
Has Substance Use Become A Problem For You?
Is a sense of dissatisfaction in your life causing you to use substances to cope? Have you gone through a difficult time or a traumatic event and tried to self-medicate the pain of those through alcohol, drugs, or other behaviors you feel ashamed of? Maybe your self-soothing is an indication of difficulties with self-care and burnout.
No matter the reason and for however long you have struggled with substance use, counseling can help you break free from your dependency and develop healthier habits.
The Reasons People Turn To Substances Are Wide-Ranging
Though everyone has different experiences surrounding why they misuse substances, you may be a person who worries excessively, ruminates on the past or the future, or feels self-conscious and unsure of yourself in social situations. Maybe you lack a sense of purpose or meaning in your life and find it difficult to address your needs in a healthy way.
It is important to note that using substances casually is not inherently problematic, but misuse of substances can become a way to compensate for other areas of life that are difficult. Substance use can be the cause and the effect of problems because while the mind is preoccupied with using, other areas of life don’t get enough attention.
Therapy can help you address forgotten or ignored experiences that have contributed to your substance abuse, as well as discuss any circumstances like complicated grief and PTSD, depression, anxiety, or major life transitions. Through counseling, you can have the chance to step back and address your substance misuse as you find the support to abstain from using. Or, if you’ve already stopped using, therapy can bolster your recovery.
Substance Use Disorders Affect Over 20 Million Americans (1)
Not everyone reaches out to a counselor for their issues with substance misuse. People do not have an adequate understanding, both at the familial and societal levels, of the complexities of addiction. Without the knowledge that they are even struggling, it can be difficult for someone to recognize that they have an addiction and that therapy is warranted.
Shame over their addiction, the perceived stigma for needing mental health care, and a lack of access to proper treatment programs often make it difficult for people to reach out for counseling.
Societal Pressures Often Cause Us To Look For A Quick Fix To Our Problems
Our society prioritizes productivity and maximizing every moment of the day, making it challenging for people to know how to rest. Self-care is also vital in our lives, but it can be tricky if someone has little time or space to relax, their resources are low, or no one is around them to model it. Stressful jobs or careers can leave people with little time for rest, making using substances an easy route to de-stress or relax.
Additionally, we aren't encouraged to turn inward, listen to our inner experiences, feel our feelings—which is especially true for men—and understand our needs. If we don't know how we feel or what we need, it can be hard to express or understand how to create the lives we want. Instead, it’s usually easier to check out or self-soothe with substances. A good example of this is the fact that drinking is encouraged in our society to help us "let down our guards" and "let loose."
A therapist can guide you in understanding how the cycle is created, making it a very reliable relationship that can easily become a dependency or an addiction. Counseling can help you refocus your attention on what has led to your substance use, allowing you the time to look within and find other ways to experience life satisfaction.
Counseling for Substance Use Disorders With Sara Nevius
Counseling Is Tailored To Your Unique Needs
My goal is to help you feel like your full self and support you in your journey from our first session onward. We will collaborate on what therapeutic style works best for you, whether structured or more fluid, and I can help you develop coping skills to feel more at ease with yourself.
I use a client-centered and intuitive style that I tailor to each person’s needs, including:
Psychodynamic and relational approach - This approach to psychotherapy looks at how your early relationships formed, what and how you learned about emotions, and how to process feelings. We will explore how your present-day reactions are based on those early experiences and how you relate to yourself and others.
Motivational Interviewing - Allows you to recognize areas of your life that you’d like to change, not based on opinions or any perceived external advice, but through your own discovery and wisdom.
Attachment-focused style - Offers a supportive and safe environment without judgment where you can explore, process, and heal old, complex relational traumas should they come up.
Mindfulness and movement - Body-oriented psychotherapy helps you notice and reconnect to physical sensations, practice or deepen present-moment awareness, and self-soothe with breathing, relaxation, and grounding techniques.
Freedom from self-defeating patterns of substance abuse/misuse is possible and often comes through a safe and trusting counseling relationship. By recovering lost parts that were rejected, forgotten, or buried in response to experiences in the past, you can achieve the freedom to be yourself and know how to care for yourself in healthy, fulfilling ways for the future.
Lifting yourself up and looking at the pain is the path toward healing – it is not as scary as your mind makes it out to be. You're more powerful than you realize.
As your therapist, I can help you develop healthy coping skills to reduce or replace your substance use and guide you to a path in life that is compassionate and hopeful for your future. I hold in-person sessions in Oakland, CA, and online for clients throughout California.
By dismantling the shame around using and collaborating with safety and non-judgment, we will investigate deeper, address and resolve traumas, and expand your ability to tolerate difficult feelings. I will help you practice creating boundaries and asserting yourself as well as identify self-care and healthy lifestyle practices that can help you process whatever feelings you are trying to escape from.
You may just be starting your journey to change or stop using substances, or you may have already stopped and wish to focus on the mental health reasons for your addiction with a counselor. Or maybe you’re coming right out of a residential treatment program and ready to address the full picture of your mental health to heal more fully. Whatever the circumstance, the time is right for substance use counseling.
You Might Still Have Concerns About Substance Use Counseling…
I’m worried it will take a long time for therapy to make a difference.
Many people have told me that my compassionate approach is a welcome change from difficult recovery programs that leave them feeling guilty for using substances. Most people are surprised how quickly they feel relief when they have a counseling space where they aren't judged or shamed for using drugs or alcohol. If the 12-step program seems overwhelming and not the right fit for you, individual counseling might be exactly what you need.
Furthermore, I expect that you will find ways to cope on your own, as I don’t want you to be in therapy forever. This work takes time, but I try to ensure our time together is effective, efficient, and tailored for healing.
Do I need to take medication to get better?
Sometimes medication can help people reach a place of stabilization, but medication is never a requirement, and I won’t push anything on you. Rather, I will focus on your perspectives and goals, exploring what would be most helpful and starting from there.
Whether medication is used or not, a safe, compassionate, and supportive relationship is continuously proven to be a major healing element in therapy for substance abuse.
How much experience do you have working with substance use treatment?
I have a lot of experience with substance abuse-related issues like complex trauma, grief, PTSD, anxiety, and depression in an outpatient program and private practice. I understand how most of society looks down on and misunderstands the complexities and nuances that go along with drug use.
I understand the natural ambivalence around change, the difficulty of letting go of long-standing rituals, and the comfort of using. I have witnessed my clients' resilience and resourcefulness in recovering themselves and their lives, and I can help you do the same.
Let’s Start Your Healing Journey Beyond Substance Abuse
Please reach out to me either through my contact form, or give me a call directly at (650) 449 - 6054 to discuss your needs and schedule a free 20-minute consultation. I look forward to helping you work toward a future free from substance abuse.
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