Sessions with me tend to move at your pace, not a predetermined timeline. Early on, I'm listening more than directing, paying attention to how you talk about the behavior, what language you reach for or avoid, and what seems to matter most to you, even if you haven't said it directly yet. I use motivational interviewing, which in practice means I won't tell you what you should want. If you're ambivalent about change, wanting to drink less but not sure you're ready, wanting to set a boundary with a family member but afraid of the consequences, I'll help you sit with that ambivalence rather than push you past it. Feeling stuck is normal and is okay. If you're the loved one of someone struggling with addiction, I may occasionally involve them in a session if it's clinically appropriate and something you both want, but our work is still primarily about you.

I often think of my favorite clients who actually said in our first few sessions, like "I don't even know if this counts as a problem." "I can stop anytime, I just don't want to right now." "Everyone thinks I'm the strong one, so I don't really say anything." "I'm not here for me, I'm here because I don't know how else to help them." These are people who are usually still functioning, while privately carrying something they haven't found words for yet. Some come in mandated by a partner or a third party, unsure if they even want to be here, and that's alright with me. Ambivalence is a starting point, not a barrier. Others are the ones who've never been asked what they need, because they've spent so long being the person everyone else relies on. What they're usually asking for, underneath it all, isn't a fix, it's permission to stop pretending everything's fine, and a little more clarity about who they are outside of the role they've been playing.

I completed a 9-month training in Motivational Interviewing, which continues to shape how I sit with ambivalence rather than push clients toward a predetermined outcome. I'm also currently in ongoing training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), both of which have deepened how I help clients relate to the different, sometimes conflicting parts of themselves that show up around addiction and change. Looking ahead, I'm interested in pursuing further training in trauma-informed approaches, including EMDR. I've come to believe that grief and loss are often present underneath addiction-related struggles in ways that don't get named or fully addressed. I want to be able to hold that layer of the work when it's relevant to a client's healing. Collaboration with other providers is also an important part of how I work, particularly in SUD treatment. With a client's consent and when it's clinically appropriate, I stay in communication with psychiatrists, other treating clinicians, or support groups involved in someone's care. Addiction rarely exists in isolation, and I've found that treatment tends to be more effective and more coordinated when providers are working together.

One perspective that shapes my work is that addiction is rarely only about the behavior itself. The behavior often develops for a reason. It may have helped someone manage stress, loneliness, emotional pain, or experiences that felt overwhelming at the time. I also believe that in many cultural and family contexts, part of what keeps people stuck isn't a lack of willingness to change, but it's a lack of language. Many of us were never taught how to talk about these experiences, or even how to name what we're feeling. That absence of language can be as isolating as the addiction itself, both for the person struggling and for those around them. Because of this, I don't assume you should already know how to describe what you're going through. We can start wherever you're able to begin, even if that's simply, "I don't know what to say."