Independent Support

Minimum # of sessions: 4

If you do decide to utilize my support you will get someone committed to authenticity and honesty, who is literally incapable of judging you due to my own struggles with substance abuse and addiction. I can and will lead you in a new direction, one where you can take some power back in your life and have new and better experiences for yourself, giving you hope and enabling you to play a more meaningful role in creating positive change for yourself.

When I first reached out for help I was depressed, hopeless, and couldn’t stop getting high – which wasn’t really helping me anymore. It took me five or six times before I was able to not hang up before someone picked up at the counseling service. I get it.

What got me there, and going back for the next several meetings, was my willingness and ability to get honest enough with myself to know that without help I would likely continue to follow the same patterns that kept me stuck, spinning my wheels, for years. I knew this because it was my experience. No matter what I tried, by myself, I seemed to always end up in the same place.

When I began working as a therapist with people struggling with addiction I’d take anyone no matter how few days clean or sober they had, because someone took me in when I was still getting high. Other therapists told me they required 30 days clean/sober before meeting with clients; but to me that was harsh – if people needed help then I was ready and willing, which I still am.

Ten years later I get why other therapists wanted someone to have 30 days clean/sober before meeting with them. My experience was one of sitting in my office alone due to no-shows and no-calls. Sometimes I’d get an apology text, then the same client would not show up for our next appointment. Other times people would just disappear, never to be heard from again. As a result, I am willing to meet with you if you do not have any significant clean time or sobriety, but I also require a cash deposit, which is lost due to a no-show. We can come up with something you can afford, but you do need to have some skin in the game.

I’ve set a 4-meeting minimum, which in my experience is important within the context of you making a commitment to yourself and the process, as well as time to give you some practical advice and direction. If you do not complete the four sessions you lose your deposit. To me, this is me doing you a favor, giving you some accountability – because I do know how loud the voice gets that tells you it’s a waste of time, that you can do it on your own.

My experience is that until you maintain some clean and sober time the changes you can make in other areas of your life are limited. Most people struggling with addiction also have experiences a variety of traumas in their life, which can be worked on in therapy if and when some level of sobriety/clean-time is achieved.

Finally, I must acknowledge my own experience has involved working a 12-step program with a sponsor. It is not my job to push you into following this path, although it may be something I suggest depending upon where you are at and how you’re doing on your own.