Treat Addiction
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
Addictions can ruin your life. Lost jobs, relationship break-ups, family and financial stress, homelessness, arrests, deterioration of physical health, and emotionally you feel like you’re on a never-ending rollercoaster. Let’s be real. You want to get your shit together but just don’t know how.
I get it. I’ve worked with seriously addicted individuals for years, most of whom, had all of the problems listed above. The first step is to come in for an assessment. The assessment is a two hour session that allows me to get to know you as a complete person. Often clients are surprised that asking about what drugs they’ve used is the last set of questions we talk about. There’s a lot more to you then the drug(s). It’s from that framework that together we create a treatment plan tailored to your needs, your goals.
If the assessment reveals that you would best be suited for a higher level of care, which in layman’s terms usually means residential treatment, I’ll refer you to an appropriate program and then resume working with you once that program is completed. National data is clear: the longer an individual engages in treatment, the more successful the outcomes. Short term residential stays are often exactly what is needed to halt the addiction process and begin healing. Long term success comes from continuing to work on your own issues in “the real world.”
I use a lot of mindfulness skills in therapy. What does that mean? One definition is “paying attention, on purpose, in a particular way, without judgement, as if your life depended on it.” Without awareness of what you’re thinking and feeling in the present moment you are much more likely to REACT as if on autopilot. Someone pisses you off, and boom, you’re mind is thinking about using. But a person who can hit the Pause Button, and put a few seconds between the trigger (a person, emotion, place, thing) can learn to RESPOND in a mindful manner. There’s freedom when there’s a choice.
Families and Addiction
Addiction is a family disease. You know this. The person suffering with an addiction is not the only person suffering. Family members too feel as if they are on a never ending rollercoaster. It’s not uncommon to see significant emotional distress, and even physical distress, occur among family members.
Therapy for family members is an integral part of the healing process. In fact no reputable residential program would admit an individual without a commitment from family members to participate. The same is true while the addicted person is receiving outpatient therapy. Sometimes it’s family members who seek out help first. I’ll help you navigate the balance between helping your loved one and your own well-being.
First ever Mindfulness Stress Reduction course for families and friends.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been around for decades. But for the first time in the TriState I am offering an MBSR 8 week course exclusively for family members and close friends of someone struggling with addiction. (This particular course is not for the addicted individual. I will be offering a separate course, Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention for individuals in recovery.)
8 weekly group sessions lasting 1.5 hours
How to live in the present moment.
Prevent emotions from running your life and making everything worse.
Learn how to meditate, and how meditation helps you personally and helps you communicate with your loved one. Yes, everyone can learn.
Reduce anxiety and depression.
Increase self-compassion.
All in the context of dealing with addiction.
The goal of this course is to teach the foundational attitudes and benefits of living mindfully and apply those directly to the challenge of dealing with an individual struggling with addiction. You can’t help that person without coming from a position of personal strength and balance. The course will teach individuals how an addicted individual thinks and why what you're currently doing isn’t working (and won’t no matter how many times you do the same thing.) We will combine this knowledge of addiction with traditional MBSR teachings in a supportive, nonjudgmental environment. In addition I will invite you to a private Facebook group exclusively for current and future members of this course for ongoing support and education between sessions, and after you complete the course. You will then be a source of support for future participants in this course, strengthening a sense of community.
Go to the Register page to sign up.
Coaching, is available for individuals challenged by behavioral addictions (sex, gaming, Internet).
Fees for therapy sessions are $110. My practice is private pay. There are several significant benefits for my clients who pay cash. That means that those clients don’t have to fear their insurance company reading about their diagnosis, session notes and progress. For cash paying clients only myself and inviduals you specifically designate will have access to your most personal information.
Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention Groups
MBRP is an evidenced based curriculum conducted for 8 weekly group sessions that compliments individual therapy and 12 step participation. Most residential treatment programs do not allow the time for individuals to become immersed in this practice. This course creates a foundational environment to improve relationships — with yourself, and the people important in your life, supporting your sobriety. Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP), an offshoot of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), instructs individuals on how to free themselves from the prison of their own thoughts, focusing on the distinct needs of individuals addicted to substances or behaviors.
Mark can bring an MBRP class to an agency or a particular facility for those in outpatient treatment. treatment