A compassionate, depth-oriented approach to understanding your relationship with substances and creating meaningful, sustainable change.

A DIFFERENT WAY OF UNDERSTANDING SUBSTANCE USE

Substance Use Is More Than a Behavior

Substance use and addiction have been a significant part of my clinical work for many years. I have worked in community-based, harm-reduction substance use treatment with people navigating complex trauma, addiction, recovery, and the complicated questions that arise when a relationship with a substance begins to change.

I've seen how substance use can become intertwined with trauma, grief, anxiety, loneliness, relationships, identity, pleasure, belonging, and the ways we learn to care for ourselves when other resources haven't felt available. I've also seen how shame can make it harder to understand what is actually happening.

I approach substance use with curiosity, compassion, and without shame. We can take the consequences seriously without reducing you to the behavior.

MAKING ROOM FOR COMPLEXITY

You may not have a clear answer about what you want to do about your substance use.

Maybe you want to stop, or to cut back. Maybe you're wondering whether moderation is even possible. Maybe you aren't sure that you want to change your relationship with a substance at all—you simply know that something doesn't feel right anymore.

Therapy can be a place to explore that uncertainty without judgment.

We can make room for ambivalence and explore what the substance has come to do for you—what it helps you move toward, what it helps you move away from, and what you may need now that the old way of coping no longer works in the same way.
Sometimes the question isn't simply, “How do I stop?”

It may be, “What is happening here? Why do I keep reaching for this? What am I needing? And what would it mean to have more choices?”

My trauma-informed and depth-oriented approach allows us to look at both the behavior and the person underneath it.

Many patterns of substance use began as ways of coping with something—sometimes consciously, sometimes not. A substance may have offered relief, connection, confidence, numbness, escape, pleasure, or a way to quiet something that felt difficult to carry.

Understanding the history and function of a coping strategy doesn't mean excusing its consequences. It means developing a fuller picture of what is happening so that change can come from understanding rather than shame.

Together, we can explore what your substance use may be communicating, what needs it has been meeting, and what other possibilities might become available.

My experience with substance use extends beyond private practice. For many years, I have worked in community-based substance use treatment, providing depth-oriented, compassionate care to people navigating addiction, recovery, trauma, and complex life circumstances.

My work has included harm reduction, motivational interviewing, psychodynamic and relational approaches, and supporting people as they navigate the often nonlinear process of change.

I have also provided clinical supervision and training to therapists and substance use counselors. These experiences have deepened my understanding of the many paths people take toward change—and of how important it is to meet people where they are rather than imposing a predetermined definition of recovery.

I spent eight years working at HAART (Humanistic Alternatives to Addiction Research and Treatment), an outpatient substance use treatment program in Alameda County, where I worked as a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and clinical trainer.

This experience gave me the opportunity to work with people navigating substance use alongside trauma, grief, mental health concerns, relationship difficulties, and other complex life circumstances. It also deepened my understanding of how nonlinear change can be—and how important it is to create space for both accountability and compassion.