Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is a specialty of this practice.

The statistics in Westchester County and the surrounding areas of New York State are no better than the statistics nationwide. Substance abuse is a killer; it affects members of every population group; and untreated substance abuse always results in damage to family, friends, and the workplace.

I have over 2 decades of therapeutic experience counseling adults and adolescents with drug- and alcohol-related issues. In my practice, I have come to find that depression, personality disorders, and other mental illnesses often play a huge role in people becoming developing chemical dependency and remaining addicted to drugs and alcohol.

Therefore, I consider it crucial to determine what is real substance abuse and what is self medication for mental illness. This is not always an easy task.

I have found that many substance abusers see fantastic results from psychotherapy and/or the right psychotropic medication.

I also have clients who truly were addicts, and who required residential detox, treatment, outpatient rehabilitation and lifelong recovery. This requires complete abstinence from mood- and mind-altering substances.

For the true addict, especially one with co-occuring mental illness, nothing works better than talk therapy, the 12-step community and medication management.

There are many issues that overlap with and contribute to addiction including childhood trauma, poorly developed social social skills, and a host of others.

My work in Westchester County is to help my clients understand and work through their traumas; my goal is to help my clients re-envision themselves and create their own, new set of goals and dreams. We also work on learning new behaviors and social skills. This is of vital importance among all populations of substance abusers, and it is crucial in my work with adolescents.

For my clients in Westchester County, I work co-cooperatively with referring psychiatrists, and I have excellent psychiatrists to whom I refer clients who require medication management.

I am able to help clients enter rehab and I can help clients work through and understand the 12-step program. I am also able to refer people for sober coaching and sober companionship. Sober coaching is a fairly new service delivery system that can include a 24 hour-a-day sober companion with extensive recovery experience.

To learn more about hiring a sober companion or a sober coach in the New York area, click here:
NY Sober Companion.

For service nationwide, click here:
Sober Champion.