A Harm Reduction Approach to Substance Use

Harm reduction recognizes that substance use exists on a spectrum and that change happens in many forms.

In therapy, harm reduction means:

• No shaming, coercion, or moralizing

• You set your own goals—whether that’s reduction, moderation, abstinence, or increased safety

• Focus on minimizing harm to your health, relationships, and life

• Respect for your lived experience and reasons for using

This approach is especially helpful for people who have felt judged, misunderstood, or pushed away by traditional substance use treatment models.

Therapy That Looks Beyond the Substance

Substance use rarely exists in isolation. In our work together, we explore:

• Stress, trauma, anxiety, or mood symptoms

• Coping strategies and emotional regulation

• Relationship dynamics and boundaries

• Shame, secrecy, and self-criticism

• Triggers, patterns, and nervous system responses

Rather than asking, “Why can’t you stop?”
We ask, “What is this helping you survive—and what do you want instead?”

What Individual Substance Use Therapy Can Help With

Clients often come to therapy for:

• Alcohol or cannabis use

• Prescription medication concerns

• Relapse prevention

• Reducing use without quitting entirely

• Managing cravings or urges

• Substance use connected to trauma, anxiety, or mood disorders

• Navigating relationships affected by use

Therapy is collaborative, paced, and tailored to your needs.

You Are the Expert on Your Own Life

I don’t take a “one-size-fits-all” approach to recovery.

Instead, we work together to:

• Clarify what you want from change

• Build skills that actually fit your life

• Strengthen insight without self-attack

• Increase safety, choice, and self-trust

Progress doesn’t have to be linear to be real.