Addiction, Recovery & Affected Others
Addiction & Recovery
Are you currently struggling with addiction?
Are you newly sober or have you been in recovery for multiple years?
Are you a loved one of someone who is experiencing addiction
Are you looking to provide more stability and clarity in your life
Are there past experiences or trauma creating barriers to keep you from moving forward in your life?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, you’re in the right place.
Insight Northwest Counseling offers counseling and treatment that will help and support you through all of the difficulties surrounding addiction and recovery. While you may be in the process of sobriety or seeking addiction and recovery treatment elsewhere, we believe that attending counseling in recovery can be a beneficial source of support. Therapy can give you a separate and extremely helpful set of tools to help you navigate what is a very difficult journey.
The first step to sobriety and recovery is acknowledging that you have a problem and accepting that truth. The next step is wanting to seek the necessary help to get yourself out of the depths of addiction. Both of those things require immense strength, self-awareness, determination, and courage. It is not lost on us that if you are seeking our help, you have gone through a challenging and disciplined time already.
Once you have initiated the process of sobriety and addiction recovery, you embark on an ever-evolving and difficult road to finding stability and health. It is not easy, but you are capable, and we are here to walk through it with you.
Our Approach to Addiction and Recovery
We approach addiction and recovery with the belief that recovery and sobriety are client-defined. We recognize that every individual’s story with addiction and recovery is vastly different and we want to treat it as such. We encourage you to play an equal part in your recovery plan as we do and want you to choose how you want to engage in your recovery. It’s important to us that we make a collaborative effort in your addiction treatment plan, so that not only do you feel most comfortable and motivated, but also that is the most effective in helping you heal.
Addiction and substance abuse issues come with a significant stigma in our society, and we are very aware of that. Our goal within our practice and the community beyond is to remove that stigma, make addiction and recovery a more comfortable and less taboo topic and allow individuals who are facing the challenges of addiction and recovery to feel freer in their journey. Facing addiction is an incredibly difficult and isolating experience in itself. And the judgement and misunderstanding of addiction in our society creates even more isolation. We believe strongly that it is past time to change that.
At Insight Northwest we are able to offer addiction counseling and recovery treatment to those who are facing all types of addiction. We are not limited to just substance addiction and are happy to be able to assist individuals affected by all kinds of addiction.
Some of the forms of addiction that can be treated through our services are:
Substance abuse
Drug addiction
Alcohol dependency and addiction
Sex addiction
Addiction Treatment
The treatment and recovery from addiction covers a wide range and does not look the same for everyone, but we are able to provide you with the best support to navigate all of these addiction challenges. Each of us have different experiences with substance abuse and addiction of any kind, and that’s exactly why we feel that the treatment and recovery process should be different for each individual. We feel that it is important for the individual to explore and find the path that best suits them.
Our team is especially equipped to work with and treat individuals who struggle with addiction and are on the road to recovery. Each of our trained and licensed professionals have a different skill set that they bring to the table. All of our counselors and clinicians have years of experience, both personal and in their work, that allows them to give different perspectives to the process. We are able to speak the language of recovery in a way that inspires trust and mutual understanding.
There are many different methods to addiction counseling and recovery treatment.
At Insight Northwest we approach our Addiction treatment with a wide range of METHODS including:
Harm reduction
Abstinence-based treatment
Solution focused
Narrative therapy
Family Systems Theory
Mindfulness
Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (CBT)
Motivational Enhancement Treatment (MET)
Addiction and Mental Health Challenges
Something that is not highly discussed is the correlation between addiction and mental illness. Substance abuse and mental health challenges can go hand in hand, so we feel it is often an effective course of treatment to address both. Often, addiction is actually a direct result of prior mental health issues – as an individual will turn to a substance or dependency that helps them to “cope” with the pain of their mental health challenges. If someone is suffering from depression or anxiety, they may turn to a behavior or a drug that releases dopamine, therefore easing their pain temporarily. Unfortunately, the individual seeking happiness or reprieve from their mental despair will actually only have their pain exacerbated, while also taking on a whole new set of pain; addiction.
Alternatively, different forms of addiction can cause mental illness or mental health issues. The effects of drugs, alcohol, and sex addiction on your brain can almost always leave it starved for the proper chemicals it needs to balance in order to lead a healthy life beyond addiction. In these cases, a person who seeks addiction treatment might be given a dual diagnosis. We are able to manage medication treatment for both addiction and mental health challenges. When treated in tandem, the treatment plan can be extremely effective.
Families & Affected Others
Do you have a child, spouse, sibling, or family member struggling with addiction?
Do you and your family feel like a tornado has been wreaking havoc in your life and unsure what to do or where to go for help
Did your loved one recently enter alcohol and drug treatment and are unsure how to navigate this new reality?
Is your loved one newly sober and your family is trying to make sense of all this change?
Navigating addiction and recovery with a loved one can be painful, chaotic, challenging, and extremely sensitive. We recognize that addiction is a highly stigmatized and taboo topic in our society. At Insight Northwest Counseling, we approach clients with the belief that addiction is not a moral failing; rather it is a strength and asset. We believe that those who have experienced addiction are some of the most talented, kind, passionate, and hard-working people we know.
Many practices put emphasis only on the addicted individual themselves, with very little mention of the people in their lives. While we recognize that the person impacted directly by substance abuse and addiction is the most impacted, we also believe it is equally important to support the family and loved ones who are also impacted by the damage and hardship of addiction. Standing by a family member, partner, friend or other loved one who is experiencing addiction or going through recovery is an incredibly difficult experience. Those surrounding the addicted individual often are left feeling helpless, confused, angry, isolated, or overwhelmed. As addiction is so greatly stigmatized there is a lack of conversation surrounding this topic, so many people don’t know how to process their feelings or even know where to begin in assisting their loved one who is suffering.
At Insight Northwest Counseling, we want you to know that we are here for you as the impacted loved one, and we are committed to supporting you through this time as well. For this reason, we offer individual counseling and family counseling where you can navigate this journey and receive support and tools to cope and process your own pain, as well as learn the healthiest way to support your loved one.
When working with loved ones or affected others of addiction, we assist the family by:
designing coping tools specifically for your family
making sense of the current family environment
establishing clear boundaries with how to move forward
Whether your loved one is using substances, currently in alcohol and drug treatment, in early recovery, or long-term recovery, our practice can assist your family with the challenges you’re facing. We speak the language of recovery and approach families in a non-judgmental, warm, and client-centered way. We want you to feel safe and comfortable as you embark on a sensitive and difficult journey.
At Insight Northwest Counseling we are happy to be able to offer our services in-person and online via Telehealth (online video counseling). We are committed to bringing our help and resources to you wherever you are, so that you can feel supported through the difficult experience of addiction and recovery. We are here and accessible through online appointment booking or by phone, to answer all of your questions and assist you in finding the best course of treatment for you.