Substance and Alcohol Abuse Therapy in Albany, NY
Before thinking about how you want to change and where you want to go, the first step is getting clear on what you actually want — and why it matters to you. That clarity is where real recovery begins.
Getting clear before getting better
It sounds simple, but in my experience, it is anything but. Many people arrive in therapy already carrying someone else’s idea of what their recovery should look like — a program they were told to attend, a timeline someone else imposed, a goal that doesn’t really belong to them.
In our work together, we start with one honest question at a time. What matters to you? What are you actually trying to protect? Is there something about your relationship with substances that you have been afraid to ask yourself? That honest self-inquiry — not judgment, not pressure — is the foundation everything else is built on.
With that foundation in place, we can begin to think concretely about where you want to go — and how to get there.
Two pathways — tailored to who you are
I have found over 14 years of clinical work that no single approach fits every person. Some clients respond powerfully to the spiritual framework of the 12 Steps. Others find that a more rational, cognitive approach resonates. Some need both, depending on where they are in their recovery. I follow your lead.
The 12-Step Model
I make frequent use of the 12-Step model of recovery, pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous. I believe the spiritual component of AA can be a powerful tool to help an individual attain a sober, healthy life — and to develop spiritually in ways they did not anticipate when they began recovery. For many people, it becomes not just a program but a way of living.
A Rational, CBT-Based Approach
Some clients do better with — and prefer — a rational approach to therapy. My prior college teaching experience in philosophy enables me to help clients identify and reframe thoughts, beliefs, and feelings that are held over from negative past experiences and that have long since stopped serving them.
Concrete goals for real recovery
Our work together will be shaped by what you need. Depending on where you are in your relationship with substances, we may work on any combination of the following:
14 years of focused clinical experience
I have 14 years of experience working with clients who struggle with substance and alcohol abuse. While working two years at the Brien Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, I facilitated a weekly group for individuals receiving suboxone treatment — work that gave me a deep appreciation for both the complexity of addiction and the real courage it takes to seek help.
I have observed over and over that the substances themselves are rarely the whole story. Beneath the pattern of use is almost always a story about pain, about relationships, about things that happened long before the first drink or drug. That deeper story deserves to be heard — and worked with — with patience and honesty.
The connection to Adult Children of Alcoholics
I often find that clients struggling with substance use are also Adult Children of Alcoholics or of dysfunctional families — individuals who grew up in homes where a caregiver’s addiction or emotional unavailability shaped who they became.
I run a group that meets every other week for clients who identify with these traits. Learn more about the ACOA group →
You can also explore the full ACOA traits at adultchildren.org.
What becomes possible
I return often to the Promises from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous — not because every client works a 12-Step program, but because the vision of freedom they describe is one I believe in, regardless of the path taken to get there:
“If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.”
— Alcoholics Anonymous, the Big Book
Are these extravagant promises? They are not. They are being fulfilled among people every day — sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them. That work is what I am here to support.
Common questions about substance abuse therapy
No. I work with both a 12-Step framework and a rational, CBT-based approach. Some clients respond powerfully to the spiritual component of AA. Others prefer a completely secular, cognitive approach. I follow your lead and adapt to what fits you best.
The first step is simply getting clear on what you actually want. Not what someone else wants for you, not what you think you should want. Before thinking about how to change, we focus on whether change is something you genuinely want, and what that change would mean for your life.
Yes. I have specific experience working with opioid addiction, including facilitating a weekly group for individuals receiving suboxone treatment at the Brien Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
SMART Recovery is a science-based alternative to 12-Step programs that uses cognitive-behavioral techniques to help people overcome addictive behaviors. It is non-spiritual and self-directed. I can help you find local or virtual SMART Recovery meetings if that approach is a better fit for you.
Yes. I offer telehealth video sessions for clients across New York and New Jersey, in addition to in-person sessions at my Albany, NY office.
In my experience, many clients struggling with substance use also identify as Adult Children of Alcoholics. Growing up in a home where a caregiver was addicted or emotionally unavailable shapes patterns of coping that often contribute to substance use in adulthood. I run a bi-weekly ACOA group and frequently explore this connection in individual work.
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Whether you are at the beginning of questioning your relationship with substances, or you have been struggling for years — a conversation costs nothing. I usually respond within one business day.
Albany, New York
Telehealth available across NY and NJ
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I usually respond within one business day. There is no pressure — just an honest conversation.