Most people who reach out about substance use aren't in crisis. They're functioning, going to work, maintaining relationships, keeping it together on the outside, but they've started to notice that alcohol, drugs, or prescription medication have become the main way they manage stress, anxiety, or emotions they don't have good words for yet.

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If you've found yourself using more than you intended, relying on something to get through the day, or waking up wondering if it's becoming a problem, that question itself is worth paying attention to. You don't need a diagnosis. You don't need to have lost everything. Noticing that something isn't working is enough of a reason to reach out.

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How substance use and other struggles get tangled together

Substance use rarely exists on its own. For most people it's connected to something else. Anxiety that won't quiet down, grief that feels too heavy to process, disconnection in relationships, chronic pain, or emotions that have never had anywhere safe to go.

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That's the work I'm most interested in. Not just the drinking or the using, but what it's been doing for you and what else might be able to do that instead. Understanding the function of substance use is usually more useful than focusing solely on stopping it.

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Alcohol, drugs, and prescription medication

People come to this work from a lot of different starting points. Some are drinking more than they want to. Some have been relying on prescription medication in ways that have drifted from the original intention. Some are using recreationally and starting to wonder if it's becoming something more. Some have tried to cut back and found they couldn't.

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Whatever your relationship with substances looks like, it doesn't have to fit a particular mold to be worth talking about. If it's affecting your life, your relationships, or how you feel about yourself, that's enough.

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My approach — you decide what the goal is

I don't come into this work with a predetermined idea of what your relationship with substances should look like. Some people want to stop entirely. Others want to cut back, drink more intentionally, or simply understand their patterns better without committing to a specific outcome yet. We start from where you are and what you actually want.

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My approach draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which means we're not just trying to white-knuckle through cravings. We're working on what's underneath: the anxiety, the avoidance, the pain, so that change feels sustainable rather than like constant deprivation. Whether your goal is abstinence or something else, the work is the same: understanding what substances have been solving for, and building something more sustainable in its place.

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Who I work with

I work with adults across California and Oregon who are concerned about their relationship with alcohol, drugs, or prescription medication. You don't have to be certain you have a problem. You don't have to have tried and failed at sobriety. If you're asking the question, that's a reasonable place to start.

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I also work with people who are grieving someone lost to overdose or addiction, or navigating the complicated feelings that come with loving someone who is struggling. That's a different kind of work, but it belongs here too.

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Online substance use therapy in California and Oregon

I work with clients across California and Oregon via telehealth. Sessions are held on a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform and can be done from wherever you have privacy and a reliable internet connection. There is no in-person option for Oregon clients; California clients in the Bay Area can discuss in-person availability.

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Ready to talk?

You don't have to have it figured out before you reach out. A free 15-minute consultation is just a conversation — a chance to talk about what's been going on and see if working together makes sense. No pressure, no commitment.

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