Addiction Counseling

I'm in expert in this area because I completed professional training over 30 years ago and have frequently used it in my practice to help numerous people.

We approach addiction treatment from a biopsychosocial perspective and help people understand the needs being fulfilled through their use via the self-medication hypothesis. There's a reason(s) people begin to develop unhealthy relationships with drugs or alcohol. Instead of shaming people for doing their best to cope, we help them reduce negative consequences of substance misuse while increasing values-based, compelling alternatives.

I've been a Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) since 2009. I have extensive experience helping people who are struggling with their substance use. There are many paths to recovery. My approach is holistic because all aspects of our lives need to feel fulfilled. I believe in meeting clients where they are, and that's where we start. I create a workbook for each client based on their goals and needs, to support them in their journey of recovery.

When I look at addiction, a question I find myself asking isn't why are you using? Instead I find myself asking, what is the pain? I look at addiction as a solution, and something we turn to when we don't have another way to resolve the pain in our lives. Together, I would love to help you navigate the pain and loneliness that is so often associated with addiction. I take an all paths to recovery approach, and am happy to collaborate on best techniques to help you experience freedom.

I have worked with adolescents when I was in the Marines back in 2001 and started working with adults in 2003. I have led groups and I have worked with clients whom were in drug court. I believe in being honest with my clients and will hold them accountable and I am open to talking with them about everything that involves their addiction from trauma to their use, to the dysfunction that they grew up in as a child.

Addiction counseling is where the counselor and an individual struggling with any type of addiction build a safe relationship through conversation, learning about the individuals’ experiences with substances, understanding their goals, and developing a plan of action to help meet those goals. Also assists with learning how to establish healthy relationships in recovery by reconnecting with important family/friends or through peer support.

I am a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS) in North Carolina and have worked in a variety of addiction treatment settings. I've worked with individuals whose goal is to achieve or maintain sobriety and their family members, as well as those who want to create a healthier relationship with substances.

Since 2012, I have worked in residential treatment centers, intensive outpatient treatment centers and was a manager of Kaiser Permanente's Addiction Medicine and Recovery Services clinic in Santa Clara. I have years of experience and training in many approaches to addiction treatment, including abstinence-based care, harm reduction, 12 step and non-12 step modalities, Relapse Prevention, Medication Assisted Treatment, Co-Occurring Disorders, and Family Codependency Treatment.

I utilize a flexible approach to substance use and behavioral addictions that adapts to what is best for each client. For some, abstinence and a more structured approach is best, while for others, harm reduction and a focus on balance is more appropriate. I can help you find the path to healing that fits best for you.

Professor Bisher is an addiction specialist helping men quickly overcome compulsive sexual behavior (porn and sex addiction). He brings an empathic & empowering approach with a focus on achieving sustainable sobriety quickly.

To some degree, we all use behaviors to escape reality and cope with suffering. You or your loved ones may be concerned that your relationship to substances or repetitive behaviors has become a barrier to your healthy functioning. Let's explore this relationship further and gather insight into how you might learn to meet your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs in ways that do not limit your potential.

I implement a variety of approaches into my addiction counseling style. I find that focusing on the individual and their strengths and needs requires specialized support, and not just a blanketed cookie cutter approach. The primary approaches I utilize are mindfulness based relapse prevention, CBT, skills based strategies, and relapse prevention planning. I'm open about my own challenges with addiction and find that sharing my experience with others can help provide hope and insight.

As a licensed addiction counselor I provide counseling for those who are affected by a loved ones alcohol or drug use. I also provide counseling for process addictions such as gambling, gaming, internet, pornography and other behaviors. And something new! Due to safety issues with Covid-19, I am introducing walk and talk therapy. Beach, state park trails, even Brookgreen Gardens can provide a peaceful backdrop for your therapy sessions. *Insurance may not cover this.

With a passion for helping those with addictions, I continually stay up to date with the best practices in addiction counseling. Oftentimes there is a reason for people's addiction, and so I not only work on helping clients change their current behaviors, but also on the underlying reasons and past trauma. As with other mental health challenges, I offer a compassionate and non-judgmental approach, helping clients to offer themselves compassion and acceptance that is needed for persistent change

Our addictions therapists have years of experience working with substance use disorders in treatment centers and IOP.

To some degree, we all use behaviors to escape reality and cope with suffering. You or your loved ones may be concerned that your relationship to substances or repetitive behaviors has become a barrier to your healthy functioning. Let's explore this relationship further and gather insight into how you might learn to meet your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs in ways that do not limit your potential.

Anxious, ADDICTED, and depressed people isolate because they are pulling away from relationship, it hurts too much, and in addiction, the momentary pleasure of my addiction of choice suppresses the psychological pain that the addict is responding too. We are addiction specialists and we will hold your hand through the process of addiction recovery. We walk you through a step by step system of addiction recovery that is rooted in evidenced based practices and lived experience. There is hope!