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A relapse doesn't erase what you built

Therapy for adults in New York who used again after a stretch of recovery and want to find their footing.

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Who This Is For

If you have just used or had a drink after a period of recovery, the first thing to know is that this happens to many people, and it does not wipe out the time, effort, and learning that came before. The days you stayed stopped were real. What you learned in them is still yours.

The second thing is that your safety comes first. If you used something that puts you at medical risk, or you might go into withdrawal, please talk with a doctor right away. Then, when you are ready, the relapse can be looked at with curiosity instead of shame. It usually has something to tell you about what you were carrying.

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What We Look At

What led up to it
The stress, loneliness, or quiet build up in the days and weeks before.
The shame spiral
The voice that says you have ruined everything, and how it can push you toward using more.
What the substance was doing
The feeling it softened or the need it met, even briefly.
Finding your feet again
Reconnecting with meetings, a sponsor, or other support, at a pace that feels doable.

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How I Work After a Relapse

Before private practice, I worked in the addiction field for a number of years, and I don't believe shame is a good guide. So we look at what happened without judgment. With Hakomi and somatic work, we notice what your body was doing before the urge took over, the restlessness, the heaviness, the tight chest, so you can recognize it sooner next time.

Psychodynamic work helps us understand the deeper pull. Often using has been a way to get some distance from pain, or to feel more like yourself for a while. Our work is to help you find that sense of yourself without needing something to reach it.

More about my approach

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What Sessions Look Like

Reach out when you are ready
A free 20 minute phone consultation. You don't need to have it all figured out.
Regular sessions
55 minutes, weekly or every two weeks, in Rhinebeck, Hudson, or by telehealth in New York.
Alongside your support
Therapy can run next to a 12 step program, a sponsor, or medical care you already have.

What Can Shift

Recovery is rarely a straight line. What I hope for is that this moment becomes a turning point rather than a verdict, and that over time you build a life you don't feel the need to escape, one where it feels good to be you.

"Out of the desert and into the oasis of Self."