Alcohol and Substance Use Support – Building Trust, Making Meaning, Finding Balance

A Safe Space to Begin

If you’re struggling with alcohol or drug use, you’ve likely already experienced judgment, assumptions, or pressure to change in ways that didn’t feel sustainable. I offer something different: a steady, non-judgmental relationship where we begin with your experience—not a diagnosis or protocol.

You don’t have to arrive with clear goals. Whether you’re questioning your relationship with substances, seeking moderation, or wanting to step away from use altogether, our work is shaped by what feels most honest and useful to you. We start by creating a space where you can be fully seen, without having to explain or defend yourself.

Exploring What Lies Beneath

In many cases, substance use develops as a way of coping. It might help manage anxiety, soothe trauma, fill relational voids, or offer temporary escape from emotional pain. Rather than focusing on the substance itself, we’ll explore what it has helped you survive—and what parts of you have been silenced or numbed along the way.

Our sessions become a place to examine the emotional, relational, and historical context of your use. This isn’t about fixing you. It’s about understanding the complexity of your story and discovering new ways of meeting your needs.

Relational, Not Prescriptive

I offer a space where you can slow down, speak freely, and begin to understand yourself differently. Through careful listening, shared reflection, and gentle attention to what arises between us, we begin to uncover patterns that once made sense — but no longer serve you.

Change doesn’t come from being told what to do. It comes from feeling deeply understood, often for the first time. This is where healing begins—not just of substance use, but of the wounds that live underneath it.

Resourcing Your Nervous System

In our work, we may also tune in to how your body holds stress, fear, or craving. Drawing from interpersonal neurobiology and somatic awareness, we’ll notice what your nervous system has learned to brace against—and explore how safety can be felt in new ways.

Rather than “coping strategies,” we focus on building capacity. This might include identifying relational supports, developing emotional language, and gently shifting long-held beliefs about shame, control, or worth.

Integration of Psychedelic Experiences

If you’ve had a psychedelic experience that has affected your substance use—whether it left you with insights, confusion, or unresolved emotional material—I offer integration work to help you make meaning of that. These sessions aren’t about promoting or discouraging psychedelic use. They’re about supporting you to safely metabolise what came up and explore how it relates to your healing.

A Life That Feels Like Yours

Ultimately, recovery—however you define it—is not about abstaining. It’s about coming into a fuller relationship with yourself. A life that doesn’t require numbing. A self that feels more whole. If you’re ready to explore what that could look like, I’d be honoured to walk alongside you.