Therapy For Substance Abuse and Misuse in New York City

At Kathryn Grooms Psychotherapy in New York City, we know not everyone that uses substances has a problem or an addiction. Many people are engaged in the social or recreational use of drugs and substances to enhance their life in some way. However, when substance use causes harmful effects in our personal or professional lives, working with a highly trained professional therapist can help.

Our practice works with a harm reduction framework and helping people who desire a change from harmful effects of substance use. We offer a nonjudgmental, safe environment for people to discuss and resolve issues of substance abuse or misuse. At Kathryn Grooms Psychotherapy in New York City, we do not view or label substance use as inherently bad or as addictive. Rather, we see it as a bio/psycho/social experience or phenomenon. Our role is to help people make the changes they desire to achieve a sense of balance and wellbeing.

We do this by defining the harmful behaviors, identifying and assessing the risks to change, and then putting strategies and supports in place to help reduce harm in a way that is realistic and, most importantly, sustainable over the long term.

While our focus is not zeroed in on sobriety, please know that we actively support anyone that is committed to recovery and achieving and maintaining sobriety in 12-step programs and our therapy can be a complement to these and other kinds of recovery programs.

Support For Substance Abuse and Misuse in New York City

Substance abuse or misuse in New York City is common and nothing to be ashamed of. The excellent therapists at Kathryn Grooms Psychotherapy are here to meet you where you are, support you in the changes in behavior you want to make, and help you put supports and reinforcements in place to ensure your long-term success.

Initially, our therapists do not encourage clients to make any drastic changes. Instead, we look at the problem or challenge. We identify the harmful behaviors or effects of substance use. This practice of observation is critical to understanding the reasons behind substance use, abuse, or misuse. Often, these

self-observations bring about the desired change on their own. Other times, more therapy is needed to fully move through the stages of change. First we think and observe. Then, we prepare. Next, we take action. And finally, we create supports to help maintain that change.

Harm Reduction

Our practice is focused on harm reduction. Our team of therapists at Kathryn Grooms Psychotherapy are highly trained to help people identify the purpose or “rewards” of the use (the value, benefits, or rewards of using a substance) as well as the “risks” (the negative emotional, physical, and social effects of using a substance). By employing this Decisional Balance of risks versus rewards, pros versus cons, we can identify the patterns and habits of the role substance use plays in daily life.

And through this cost benefit analysis we can consider and weigh the benefits of substance abuse versus the costs of changing behavior.

Depending on your goals, we can work to identify the change in behavior that feels realistic and attainable to you and then together, we help you put supports in place to reinforce and sustain that change.

Treatment For Substance Abuse or Misuse

People turn to substances like drugs or alcohol for a variety of reasons. And while many people engage for recreational or social reasons, others become dependent on drugs or alcohol to “take the edge off,” to relieve stress, or to block out unpleasant thoughts or feelings. Regardless of whether someone experiments with drugs or alcohol as a child or an adolescent, or if they begin to use these substances as an adult, we know for many people the relationship with drugs or alcohol has the potential to become a toxic addiction. And when it does, it can destroy lives, families, and relationships.

Therapy Versus 12-Step Programs

Psychotherapy is not intended to replace the tremendous benefits of a 12-step program, but rather to support, complement, and enhance it. Our therapists at Kathryn Grooms Psychotherapy work with people who are sober or are working

toward sobriety to support their efforts in a 12-step program. While we do not count days of sobriety, we strongly believe that every step in the right direction is a step toward healing. Working together with you, our focus is on healing the emotional and psychological reasons for abuse or misuse and to begin to identify those environmental circumstances which may trigger renewed use.

Therapy For Substance Abuse or Misuse in New York City

We believe the key to any successful therapy is early recognition and early treatment. Our team of licensed psychotherapists has experience working with clients who are struggling with drug and alcohol abuse and misuse. We provide individual, cognitively based therapy in a nonjudgmental, safe, and supportive environment.