If your relationship with alcohol, drugs, or other substances has started to feel like something you can’t control, you already know something needs to change. Maybe you’ve tried to cut back and found yourself returning to the same patterns. Maybe you reach for a substance when stress or difficult emotions become too much to bear. Whatever your situation, substance use is not a moral failure. It is often your mind’s best attempt at managing pain it doesn’t know how to handle any other way. Here in Manassas, VA, I help people understand the forces driving their substance use and find genuine, lasting pathways to recovery.
Ready to understand what’s driving your use? Call (571) 229-3418 or book your first session.
What is Substance Abuse?
Substance abuse occurs when the use of alcohol, drugs, or other substances begins to cause significant problems in a person’s life, affecting health, relationships, work, or overall well-being. It exists on a spectrum, from patterns of misuse that create recurring difficulties to full physical and psychological dependence.
Substance abuse can involve alcohol, prescription medications, illicit drugs, or a combination of these. It can also co-occur with behavioral patterns like compulsive gambling or other addictive behaviors. What unites these experiences is a relationship with a substance or behavior that has shifted from something chosen to something that feels necessary, a pattern that continues despite mounting negative consequences.
One of the most misunderstood aspects of substance abuse is why people continue using when the costs are so visible. From the outside, it can look like a lack of willpower. But from a clinical perspective, substance use almost always serves a function. It may be numbing emotional pain, managing anxiety, coping with unresolved trauma, relieving depression, or creating a temporary sense of normalcy in an internal world that feels chaotic. Understanding this function is key to effective treatment. When we address what the substance use is doing for you internally, the grip of the substance naturally loosens.
Substance abuse frequently co-occurs with other mental health conditions, a situation known as dual diagnosis. Depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance use often exist in a reinforcing cycle where each condition worsens the others. Effective treatment addresses all of these dimensions rather than isolating substance use as the only problem.
Signs of Substance Abuse
Recognizing substance abuse in yourself can be difficult, partly because the parts of us that use substances are often the same parts that minimize or rationalize the behavior. Consider whether any of the following resonate:
- Using more than you intended or for longer than you planned
- Failed attempts to cut back or control your use
- Spending significant time obtaining, using, or recovering from substances
- Cravings or strong urges to use that are difficult to resist
- Neglecting responsibilities at work, home, or school because of substance use
- Continuing to use despite relationship problems caused or worsened by the substance
- Giving up activities you once enjoyed in favor of using
- Using in dangerous situations, such as while driving
- Needing more of the substance to achieve the same effect (tolerance)
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you stop or reduce use
- Using substances to manage emotions, such as reaching for alcohol after a hard day or using to numb anxiety or sadness
If several of these patterns are present in your life, professional support can help you understand what’s driving the behavior and find a path forward that doesn’t depend on substances.
How IFS Helps with Substance Abuse and Addiction
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy offers a fundamentally different approach to substance abuse treatment, one rooted in understanding rather than confrontation, and in curiosity rather than willpower alone.
In the IFS model, substance use is understood as the activity of a “part,” a part of your internal system that has taken on the role of managing pain, stress, or other unbearable emotions. This part isn’t your enemy. It’s a part that found the best solution it could at the time, perhaps when you were young, overwhelmed, and had no other resources available. The substance became a way to survive.
Traditional approaches often try to overpower or suppress the part that uses substances, relying on external accountability and willpower. IFS takes a different path. Instead of fighting this part, we approach it with curiosity: What is it protecting you from? What does it fear would happen if it stopped? What burden does it carry? When this part feels understood and when the underlying pain it’s been managing is addressed directly, the need for the substance diminishes naturally.
IFS also works with the other parts involved in the cycle of addiction: the inner critic that floods you with shame after using, the part that makes promises to quit, the part that rationalizes “just one more time,” and the wounded parts carrying the original pain. By bringing awareness and care to this entire internal system, real change becomes possible.
This approach is particularly effective when substance use is connected to trauma, as it frequently is. Rather than requiring you to simply stop using and then deal with the trauma, IFS allows us to work with both simultaneously in a way that feels manageable and safe. For a deeper understanding of the therapeutic approaches I use, including how IFS integrates with mindfulness and other modalities, I encourage you to explore my approach.
My Approach to Substance Abuse Treatment
With over 19 years of clinical experience, a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Towson University, and certification as both an IFS Therapist and a Clinical Trauma Professional, I bring depth and nuance to substance abuse treatment. I understand that addiction is rarely just about the substance; it’s about pain, history, relationships, and the internal conditions that make certain coping strategies feel necessary.
My approach is nonjudgmental and collaborative. I do not require sobriety before beginning therapy, and I do not use shame or confrontation as therapeutic tools. I meet you exactly where you are and work with you to understand your relationship with substances from the inside out. Together, we set goals that make sense for your life, whether that’s complete abstinence, harm reduction, or simply gaining clarity about what’s driving your use.
I am comfortable working with the complexity of dual diagnosis, addressing substance use alongside depression, anxiety, trauma, and relationship difficulties. When appropriate, I coordinate with other providers (psychiatrists, physicians, and support programs) to ensure you receive comprehensive care. Learn more about my qualifications and approach.
What to Expect in Sessions
When you begin substance abuse counseling with me, our first session focuses on understanding your story: your relationship with substances, your history, your current life circumstances, and what you hope to achieve in therapy. I ask questions with genuine curiosity and without judgment, creating a space where honesty is safe.
In ongoing sessions, we work with whatever is most pressing in the moment. Some sessions might focus on understanding the parts that drive your substance use through IFS work. Others might address the emotional pain or trauma underlying the behavior. Still others might focus on practical strategies for managing cravings, handling triggers, or rebuilding relationships affected by substance use.
Sessions are 50 minutes and available both in-person at my Manassas, VA office and via telehealth for clients throughout Virginia and Florida. My fee is $215 per session, and I accept Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance. I offer an initial consultation to discuss your situation and see if we’re a good fit.
About My Approach
Recovery from substance abuse requires a therapist who understands the complexity of addiction and who can hold space for the full range of your experience without judgment. Here is what I offer:
- IFS certification: As a Certified IFS Therapist with Level 2 training, I can work directly with the internal dynamics driving substance use, something that sets this work apart from conventional addiction counseling.
- Trauma expertise: My CCTP credential and extensive experience with trauma mean I can address the trauma-addiction connection that is so often at the heart of substance abuse.
- 19+ years of experience: I bring nearly two decades of clinical practice to this work, having helped clients through every stage of recovery.
- Understanding over confrontation: My approach is grounded in the belief that understanding the function of substance use is more effective than shaming it. You will never be judged in my office.
If something needs to change, let’s talk about it. Call (571) 229-3418 to schedule a consultation.