Substance Use Therapy for Adults in NJ, PA, FL and TX
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC) offering online substance use therapy to adults in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Texas. My approach is harm-reduction-informed: you do not need to be committed to abstinence to begin, and your goals, not a predetermined standard, guide the work.
What is substance use therapy?
Substance use therapy is clinical treatment for a person's relationship with alcohol, drugs, or other substances, delivered in an outpatient setting that does not require residential care or a formal recovery program. The DSM-5 classifies substance use along a spectrum of severity rather than as a binary condition, which reflects what clinical practice has shown for decades: people's relationships with substances are complex, often functional for periods, and shaped by factors that abstinence-only models rarely address adequately. Effective treatment begins by understanding the substance in context. What is it doing for the person? What need is it meeting? What is it protecting against? For most adults I work with, substance use developed as a response to something: pain, trauma, chronic stress, anxiety, or an environment that offered no other reliable means of regulation. Addressing the substance without addressing what it was in service of rarely produces lasting change. In short, substance use therapy is most effective when it treats the whole person and the context in which the pattern developed, not only the behavior itself.
How substance use therapy works
Treatment begins with a biopsychosocial assessment covering the full history: the substance use itself, the contexts in which it developed, the trauma and mental health factors that interact with it, and what the client is actually hoping for. Goals vary significantly. Some clients want to stop entirely. Some want to reduce and regulate. Some want to understand their patterns before deciding what change looks like. Some are addressing a co-occurring condition where substance use is one part of a more complex clinical picture. Sessions are conducted via secure HIPAA-compliant telehealth, removing the logistical and social barriers that prevent many adults from seeking help in person. No waiting rooms, no risk of being seen entering a treatment facility. The clinical work draws on Motivational Interviewing, CBT, DBT, Internal Family Systems, psychodynamic therapy, and Somatic Experiencing, matched to what the client's goals and nervous system can access at each stage. In short, substance use therapy here begins with your actual goals rather than a predetermined standard of what recovery is supposed to look like.
My approach to substance use
My approach is harm-reduction-informed and trauma-integrated. Harm reduction means the goal of treatment is not defined in advance by an external standard of abstinence. It is defined by the client, based on their values, their life, and what change actually means to them. Research consistently supports harm reduction as effective for adults who would not otherwise seek or remain in treatment. I hold an LCADC credential in New Jersey, which requires specific training in substance use assessment, motivational approaches, and co-occurring mental health treatment. This is distinct from general therapist training, where substance use is often addressed briefly and treated as secondary to other presenting concerns. Motivational Interviewing is the primary framework I use for exploring ambivalence about change, which is nearly universal and which confrontational approaches tend to worsen. IFS and psychodynamic work address the protective function substance use has been serving. Somatic Experiencing addresses the nervous system dysregulation that drives craving and relapse in ways that cognitive approaches alone often cannot reach. In short, this approach meets you where you are, with the credential, the clinical training, and the framework that substance use treatment actually requires.
Who this is for
I work with adults whose relationship with substances has become something they want to examine and potentially change, at whatever stage they are in that process. This includes adults who want to reduce rather than stop entirely, adults in early recovery seeking support beyond a 12-step program, adults questioning whether their use is a problem, and adults where substance use is one thread in a more complex picture involving trauma, burnout, anxiety, or relational stress. Many of my clients are high-functioning: employed, credentialed, and maintaining their obligations while managing a pattern that has become more than recreational. They are not looking for residential treatment. They are looking for outpatient support from a clinician who can hold both the substance use and the complexity underneath it. Research indicates that approximately 70 percent of adults with substance use disorders have a significant trauma history. For many clients, the substance use and the trauma are the same clinical problem approached from different angles, and treating one without the other rarely holds. In short, this work is for any adult who wants to understand their relationship with substances, without judgment about where they are starting from.
Fees and insurance
Alchemy Psychotherapy is a private-pay, out-of-network practice. The biopsychosocial assessment is $300. Standard 45-minute sessions are $250. A 30-minute session is $185 when clinically indicated. In limited circumstances, a reduced fee is available based on financial need and current caseload availability. I do not bill insurance directly, but I provide a Superbill on the first of each month for clients with out-of-network mental health benefits. Under the No Surprises Act, you have the right to a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges before treatment begins. In short, private-pay therapy removes insurance company involvement from clinical decisions about session frequency, treatment duration, and modality choice.
How to get started
Beginning therapy involves three steps, handled entirely online. First, a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation where we discuss what brings you in and determine fit. Second, intake paperwork through a secure client portal. Third, the biopsychosocial assessment session of 60 to 90 minutes.
If we agree the practice is a good fit during the consultation, you typically begin treatment within one to two weeks. I am currently accepting new clients in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Texas. You can also learn more about individual online therapy or review the full services page.
Currently accepting new clients for substance use therapy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Substance Use Therapy
What is harm reduction therapy?
Harm reduction therapy prioritizes reducing the harms associated with substance use rather than requiring abstinence as a condition of care. Goals are defined by the client, not a predetermined standard. Research supports harm reduction as effective for adults who would not otherwise engage with or remain in treatment. It does not preclude choosing abstinence later if that becomes the right fit.
Do I have to be ready to quit completely to start therapy?
No. Many adults who enter substance use therapy are ambivalent about change, uncertain about their goals, or specifically not interested in abstinence. That ambivalence is not a barrier to treatment. It is often the starting point. A harm-reduction approach works with wherever you are, including the parts that are not yet ready to change, without shame or pressure.
Is online therapy effective for substance use treatment?
Yes. Research supports telehealth as effective for substance use treatment, including Motivational Interviewing, CBT, and relapse prevention delivered via video. For many adults, telehealth removes the practical and social barriers that prevent engagement with in-person treatment. The clinical relationship and the quality of the therapist's training matter more than whether the session takes place in person or online.
How is trauma related to substance use?
Research indicates that approximately 70 percent of adults with substance use disorders have a significant trauma history. For many people, substance use developed as a way to regulate the nervous system activation, emotional pain, or disconnection that unresolved trauma produces. Treating substance use without addressing the trauma underneath it frequently produces short-term change that does not hold over time.
Can I use therapy alongside a 12-step program?
Yes. Therapy and 12-step programs address different dimensions of recovery and can work alongside each other effectively. Therapy explores the psychological, relational, and trauma dimensions of substance use in depth. If a 12-step program is working for you, I support that. If it is not the right fit, therapy provides structured support without requiring it.