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My Counselling ApproachMy approach to drug and alcohol counselling and trauma therapy is holistic. My focus is on the healing of your whole person, not just your symptoms (such as your substance abuse, anxiety or depression). Your emotions, thoughts, beliefs, sensations and behaviors make up your whole experience and are all connected. Your Initial Counselling ConsultationIn your initial session we will determine where to begin your therapy, knowing that a positive change in any one of these areas of your life will positively impact the whole of you. For example, if you are still struggling in an active addiction, that is the behavior we will address first. Or, if you have recently experienced a trauma and are struggling with its emotional impact on your life, then we will begin there. What you need to know is that no matter how devastating your addiction has been I am certain that you can find the skills necessary to heal with confidence and optimism. No matter how affected you have been by traumatic events in your life, I know that it is possible for you to move beyond your trauma and your addiction to live with joy and purpose. Together in Counselling, we can Form a Relationship that will Help you HealResearch has shown that a positive outcome for therapy is determined, first and foremost, by the ability of your therapist to connect with you emotionally. This is even more a factor than the particular method employed. This “relationship attunement” that we develop with one another will help us create the conditions necessary for positive change to occur. The relationship between client and therapist is no longer just a “feel good” attitude but a well proven scientific fact. Dan Siegel, a leader in the field of brain research, calls this relationship-building “interpersonal neurobiology”. Developing strong, caring relationships has a positive neurological and biological effect on our brains.Throughout your therapy with me, I will pay particular attention to developing this relationship attunement, in order to establish the bond necessary for change. Your brain cannot grow outside of a relationship and it’s your brain’s healthy functioning that determines your:
While building this relationship of change with you I will:
“I feel a great
sense of trust and honesty...”
Working with you I feel a great sense of trust and honesty and a kindness. I don’t question your motives. I trust that you have my well being at heart and you also have the skills and knowledge not to misdirect the process. - K.V. “You’re the only one who
really 'gets me'.”
I feel understood by you and supported. It is so comforting. - D.F. “You have helped me to change.”
I so badly want to be better so I take to heart your words. You are professional and you have helped me to change. When you relate your own experience I sense that you know — not just from books. You brought the humanness into it and I felt you could really understand me — that we were similar in this way. - M.G. From this place of connection we will examine the issues that are bringing you to therapy, set attainable and realistic goals and develop a plan for your healing and well being. Recovery from AddictionAddiction can be defined most simply as the loss of control over a substance or behavior that causes negative circumstances in your life.You can be addicted to alcohol, drugs (both illicit and/or prescribed), internet sex, food, work or gambling, to name a few. Most people know intuitively that they have developed an addiction. Unfortunately, by its very nature, this reality is often obscured by ‘the lie’ addict’s repeat to themselves that “My addiction is not that bad.” No one can beat addiction alone! And why would you want to? There is no need to stay isolated in your own world of deluded thinking and unsuccessful attempts to control your behavior. If you seek help and support you will be much better able to move on with your life than if you try to do it alone. Addiction recovery begins with abstinence.Abstinence can commence by attending a 12 step support group or by going into a treatment centre or a recovery home. Once you have begun your journey in sobriety, counselling can provide the necessary support on your path to emotional sobriety or well-being. We will assess together any addiction concerns and I will assist you to find the best first step for you. Addiction counselling with me will have a dual focus:
“I have lasting results that
build on one another.”
I came to counselling to get help parenting my teenage daughter. We were fighting all the time and I felt overwhelmed. I needed serious help with all my relationships, starting with myself, my family and friends. The quality of my life was declining. I was using alcohol and drugs to manage the anxiety and inner turmoil I felt most of the time. I had trouble setting boundaries to keep myself safe and would end up in abusive relationships over and over again. Today it is very different. I have an easier time reaching out and accepting support. I spend less energy with people who drain me. My relationship with my daughter is really wonderful now. I am moving towards the things I desire with greater success and joy. The most important difference is that I don’t feel so overwhelmed by life anymore. That is because I have boundaries today and I won’t accept unacceptable behavior. I feel that I can manage and move towards what I desire. I can take charge without taking control. I have to admit, being honest is hard — I had to face that I had an addiction when I believed it was socially acceptable recreational use. My alcohol and drug use was a way to mask my anger. As long as I was in this pattern I couldn’t grow. Self Regulation Therapy works better than anything I’ve ever tried before. I have lasting results that build on one another. It is holistic. Rather than coping with symptoms were getting to the root of the symptoms and moving towards health. I love that it is a collaborative approach and non-intrusive. The work I’ve done has been extremely powerful and useful in my everyday life. - K. V. Helping You Resolve TraumaThe field of trauma counselling has changed enormously in the past few years. We know now that the effects of trauma are not just ‘psychological’ or ‘emotional’, but that ‘the body remembers’ and stores the memory of these events. For this reason, talking about your trauma alone will not help you to resolve it. It is essential that your therapy also address the “trauma energy” that is trapped in your nervous system (body and brain). Self-Regulation Therapy® (SRT) is a form of mind-body integration therapy that does just that.SRT is a safe and natural form of therapy that allows you to reduce anxiety, depression and other common trauma symptoms in order to become more balanced and present in your life. We will do this by tracking your body sensations, and working with imagery, which is the language used by the primitive instinctual brain. You will learn to pace and support yourself, while beginning to discharge accumulated stress. In addition, you will create a sense of meaning that allows you to integrate your experiences into a positive sense of self. You will learn to reconnect with your survival wisdom and incorporate this knowledge for your optimum functioning in the world.Our society overvalues the use of a left brain, logical and verbal approach to life. While this is an important aspect of our whole self, it is only half the story. You may find that working with your right brain, which is intuitive, non-verbal and connected to your body sensations, feels quite ‘weird’ initially. Often I hear people say this. It is because we have little experience with it. Once it is practiced, however, there is a sense of being present, of being in charge, of being “embodied” (connected to your self in a grounded way) that feels incredibly empowering. “You have helped me to believe
in myself.”
I have to admit that when I first started working with you I thought what you did was quite strange — never having been to a therapist that worked with sensations in the body. But I decided not to judge before giving it a try. And you were right — it really works! Look at me — I’m so much calmer. I also found myself saying for the first time in as long as I can remember, 'I deserve better than this.' You have helped me to believe in myself. - S.R. (former
Downtown Eastside resident, “I feel on top of the world!”
You know when you first told me about this method of changing from the inside out… I thought to myself, “I hope you know what you’re doing because I’m not sure it’s possible… I mean is it really possible for me?? I lived my entire life focused on making the outside look good.” Then the other day I was at the gym and I was stretching — just simply stretching, and I felt so connected to myself and to how good it felt. I was fully present in my body and then I knew, “This is what Sue meant”. I hear the birds singing now, I feel the sunshine on my back when I’m at my desk, I feel my muscles working as I climb the Grouse Grind and I love every moment of awareness. It’s so good! Being present allows me to fully enjoy everything I do, especially the simplest things that I totally missed before. I no longer focus on what others think or try to keep up to what I think others want me to be. I live for myself today and for the sheer enjoyment of my life. I feel on top of the world! - J.L. If you are ready to begin your healing journey from trauma or addiction I look forward to your call to set up an initial consultation.
To sign up for my free newsletter, Emotional Sobriety Matters, and receive my free report “8 Ways to Enhance Emotional Sobriety”, please fill out your contact information at the top of this page.
Sue Diamond Potts Counselling
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