Addiction Therapy in Hamilton and Online Across Ontario
Experienced Compassionate Help Moving Toward Choice, Balance, and Freedom
Feeling bothered by behaviours that feel hard to control?
Addiction is a pattern of compulsive behaviour that feels hard to control and continues even when it causes harm.
Addiction is not a lack of willpower—it’s a learned coping response that often develops as a way to cope with stress, emotional pain, trauma, or overwhelm. Over time, what was once soothing can negatively impact health, relationships, finances, and self-worth.
Dr. Jennifer Barbera, PhD, & her team offer compassionate, evidence-based addiction therapy for adults and adolescents (15+), supporting individuals to understand the underlying drivers of their behaviour and develop healthier, more sustainable patterns.
Our Approach to Addiction Therapy
We help you move towards recovery by addressing the underlying drivers of addictive patterns—not just the behaviour itself. When addictive behaviours are understood as attempts to manage overwhelming emotions, stress, or past experiences, therapy becomes a place to heal what fuels the cycle.
Rather than focusing solely on stopping a behaviour, addiction therapy works to identify and repair the core issues that made the behaviour necessary in the first place. This deeper work allows long-standing patterns—often shaped by anxiety, trauma, shame, or unmet needs—to finally be understood, processed, and resolved rather than repeatedly managed.
Over time, addiction therapy helps reduce reliance on harmful coping strategies and strengthens your capacity to respond to life with greater clarity, self-compassion, and choice. The goal is not just change, but sustainable healing that supports a more balanced, values-aligned way of living.
We Assist with the Following Behaviours:
• Alcohol use
• Substance use (including cannabis, stimulants, opioids, and other substances)
• Binge eating and food-related behaviours
• Shopping or spending compulsions
• Gambling
• Technology, gaming, or online behaviours
• Other compulsive or habitual behaviours that feel hard to stop
You do not need a diagnosis or be in crisis to seek support. If a behaviour is negatively interfering with your life or relationships, we can help.
How Addiction Can Affect Daily Life:
• Feeling trapped in cycles of guilt, shame, or secrecy
• Loss of control despite intentions to cut back or stop
• Emotional numbing or intense mood swings
• Strained relationships or isolation
• Financial, work, or academic difficulties
• Increased anxiety, depression, or trauma-related symptoms
How We Help With Addiction
Together, we work to address the underlying factors that maintain addictive patterns, including:
- Emotional regulation difficulties and distress intolerance
- Trauma, grief, or chronic stress
- Perfectionism, shame, or low self-worth
- Relationship patterns and attachment needs
- Nervous system dysregulation and overwhelm
Our approach is non-judgmental, collaborative, and trauma-informed, supporting harm reduction, recovery, or behaviour change based on your goals.
What to Expect in Addiction Therapy
Starting therapy can feel vulnerable. We keep the process clear, supportive, and paced to you:
- Initial assessment: Review concerns, history, and contributing factors
- Collaborative goal setting: Harm reduction, moderation, or abstinence—based on what you choose
- Skill-building: Tools to manage urges, emotions, and triggers
- Ongoing support: Monitor progress, adjust strategies, and navigate setbacks
- Relapse prevention: Strengthen long-term coping and overall well-being
You + Us = A Healthier Way Forward.
Contact us today!
FAQ
No. Many people begin therapy feeling unsure, ambivalent, or conflicted. Therapy can help you explore readiness, motivation, and next steps without any pressure or judgment.
Absolutely. We support harm reduction, moderation, and abstinence-based goals, depending on what feels realistic and supportive for you.
Yes. Addiction often overlaps with mood, anxiety, and trauma-related concerns, which we address together in an integrated way.
Our therapeutic approach to addiction is compassionate, collaborative, and evidence-based.
We use Motivational Interviewing to support readiness for change without pressure or judgment, ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) to help individuals relate differently to urges and build a life guided by values, IFS (Internal Family Systems) to understand and heal the emotional parts driving addictive behaviours, and CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) to identify patterns, manage triggers, and develop practical coping strategies.
We can book an individual counselling session to discuss ways of approaching your loved one in a way that may help encourage and promote them to attend therapy. If desired, we can also make suggestions for resources or support you further in coping with the heartache that often comes with witnessing a loved one struggling with some type of addictive behaviour.
Therapy is a process, and meaningful change usually unfolds over time. The pace depends on your goals, the challenges you bring, and your comfort level. Most clients notice progress after several sessions, with deeper change developing as therapy continues.
Contact Us
Taking the first step can feel difficult – we will make it easier. We’re here to guide you with care and professionalism.
905-407-5758
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