Understanding what it does for you
Triggers, timing, and what the behavior is handling. Stopping is much harder while that job goes unfilled.
When stopping hasn't held
Addiction Therapy in Boca Raton
Most people who come to me have already tried to stop. Often more than once, and they meant it every time.
The pattern usually holds because it does something for you — settles your nerves, ends the day, makes a feeling stop.
Treatment works on both sides of that: what the behavior is doing for you, and how to stop doing it.
Available in person in Boca Raton and virtually for appropriate clients in Florida and New Jersey.
Schedule a Free 15-Minute ConsultationReady to start therapy? Book a Full Session on ZocdocHave a question? Send Me a Message
In-person therapy in Boca Raton• Virtual sessions also available in FL & NJ
Honesty makes change easier rather than harder.
Why willpower often runs out
Shame keeps the cycle running.
What changes the arithmetic
Most people already know what they are doing and already feel badly about it. More guilt tends to make the behavior more likely, because the behavior is what handles difficult feelings.
An hour a week where you can say the true version out loud changes that arithmetic. Honesty makes change easier rather than harder.
Schedule a Free 15-Minute ConsultationWhat people bring to these sessions
The shape it usually takes.
Stopping and starting again, more than once
Hiding it, and the effort that takes
Someone has noticed, or you expect them to
Effects on work, money, health, or your marriage
Seeing clearly what it costs and continuing anyway
Uncertainty about whether it counts as a problem
Many people come in unsure whether the word addiction applies to them. That question can wait.
What this covers
Substances and compulsive patterns.
Alcohol and drugs. Gambling, food, and screens. Pornography and compulsive sexual behavior have their own page.
Your goals get set with you, based on your situation. I will not decide what abstinence has to look like for you before I understand what is happening.
My approach
Structure, honesty, and the layer underneath.
Practical structure
Planning for the predictable hard moments and building routines that do not depend on willpower alone.
Honest conversation about setbacks
If you use again, I want to hear about it. Therapy you cannot be honest in has limited use.
EMDR where trauma sits underneath
For many people, past experiences or long-standing shame sit beneath the pattern. EMDR and somatic work can address those. Early recovery usually needs stability first, so this comes in when it fits rather than at the start.
Addiction affects the people around you. With your agreement, I can offer guidance to family members as part of your work.
Twelve-step meetings help some people. They are available as outside support rather than a requirement here.
What treatment may look like
A clear process, adapted to your situation
Understand the pattern and what keeps it going
Triggers, timing, and what the behavior handles for you.
Build immediate structure and support
Planning for the predictable hard moments, so early change does not rest on willpower alone.
Work on what sits underneath
EMDR and somatic work for past experiences or long-standing shame, once there is enough stability.
Rebuild the parts of life it has taken up
Work, money, health, and the relationships it has affected.
Questions about addiction therapy
Do I need to know whether I have an addiction?
No. Many people come in unsure. We look at what is actually happening and what it is costing you, and the label can wait.
Can I talk about a setback without being judged?
Yes, and I want to hear about it. Therapy you cannot be honest in has limited use.
Do I have to attend twelve-step meetings?
No. They help some people and are available as outside support. They are not a requirement here.
Can my family receive guidance as part of the process?
Yes, with your agreement. Addiction affects the people around you, and I can offer guidance to family members as part of your work.
Local, face-to-face care
Addiction therapy in Boca Raton.
Meet with Shaya in his Boca Raton office, accessible from communities throughout South Florida. Virtual therapy is also available to appropriate clients in Florida and New Jersey.
A next step at your pace
Take the first step without committing to treatment.
A free 15-minute consultation gives you space to describe what has been happening, ask about my approach, and see whether working together feels like a fit.
Free 15-minute consultation
Find a time that works for you.
Schedule your free 15-minute consultation below.
If the scheduler does not load, schedule directly on Calendly.