---
title: "Trauma and Addiction Therapy | Brian Lewis, LCMHC"
url: https://respondersherpa.com/trauma-and-addiction-therapy
description: "Integrated trauma and addiction therapy in Utah. Address substance use and the memories underneath it together. Sobriety is not required before you begin."
lang: en
---

Image: Warm morning light through an evergreen forest (https://respondersherpa.com/assets/card-change-rekTFB8r.jpg)

Specialty · Trauma and addiction

# Trauma and addiction, treated together.

When a substance is managing a memory, treating one while ignoring the other can leave you caught between them. Alcohol or drugs may quiet images, lower adrenaline, create sleep, or make a difficult anniversary bearable. Therapy can address the current use and the trauma underneath it at the same time. Sobriety is not required before you begin.

Book a free 15-minute call: https://respondersherpa.com/booking
See all counseling →: https://respondersherpa.com/counseling

You might recognize this

## Some of this sounds familiar.

The substance is less about celebration than getting distance from a memory, feeling, or body response.

Attempts to cut back make the calls, loss, or agitation feel louder, so the old pattern returns.

You have been told to address the trauma after you are sober, but waiting leaves the reason for using untouched.

Shame about use makes you minimize both the amount and the experiences underneath it.

You want change but need a pace that does not remove your main coping tool before something safer is in place.

How I help

## The work, unhurried.

The work holds two truths at once: the substance may be costing you, and it may also have been helping you survive something you did not know how to carry.

Trauma and substance use can reinforce each other. A memory, sound, anniversary, or shift raises distress; the substance lowers it for a while; then sleep, relationships, work, or self-trust become more difficult. That new strain creates another reason to use. Looking at the full loop is more useful than treating the behavior as if it appeared without a purpose.

Sobriety is not required to start therapy. You can talk honestly about current use, uncertainty, and what you are or are not ready to change. The goal at the beginning is a clear picture of what is happening and what support fits. Shame and hidden information make planning harder; they do not make you undeserving of care.

Trauma work is paced to where you are. EMDR and Accelerated Resolution Therapy may be used for memories that replay, but processing is not forced while you lack enough stability to stay present. We can first strengthen ways to manage distress, understand triggers, and make choices that reduce immediate harm without pretending the underlying memory has disappeared.

Solution-focused therapy supports concrete changes in the present: interrupting an automatic routine, planning for the hours after shift, protecting sleep, or identifying who and what makes honesty easier. These steps are not separate from trauma treatment. They create enough room for deeper work to happen without turning every session into a test of willpower.

A higher level of care can be the right call when outpatient individual therapy cannot provide enough support. If that becomes clear, I will discuss it directly and help you identify appropriate options. Starting here does not guarantee that this level of care will fit every situation, and being referred for more support is not a failure.

My understanding of this intersection is also personal: in 2019, I lost a son to an accidental fentanyl overdose. I mention that briefly not to compare stories or promise an outcome, but to be clear that addiction and loss are not abstract topics here. Your experience remains your own, and therapy stays centered on what you need.

Related reading: first responder addiction counseling (https://respondersherpa.com/first-responder-addiction), alcohol use counseling (https://respondersherpa.com/alcohol-use-counseling), and PTSD and trauma therapy (https://respondersherpa.com/ptsd-trauma-therapy).

If you're in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911.

### What to expect

- A free 15-minute call — no pressure, just see if we fit.
- Honest intake — your story, your goals, your pace.
- 50-minute sessions, weekly or biweekly.
- Telehealth anywhere in Utah, or in-person in Midvale.

### The practical part

Where

Telehealth across Utah, or in-person in Midvale.

Investment

$150 per 50-minute session. Out-of-network superbill on request. No referral needed.

First step

A free 15-minute call to see if we're a fit.

Book a free consult (https://respondersherpa.com/booking)

FAQ

## Common questions.

Do I have to be sober before trauma therapy starts? +

No. Sobriety is not required to begin. Trauma processing is paced to your current stability, and present substance use needs to be discussed honestly.

Can trauma and addiction be treated at the same time? +

Yes. Therapy can address the current pattern and the memories or distress the substance has been managing, rather than requiring one to be finished first.

Will we start EMDR or ART immediately? +

Not automatically. We first consider stability, current use, and your ability to stay present. Memory work begins when the pace fits.

What if I need more support than weekly outpatient therapy? +

If a higher level of care is needed, I will say so directly and help you identify appropriate options.

You do not have to choose between telling the truth about the substance and getting help for what sits underneath it.

Book a free 15-minute call: https://respondersherpa.com/booking
Meet Brian →: https://respondersherpa.com/about

Brian Lewis, LCMHC · Midvale, Utah · Telehealth across Utah · Utah LCMHC license #5497978-6009

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