Addiction is a disease and unfortunately relapse is often part of the journey to recovery. My over spending and over shopping group offers mutual aid that will significantly reduce your feelings of isolation and shame. Group support provides a confidential environment aimed at decreasing your over shopping and over spending; minimizing your risk of relapse through strategies that we create together.

My specialized addiction training is in the area of over - spending and over - shopping. What once was a slippery slope is now - a razor's edge. What was acceptable or okay is now gone; it's now a full blown crisis. The essence of a shopping addiction is an attempt to purchase a new sense of self in the act of acquiring the new outfit, the new car, the new gadget. The over shopper displaces difficult emotions through the thrill and intent of purchase or acquisition; you feel overwhelmed with obsessive thoughts and feelings. This artificially created sense of worth is short-lived and consequently is followed by a profound sense of guilt, worthlessness or anxiety. Our work together will explore: What is the addiction doing for you? Why the pain? How is the addiction serving you? If the addiction is offering you relief from a painful memory, a debilitating self consciousness, a nauseating level of anxiety, or an obsession that takes over and subsumes all of you feelings; you'll be hard pressed to want to change until you can learn other ways of coping with those underlying issues. I will lend you the courage to discuss what is difficult and what needs to be brought out into your awareness. Together we will develop coping skills that are uniquely designed to suit your needs. During your recovery I will coach you in developing the skills of containment, management, self discipline, responsibility and accountability.

I have extensive experience in facilitating addiction support groups, staff support groups in the work place and support groups for parents; parenting children of all ages. I have published two articles in the Social Work with Groups Journal, (2012 & 2017) detailing specially designed curriculums to aid parents in gaining a more assertive voice to communicate with family and others in their lives. The curriculum has been proven to improve parent's self concept by empowering them to take action and advocate for themselves.