Support for Young Women in Recovery
You want to be healthy…
Your past hasn’t been perfect (nobody’s has!), but you feel like there are experiences that are holding you back from being all that you could be. You want to surround yourself with positive supports, healthy relationships, and uplifting energy, yet you keep repeating negative behaviors, toxic patterns in relationships, and find yourself looking outward for the inner peace you desire. Low self-esteem and unprocessed trauma has fueled years of disordered eating habits, substance abuse, and unhealthy relationships. You want to heal old wounds and develop healthy patterns, but do not know how. It sometimes seems there is greater comfort in sticking with what is familiar, than there is in enduring the stress of change, even if you believe such change will give you a shot at true peace.
A WORD ABOUT EATING DISORDERS
Before delving into the complex relationship between eating disorders, substance use, & trauma, it is imperative to highlight the following: there is a difference between an addiction to a substance and an eating disorder. There are a LOT of differences, actually. One big difference lie in the implications for recovery in that food is a necessary part of survival; substances are not. It would be possible for a person with a substance use addiction to go the rest of their life without ever having to use the said substance again. The same cannot be said about a person with an eating disorder and food. Let me say it again: an eating disorder is not the same as a substance use disorder, nor is the recovery process the same.
That said, it is extremely common for eating disorders and substance use disorders to co-exist, as is it extremely common for persons with either to have a history of trauma. Not everyone is looking to address their trauma, however. Some people would like to achieve stability in their ED symptoms and are not interested in delving into the past. There are a variety of treatment models that can be used to address the eating disorder part of a co-occurring disorder, but the model I find to be most effective is CBT-E (Enhanced Cognitive Therapy for Eating Disorders). CBT-E is a specialized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy designed to target the factors that are maintaining the eating disorder behaviors, in order to reduce them. Once behaviors are stabilized, it is then an opportunity to do deeper trauma work to uncover the underlying beliefs that fueled the development of the ED in the first place (if this is desired by the patient).
While there are many ways to treat co-occuring eating disorders & trauma, and co-occurring substance use, eating disorders, & trauma, I have found that approaching the ED with both CBTE and EMDR to be the most effective way at producing longterm change.
The Link between Trauma, Substance Abuse, & Eating Disorders
It is common for people with past traumatic experiences or adverse childhood events to develop co-occurring eating disorders and substance use disorders. The National Eating Disorders Organization (NEDA.ORG) cites up to 50% of individuals with eating disorders use alcohol or illicit drugs, a rate five times higher than the general population. In addition, up to 35% of individuals who were dependent on alcohol or other drugs have also had eating disorders, a rate 11 times greater than the general population. In terms of trauma, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) cites 75 % of women and men in substance abuse treatment report histories of abuse and trauma. Also reported is 12-34% of individuals in substance abuse treatment have PTSD. Strong evidence supports this relationship between trauma and substance abuse. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study showed the following:
• The risk for early onset substance abuse increases two to four times for each adversity identified.
• A person with 5 or more ACEs is 7 to 10 times more likely to become a substance abuser.
• Almost two-thirds of IV drug users report abusive and traumatic childhood events.
So why do people with trauma start engaging in these maladaptive behaviors in the first place? There are different schools of thought, but one is both eating disorders and substance abuse can be a way people attempt to regulate emotions that are otherwise severely dysregulated as a result of an overwhelmed system. In addition, both substance abuse and eating disorders can also be conceptualized as forms of dissociation – a trauma response that serves as a way to sever the self from the present moment because it is too overwhelming for the central nervous system to process it all. It is a biological drive (at the level of the brain) that compels one to seek out pleasure over pain. Once various brain chemistry is triggered, the behaviors then continue for other reasons, which include various theories such as the disease model of addiction, a genetic predisposition that is then triggered. The statistics are clear that a correlation exists, however, and it is paramount for a dual diagnostic framework to be utilized when treating individuals struggling with both.
Co-Occurring Addiction & Mental Health Treatment
There are several types of services I provide that will help you reach your recovery goals.
First, I can help you to stabilize your sobriety in the early days of recovery by providing education and linkage to recovery community supports; referring for medication management services for those with a dual diagnosis; helping you develop a plan for managing mental health needs alongside learning ways to manage cravings, relapses, and triggers.
Second, as you move through recovery, I will help you navigate whatever trauma or mental health symptoms you have co-occurring alongside addiction issues. If you wish to work a 12 step program, I can offer insight and support as you learn how to apply the 12 steps to your life. I can also help you apply CBT strategies similar to those utilized in SMART Recovery, and I can help you navigate recovery challenges that arise as you are rebuilding your life, such as learning healthy boundaries, how to handle abusive or toxic relationships, and how to manage co-dependency issues.
Finally, once you have achieved stability in your sobriety, I will then facilitate your healing from trauma that likely triggered your addiction in the first place. I provide the following evidence-based therapies for the treatment of addiction & eating disorders:
CBT-E (Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders)
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing)
SMART Recovery Support – Tools & Strategies
We will discuss each therapy during the assessment session when we clarify your treatment goals.
How Do I Get Started?
Start a Conversation
Send Carrie an email, contact her via the form below, or give her a call.
Book Appointment
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Prep for Your Session
Complete the intake forms to give Carrie a snapshot of what you are feeling and where you want to be.
Common Questions
What insurances do you accept?
I am currently accepting Medical Mutual, Aetna, and UHC insurance plans.
What if I don’t have insurance?
You may visit me at Open Path Collective where I offer reduced fees when you enroll as an Open Path patient. You may also find pricing information on my Fees sections
What if I can’t do weekly sessions?
I strongly encourage and recommend committing to weekly sessions in the beginning of therapy (first 2 months or so) because I have found patients seem to make the most progress when meeting regularly. That said, therapy is your investment in yourself and you are welcome to commit to bi-weekly if this is more accommodating to your needs and if it is clinically indicated. As treatment progresses, we may gradually reduce frequency.
Can I follow you on social media?
I fiercely protect the sanctity of the therapeutic alliance that is formed in the therapy process. I am bound by the ethics of my state licensing board, as well, which requires strict adherence to refraining from dual relationships of any kind. For these reasons, we cannot be friends on personal social media sites, but you can read my blog @ www.warriorgoddessesunite.org, as well as follow me on my professional Instagram account @ carrie.mosko, and/or FB Page Carrie Mosko, LLC, where I post therapeutic content and information related to the services offered through my practice.
Contact Carrie
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