JUSTIN HAMILTON, MSW, RSW
Addiction counselling in Burlington
I’ve been on the other side of this. My own recovery is part of why I do this work. It doesn’t make me an expert on your situation, but it means I get it. And you won’t have to explain everything from the beginning.
Thinking about stopping
Most people arrive well before they've decided anything. You might be counting drinks, or promising yourself this week will be different, or questioning whether it's really a problem at all.
That's a fine place to begin. You don't need to have reached a conclusion, and I won't push you toward one in the first session. What helps first is getting honest about where things actually are. Not where they should be, not where you want them to be, and not the scaled-back version you'd give a doctor.
Early sobriety
The first stretch is often harder than people expect, and rarely in the ways they expected. The using stops and everything it was holding down comes up. Sleep gets strange. Emotions overwhelm you. Old friendships get complicated. You may find you don't know what to do with an evening.
This is where having somewhere to take it makes a real difference. We work on the practical parts — what sets it off, what to do instead, how to get through the situations that have caught you before — alongside whatever is underneath.
Relapse
If you've stopped before and started again, you're not back at the beginning and you haven't undone anything.
You have not failed.
Relapse is information. Something was going on before it happened and that’s what’s important, more than the using itself. We look at what led up to it without the layer of shame that stops most people from looking closely.
Life after treatment
Finishing a programme is not the same as being finished. Plenty of people come out the other side sober and find the life they've returned to doesn't fit them yet. Their relationships are built around who they used to be, work hasn't adjusted, and they’re still getting to know this new version of themselves.
That's ongoing work. It deserves attention and I don’t treat it as “the easy part”.
When it isn’t a substance
Gambling, gaming, day trading. The mechanics are much the same. The relief, the chasing, the unique math used to calculate what it’s costing. People often hesitate to call it an addiction, and so put off getting help for years.
I work with behavioural addictions in the same way I work with any other. You don't need a diagnosis or a label to book a consultation.
Where we’re going
I'll work with you at any stage. Actively using, newly stopped, relapsed, or decades into recovery. You don't have to have stopped, or decided to stop, before you come.
I'm clear about the destination. The goal is recovery, and I'll recommend abstinence, because harm reduction isn't recovery. You don't have to agree with me about that yet to start.
I don't require a twelve-step programme and I don't expect one. If it's part of your recovery, we'll work alongside it. I do generally recommend AA or something like it (SMART Recovery suits people who want a different framework), but that's a recommendation, not a condition.
How I work
I use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), emotion-focused therapy (EFT) and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), chosen to fit you rather than the other way around.
I’ll be direct with you. I won't spend six months circling something we could name in the first session.
What I’m not
I'm not a detox or withdrawal management service, and as a Registered Social Worker I can’t prescribe. Stopping some substances without medical supervision is dangerous, so if that's where you are, that part comes first. I can help you work out where to go.
ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600) is free and confidential, staffed 24 hours a day, and will help you find treatment services anywhere in the province by phone, text or chat. However, it’s not a crisis line. If you need help right now, call or text 9-8-8, or 911 in an emergency.
Practical
Sessions are 60 minutes at $160. The first 15-minute consultation is free and there's no obligation afterward. The idea of a consultation is for both of us to decide if we think I can help you.
As a Registered Social Worker my services are HST-exempt, and I provide receipts you can submit to your insurer.
I see clients by video anywhere in Ontario, or in person at my Burlington office near Appleby Line and the QEW. It’s a short drive from Hamilton, Oakville and Milton.
I also work with partners and family members of people in active addiction.
Reaching out is the hardest part. You don’t have to have decided anything before we talk.