Substance Abuse & Addiction Therapy in California
We offer compassionate, non-judgmental online substance use therapy for adults and teens (16+) across California. Whether you're questioning your relationship with alcohol, navigating early recovery, managing cravings alongside anxiety or trauma, or supporting a loved one affected by addiction, you’re in the right place.
Our therapists bring both professional training and lived experience, recognizing that healing from substance use is rarely just about the substance.
Support for the part of you that is trying to cope, survive, and find a way forward.
When the “Solution” Becomes the Problem
For a lot of people, substance use didn’t start as a problem. It started as something that helped.
Something that took the edge off. Helped you relax after a long day. Made it easier to sleep, disconnect, or get through moments that felt overwhelming.
Over time, that relationship can shift. What once felt like relief can start to feel harder to control, or come with consequences you didn’t expect. You might notice yourself relying on it more, thinking about it more often, or feeling off without it.
It’s rarely just about the substance itself. It’s often tied to stress, anxiety, trauma, burnout, or just trying to keep up with everything life demands.
That’s usually where we start. Looking at what’s actually going on, without jumping straight to labels or pressure.
Online Substance Abuse Therapy in California
At Brave Soul Therapy, we provide online substance abuse therapy for adults and teens (16+) across California. Clients join us from across the state, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, Long Beach, Oakland, Bakersfield, and Riverside, all through secure, HIPAA-compliant virtual sessions.
In therapy, we focus on how substance use shows up in specific moments. Not just the substance itself, but what tends to happen before and after, and what makes it harder to shift.
Substance use and addiction support we offer
Alcohol use and dependency
Support for those questioning their drinking, trying to cut back, or working through alcohol use disorder and its impact. This can include looking at patterns around social drinking, stress, or routine use that has gradually increased over time. We focus on helping you understand what role alcohol is playing and what feels realistic for you moving forward.
Co-occurring mental health concerns
Support for substance use alongside anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, ADHD, or ongoing stress. Often, substance use is closely tied to how you’re feeling emotionally or mentally. Addressing both at the same time helps create more stable and lasting progress.
Drug use and recovery support
Therapy for cannabis, opioids, stimulants, benzodiazepines, or polysubstance use, whether you're early in the process or further along. Some clients are experimenting with change, while others are navigating long-term patterns. We work at your pace, focusing on what’s actually happening in your day-to-day life.
12-step recovery support
Therapy that complements 12-step work and helps you process what comes up between meetings. This might include working through difficult emotions, patterns, or experiences that don’t always get addressed in group settings. It creates space to go deeper at your own pace.
Support for family and loved ones
Help navigating boundaries, stress, and the impact of someone else’s substance use. This can include feelings of frustration, guilt, or burnout that build over time. Therapy gives you space to focus on your own well-being, not just the other person.
Transition and discharge support
Ongoing support after residential or outpatient treatment as you adjust back into daily life. This phase can feel unstructured or overwhelming, especially without the same level of support. Therapy helps you stay grounded while building routines and coping strategies that last.
Harm reduction approach
A non-judgmental approach that meets you where you are. You do not have to commit to stopping completely to begin. We focus on reducing risk, increasing awareness, and helping you make choices that feel more intentional and manageable.
Relapse and returning to use
Support if you’ve returned to use, without shame, along with practical ways to understand triggers and move forward. Instead of seeing it as failure, we look at what led up to it and what can be done differently next time. This helps you move forward with more clarity and less self-judgment.
Our Approach to Online Addiction Therapy in California
There isn’t one “right” way to work through substance use. What helps one person might not work for someone else, and forcing a single approach often does more harm than good.
Our work is tailored to your history, your patterns, and what actually feels realistic for you. We draw from a range of evidence-based and trauma-informed approaches, using what fits rather than following a fixed model.
Trauma-informed care
Substance use is often connected to past experiences that haven’t fully been processed. We move at a pace that feels safe, without pushing you to go further than you’re ready for.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
We look at the patterns behind your use, including thoughts, triggers, and habits, and build more practical ways to respond in those moments.
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
You don’t have to come in fully committed to change. We work with where you are, helping you sort through the ambivalence instead of pushing you past it.
Relational and attachment-based therapy
Your relationship with substances is often connected to how you relate to yourself and others. We explore those patterns without judgment.
Lived-experience-informed
Our team brings both clinical training and personal experience with recovery and 12-step work. We understand how this process actually feels, not just how it looks on paper.
Harm reduction approach
Change doesn’t have to mean stopping everything at once. We focus on reducing harm, increasing awareness, and helping you make more intentional choices over time.
Online Counseling for Drug and Alcohol Abuse in California
Drug and alcohol use doesn’t always look the way people expect. It can show up in small, consistent ways that slowly become harder to step back from. For some, it’s drinking at the end of the day that turns into something you rely on. For others, it’s used to manage stress, sleep, or just get through certain situations.
Drug and alcohol counseling gives you a place to look at what’s actually happening without needing to put a label on it right away. We focus on the patterns around your use, what tends to lead up to it, and what makes it harder to change once it’s part of your routine.
Because it’s virtual, you can access support from anywhere in California without rearranging your schedule or worrying about being seen walking into an office. It makes it easier to stay consistent, which is often where real change starts.
Online Addiction Therapy for Teens in California (16+)
Substance use during the teen years doesn’t always look serious at first. It can start with curiosity, social situations, or trying to manage stress, and then slowly become something that’s harder to step away from.
Teens are often navigating a lot at once. School pressure, friendships, identity, family expectations, and emotional ups and downs. Substance use can become a way to cope, fit in, or take a break from everything they’re carrying.
In therapy, we keep things direct and age-appropriate. Not overly clinical, not overly simplified. We help teens understand what’s going on, recognize patterns early, and build better ways to handle stress, pressure, and emotions before those patterns become more ingrained.
Sessions are held online, making it easier to access support across California while keeping things private and consistent.
For first responders and veterans, substance use is often tied to the kind of stress most people don’t fully see. Long shifts, high-stakes situations, and repeated exposure to difficult experiences can build up over time, even if you’re used to handling it.
Alcohol or other substances can become a way to switch off, get some sleep, or create distance from what you’re carrying. It can feel like one of the few reliable ways to decompress.
In therapy, we focus on how that stress shows up outside of work. Not just in obvious ways, but in sleep, mood, irritability, or the need to stay on edge even when you’re off duty. We work through those patterns without overexplaining or making you relive things you’re not ready to get into.
Sessions are online, making it easier to stay consistent with therapy across California, even with unpredictable schedules or rotating shifts.
Substance Abuse Therapy for First Responders & Veterans in California
Benefits of Online Substance Use and Addiction Therapy
Addiction therapy removes some of the friction that can make it harder to get support in the first place. When something already feels hard to deal with, removing barriers can make a real difference.
Some of the benefits include:
More privacy and discretion
You don’t have to worry about being seen walking into an office or explaining where you’re going. You can attend sessions from your own space, which often makes it easier to open up.Consistency, even with a busy or unpredictable schedule
Whether you’re working long hours, rotating shifts, or managing family responsibilities, online sessions are easier to fit in and keep up with.Access from anywhere in California
You’re not limited to providers in your immediate area. You can work with a therapist who actually fits, without location getting in the way.Less friction to get started
No commute, no waiting rooms, no extra steps. That makes it easier to begin and stick with therapy, especially in the early stages.A more comfortable environment
Being in your own space can help reduce some of the pressure that comes with opening up, especially when talking about substance use.Support that fits into real life
Online therapy allows you to work through things in the same environment where your patterns actually happen, which can make the work feel more practical and relevant.
Meet Our Online Substance Abuse & Addiction Therapists in California
Our therapists have experience working with substance use in real, day-to-day contexts, not just in theory. They understand how it shows up in routines, stress, relationships, and the parts of life that don’t always get talked about.
Each therapist brings a slightly different approach and perspective, so you can find someone who feels like a good fit for you.
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Devin Peck, APCC
(he/him)
Devin works with adults navigating substance use, trauma, and major life transitions. He has experience supporting veterans, first responders, men, and individuals living with disabilities. His approach is direct and collaborative, helping clients understand patterns behind their behaviors and develop practical ways to manage stress and emotions.
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Danielle Delahaye, ASW
(she/her)
Danielle supports individuals navigating substance use, trauma, and life transitions. She is especially passionate about working with neurodivergent clients and adapts therapy to fit how each person thinks and processes. Her approach is warm, flexible, and grounded in real-life application.
Working with an online addiction therapist here is straightforward and structured around your real life, not a fixed program.
Sessions are held virtually through a secure platform, so you can join from home, your car, or any private space. Most people meet weekly, but scheduling can be adjusted depending on what’s realistic for you.
Each session tends to be focused and practical. You might bring in something that came up during the week, like a situation where you felt the urge to use, or a pattern you’re starting to notice. We break that down together so it’s easier to understand what actually happened in that moment and what options you had.
There’s also space to step back and look at the bigger picture. How your habits have developed over time, what keeps them going, and what makes certain situations harder than others.
Between sessions, the goal isn’t to follow strict rules. It’s to start noticing patterns in real time and making small, workable changes that fit into your routine.
Over time, things start to feel more predictable and easier to manage, not because everything disappears, but because you understand what’s happening and how to respond differently.
What It Looks Like to Work with an Online Addiction Therapist at Brave Soul Therapy
Substance Use and Addiction Therapy Covered by Insurance
We accept Valley Health Plan (VHP), Aetna, Optum, UnitedHealthcare, Santa Clara Family Health Plan, and Blue Shield of California for substance use and addiction therapy. Sliding scale options may be available for those who need additional flexibility.
Not sure if your insurance is accepted? Reach out and we can help verify your coverage before your first appointment.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. You can start therapy at any point, whether you’re actively using, trying to cut back, or already in recovery. We work with where you are, not where you think you should be.
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Yes. Research consistently shows that online therapy for substance use disorder is as effective as in-person care for most people. For many, the privacy and convenience of telehealth actually reduces barriers and makes it easier to show up consistently.
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No. This is outpatient therapy. You continue your daily life while working through substance use in regular sessions, without needing to step away from work or responsibilities.
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You don’t need a diagnosis or label to start. If your use is something you’re thinking about, questioning, or struggling to control, that’s enough to talk about.
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Yes. Loving someone with a substance use disorder is its own kind of hard. We offer support for family members and loved ones navigating worry, grief, boundary-setting, and their own healing, separate from the person who is using.
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Many plans do. We accept Valley Health Plan (VHP), Aetna, Optum, UnitedHealthcare, Santa Clara Family Health Plan, and Blue Shield of California. We can help verify your coverage before your first session.
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Yes. Relapse is a common part of the recovery process, not a failure. Our therapists offer compassionate, non-shaming support to help you understand what happened, reconnect with your goals, and move forward with greater self-awareness.
Get Started with Online Addiction Counseling in California
If your substance use is starting to feel harder to manage, you don’t have to keep figuring it out on your own.
We offer online therapy across California with flexible scheduling and insurance options to make getting started simple. You can begin wherever you are, without needing to have a plan or a clear answer yet.
Most people start by just talking through what’s been going on and taking it from there.