SANDY GIBSON
PhD, LCSW, LCADC
I am a clinical social worker and licensed alcohol and drug counselor who specializes in helping people explore their relationships with alcohol and other drugs.
I recognize that people use alcohol and drugs for a reason and that not all use is problematic. There may be times that are difficult in your life when your use may increase, and you would like to return to healthier levels of use. That is both common and often quite “doable.”
Oftentimes increased use is associated with some form of trauma, and resolving that trauma through practices such as EMDR can result in a return to nonproblematic use.
If your goal is to give up your use of alcohol or other drugs entirely, we can certainly work on that together too.
I also specialize in working with family members and loved ones of people who use alcohol and other drugs to help bring peace and understanding to what can be a difficult relationship.
OFFERS: in-person & online therapy
EDUCATION —
Ph.D. Social Work 2002
MSW Social Work 1995
ASSOCIATIONS —
Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Social Work Supervision Certification
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Expand Syringe Services in New Jersey
Decriminalization and Harm Reduction
Statement to Practitioners:
Many people will benefit from engaging in EMDR work, but often their existing mental health provider is not certified in the practice. I accept referrals from other providers to offer EMDR work in collaboration with their own psychotherapy interventions so that their clients can also benefit from EMDR without having to change their primary provider. My work in these instances is quite limited, only to providing the EMDR and consultation.
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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress resulting from disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can, in fact, heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma.
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sandy@crossingwellness.org
