Substance Use & Addiction Therapy in Nashville

Maybe you are questioning whether your use has crossed a line. Maybe you already know it has. Maybe you have stopped before and are worried about sliding back. Or maybe the bigger question is not only how much you are using, but what the substance is doing for you.

It may help you quiet your mind, sleep, feel social, avoid painful emotions, manage stress, or get temporary distance from something that feels hard to carry.

We can talk about that honestly without reducing you to a label.

You can be concerned before you hit a “rock bottom”

People seek therapy around substance use for many different reasons:

• drinking or using more than you intended
• repeatedly trying to cut back and returning to the same pattern
• conflict with a partner or family member about use
• using substances to manage anxiety, stress, loneliness, or sleep
• feeling shame or secrecy around use
• worrying about consequences at work or home
• returning to use after a period of change
• wanting support alongside an existing recovery program
• noticing that substance use and depression or anxiety are feeding each other
• questioning your relationship with a substance even if you are not sure what you want to do yet

The appropriate treatment level depends on the individual. Outpatient psychotherapy is not a substitute for detoxification, medically supervised withdrawal, residential treatment, or another higher level of care when those are clinically indicated.

If I believe you need a different or additional level of support, I will be direct about that.

My background in addictions work

I earned a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lipscomb University with a specialization in addictions.

My clinical experience has included residential substance-use treatment as well as inpatient psychiatric stabilization, outpatient therapy, intensive outpatient treatment, and partial hospitalization.

That range of settings influences the way I think about substance use: behavior matters, but context matters too. People often use substances for reasons that make sense when you understand what they are trying to manage.

Therapy can help us examine both sides of the equation:

• what the substance provides in the short term
• what it costs in the longer term

What we may work on

Depending on your goals and clinical needs, therapy may include:

• understanding triggers and patterns around use
• identifying high-risk situations
• looking at anxiety, depression, self-worth, or relationship dynamics connected to use
• building alternatives to the function the substance has been serving
• examining ambivalence without shame
• planning for difficult moments
• strengthening boundaries and support systems
• making sense of relapse or return-to-use patterns
• coordinating with other providers or recovery supports when appropriate and authorized

I use a collaborative, individualized approach rather than assuming every person has the same relationship with substances or the same goals.

Substance use and relationships

Substance use rarely affects only the person using. It can change trust, communication, intimacy, conflict, finances, routines, and the emotional climate of a relationship.

If relationship patterns are a major part of what brings you in, we can discuss whether individual therapy, couples therapy, another level of care, or coordinated services are the best fit.

Substance use and anxiety

For some people, the cycle looks like this:

anxiety or overwhelm → use for relief → temporary calm → consequences / shame / disrupted sleep → more anxiety → more need for relief

If that sounds familiar, the work is not simply “use more willpower.” We need to understand and address the whole loop.

Therapy with Tori Head, LPC-MHSP

I am a Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselor with a Mental Health Service Provider designation. My work includes adults and couples, and substance use is one of the specialties currently listed in my professional practice.

I aim to make conversations about substance use direct, respectful, and clinically responsible. You do not have to perform recovery for me, and you do not have to minimize what is happening either.

Important scope and safety note

This website does not provide medical detoxification advice or emergency services. Abruptly stopping some substances can be medically dangerous. If you may be at risk for withdrawal or need urgent medical care, seek evaluation from an appropriate medical/addiction treatment provider or emergency service.

[BEFORE LAUNCH: Tori should clinically review this paragraph and add any preferred local referral/crisis resources.]

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to identify as “an addict” to come to therapy?

No. People use different language for their experiences. We can start with what is happening, what concerns you, and what you want to change.

Is outpatient therapy enough for substance use?

Sometimes, and sometimes it is not. The right level of care depends on factors such as the substance involved, withdrawal risk, severity, safety, medical needs, and support. If a higher level of care is indicated, I will recommend that rather than pretending weekly therapy is enough.

Can we work on anxiety or relationships at the same time?

Often these concerns are connected. We can consider the full picture while staying clear about priorities and safety.

Is this an abstinence-only practice?

[CONFIRM TORI'S CLINICAL POSITION BEFORE PUBLISHING. Do not invent a harm-reduction or abstinence philosophy.]

You can start with an honest conversation.

If you are questioning your substance use or looking for support around recovery and the patterns underneath it, a consultation is a reasonable first step.