Addiction doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Neither does healing.

At Mindful Counseling, we believe that addiction and other mental health issues cannot be separated. Addiction is a mental health issue in its own right and deserves to be treated as such.

The interconnection of addiction and other mental health issues is well established. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), approximately 21.2 million U.S. adults experienced both a substance use disorder and another mental illness in 2024. This number grows exponentially when we consider mental health experiences that don’t qualify as a secondary mental health disorder.

And this doesn’t just apply to the person with the addiction—their loved ones are impacted by the addiction too. A Pew Research Center survey found that 46% of U.S. adults reported that they had a family member or close friend who was addicted to drugs or had been addicted in the past. Unfortunately, despite the shocking prevalence, the relationship of addiction to the loved one’s well-being is often overshadowed.

Addiction-Informed Care

At Mindful Counseling, our addiction-informed care philosophy recognizes the complex relationship between addiction and other areas of mental health: depression, anxiety, trauma, relationships, family dynamics, identity, stress, just to name a few. When addiction has touched a person’s life, either directly or indirectly, it is impossible to fully understand that person’s experience without understanding how the addiction impacted it.

We believe you cannot understand a person simply by looking at their addiction. But you also cannot fully understand their experience without considering how addiction has affected them.

That’s why our approach is holistic. We strive to help people who are:

• In recovery and trying to build a meaningful life beyond addiction
• Currently receiving addiction treatment and wanting support for the mental-health issues that accompany it
• Affected by a loved one’s addiction and want to explore how this is influencing their wellness

Rather than reducing someone to a diagnosis or a substance-use history, we seek to understand the whole person. Addiction may be an important part of someone’s story, but it is never the entirety of who they are.

At Mindful Counseling, addiction-informed care means treating addiction as part of mental health—not something separate from it—and helping people address the full range of experiences that influence recovery and well-being.

Complimenting Addiction Treatment

While we do provide care for mild substance use issues and behavioral addictions, Mindful Counseling is not an addiction or substance use treatment center in and of itself. If you need a specialized treatment program for a significant addiction or substance use issue, we have strong working relationships with many local centers.

However, people often have other mental health goals they want to address alongside their addiction recovery. If you want a general mental health counselor who understands addiction and how it influences your story, we are the ones for you. Our counseling approaches work very well in conjunction with addiction treatment programs.

If you need help determining the right plan of care and resources for you, please contact us, and we will guide you.

What Makes Us Different

Mindful Counseling explicitly values addiction-informed care. It is built into our philosophy as a counseling practice. All of our counselors receive ongoing training and supervision focused on addiction education, modern treatments, current research, and best practices for supporting individuals who have been touched by addiction. When our clients or their loved ones have experienced addiction, we are primed to tailor our counseling techniques to best suit their needs.

Mindful Counseling and its mission of addiction-informed care is led by Frankie Salisbury, a licensed clinician and addictions specialist with over 10 years of experience. Frankie has worked in both direct care and clinical leadership across the entire continuum of care, from sober living environments to high-intensity inpatient treatment and detox. Through his clinical leadership, our counselors are well-positioned to support individuals who want a clinician who will be mindful of the complex interplay between addiction and their mental wellness goals.

Addiction Extends Beyond Substances

Too often, addiction and substance use are used interchangeably. Mindful Counseling believes that being truly addiction-informed means recognizing that not all addictions are substances and that behavioral addictions can be just as destructive as substance addictions.

Behavioral addictions, also known as process addictions, are prevalent. Though exact numbers are difficult to determine, a recent study found that behavioral addictions during the COVID-19 pandemic may have been present in 11.1% of individuals. Common behavioral addictions include gambling, sex, shopping, work, internet, smart phones, social media, exercise and more.

Mindful Counseling providers are informed about the nature of behavioral addictions and understand that they can be just as devastating as substance addictions.