A pattern that has taken hold rarely started as a problem. More often a substance, or a habit like gambling, began as a way to cope and then grew until it was calling the shots. At 101 Psychotherapy in Vaughan we help you see what is driving it and get you back in charge, at a pace that stays manageable and with nobody judging you. You can work with our certified addiction counsellor, or with Registered Psychotherapists, in Concord or by video across Ontario. Your first assessment is free and fees begin at $100.
- Free 30-minute initial assessment, no referral needed
- Fees from $100, below the GTA norm
- Registered Psychotherapists (CRPO)
- Help for substance use and gambling alike
- Sessions in Vaughan or online across Ontario
- Care in English, Russian and Farsi
What Is Addiction Counselling?
Addiction counselling is focused, private work aimed at the pattern itself: what set it going, what keeps it running, and how to change it. Rather than treating the behaviour on its own, your therapist helps you understand the job it has been doing, usually easing stress or dulling something painful, and helps you build steadier ways to handle triggers and cravings. At 101 Psychotherapy you can get both addiction counselling, with a certified addiction counsellor, and addiction psychotherapy, with a Registered Psychotherapist. No diagnosis or referral is required, and the goal is yours to set, whether you want to ease off or stop for good. Addiction is a treatable health condition, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) sets out both the mix of factors behind it, from genetics and brain chemistry to environment and mental health, and the range of treatments that help.
What Addiction Counselling Can Help With
People come to us with very different patterns. Our addiction counselling works with addiction in the round, gambling and other behavioural patterns included, along with the worry, low mood or old hurts that often sit beneath them. When alcohol or another drug is the main concern, start with our substance abuse counselling page. And where anxiety, depression or trauma are woven through the habit, we work on them together with it, not separately.
Gambling and Behavioural Addiction
Addiction does not always involve a substance. Gambling can create the very same loop of relief, fallout, and the pull to go back for more, and it tends to bring debt, secrecy and tension at home in its wake. In sessions you look at what betting has been doing for you, practise catching an urge and letting it pass instead of acting on it, and rebuild the parts of life it has squeezed out. Because a gambling problem seldom travels alone, this often runs beside work on stress, anxiety or trauma. And if it is someone you love who is caught up in it, we can support you too, through our couples and family therapy.
101 Psychotherapy – Always caring, always here
Our Approach and Modalities
No single method works for everyone, so your therapist fits the approach to you. Parastoo Roshany, a Registered Psychotherapist whose practice centres on addiction, uses motivational interviewing to help you weigh up change, along with cognitive behavioural therapy and dialectical behaviour therapy for managing cravings and planning around high-risk moments. Because a habit usually grows from something painful, the work stays trauma-informed and moves at the pace you choose. Natalie Besharat, a Certified Canadian Addiction Counsellor with years of experience in addiction care, adds dedicated addictions counselling and support.
What to Expect
Getting going could not be simpler. Step one is a free half-hour assessment, a relaxed conversation about what has been happening and a chance to raise anything on your mind. After that you are matched with a therapist, you decide together what you are aiming for, and you fall into a regular pattern of appointments, at the clinic or over video. None of it has to be sorted out ahead of time, and no doctor’s note is involved.
Simple, Affordable Pricing
An addiction session starts at $100. The opening assessment is free of charge. OHIP does not fund appointments with a Registered Psychotherapist, yet plenty of workplace benefit plans cover part or all of the cost, and we supply a receipt for your claim. Just ask and we will explain what to expect from your plan.
Book a Free ConsultationMeet Our Therapists
The people you meet here are experienced clinicians, and several hold registration as psychotherapists with Ontario’s regulatory college, the CRPO.
Natalie Besharat
Clinician, Pediatric Care and Addictions Specialist, MSc, CCAC, CICAPP Candidate
Full profileAddiction Therapy in Vaughan or Online Across Ontario
We're here to support individuals and families across Vaughan, including Concord, Woodbridge, and Maple, and in nearby communities such as Aurora, Brampton, Markham, Mississauga, Milton, Oakville, Oshawa, and Richmond Hill, as well as Thornhill. We also welcome clients from across Toronto, including North York, Midtown, and Uptown Toronto. If you can't make it to our office, we offer virtual appointments across Ontario.
Visit us: 1520 Steeles Ave W #101A, Vaughan, ON L4K 3B9 (Steeles & Dufferin, Concord). Phone: (905) 597-2521
Staying Safe and Finding Further Support
Our work is outpatient psychotherapy and counselling, and for some people it sits best alongside medical care. If heavy drinking is part of the picture and you are thinking about stopping, please speak to a doctor first. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism warns that stopping suddenly after a long period of heavy drinking can cause a withdrawal that is painful and potentially life-threatening, and that medical help should be part of planning a safe stop. In a crisis, or with thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 whenever you need to, or dial 911.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do You Offer Both Addiction Counselling and Psychotherapy?
Yes. Counselling, with a Certified Canadian Addiction Counsellor, keeps the focus on the addiction and on practical change. Psychotherapy, with a Registered Psychotherapist, works on the patterns underneath. Many people benefit from both, and we help you find the right fit.
What Kind of Therapy Helps With Addiction?
There is no single answer, but the approaches that tend to help are motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioural therapy and dialectical behaviour therapy, usually with relapse-prevention built in. Your therapist explains what they suggest and why, and adjusts it as you go.
Do You Help With Gambling or Other Behavioural Addictions?
Yes. Gambling is a core part of this service, and we work with the urges, the fallout and the feelings underneath it. We can also support family members affected by it. Substance-specific work is covered on our substance abuse counselling page.
Do I Need a Referral, and Is What I Say Private?
No referral is needed, so you can book straight in. Sessions are confidential within the usual legal limits, which your therapist sets out clearly at the start, and they can take place online if that feels more comfortable.
What Happens if I Relapse?
A slip is a common part of recovery, not a failure. If it happens we look at what led up to it, learn from it, and adjust the plan together. Progress matters more than a perfect record.
Can I Do Addiction Psychotherapy Online?
Yes to online. We meet clients by secure video right across the province, and the fee matches an in-person visit.
Book Your Addiction Counselling Appointment
The reaching-out part is the hardest, and you are nearly through it. Addiction counselling and psychotherapy at our Vaughan clinic offers a private place to make sense of a substance or gambling pattern and find a way forward, starting at $100 after a free first assessment.
