Addiction Counseling in New Jersey

It Was Never Just About the Substance

Substance use is rarely just about the substance — it is about what the substance was doing for you, and what it was protecting you from. Addiction counseling at Therapy Aligned starts there. If you have been struggling with alcohol, opioids, cannabis, or other substances and the usual advice has not been enough — or if you have been through treatment before and something still feels unresolved — you are not failing at recovery. You may need a different kind of clinical conversation.

Clinical Depth, Not Judgment

Our team includes clinicians who hold LCADC (Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor) licensure. Addiction counseling is central to what we do, not an add-on. Because substance use rarely exists in isolation, our clinicians are trained to hold the full picture: anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and relational difficulty alongside the addiction itself. When both sides of the experience are understood together, the clinical work becomes more honest and more effective.

What We Treat

We work with adults navigating alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder, cannabis dependence, and other substance use challenges through outpatient care, whether you are early in recovery, maintaining long-term sobriety, or stepping down from an IOP, PHP, or residential program. That transition from structured care to outpatient therapy is one of the most vulnerable moments in recovery, and having a clinician who understands both the addiction and the mental health dimensions of your experience makes a meaningful difference.

Our Approach to Addiction Counseling

We incorporate relapse prevention planning, motivational approaches, and evidence-based modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Internal Family Systems (IFS). Together these address behavioral patterns, emotional regulation, and the underlying pain substance use was managing — from concrete skills for identifying triggers and tolerating distress, to building a life organized around your values rather than avoidance.

Clinicians who work in this area

Chandni Patel

LCSW, LCADC

Accepting new clients

Jacob Ventricelli

LAC, NCC

Accepting new clients

Practices under clinical supervision

Andrew H. Kim

LCSW, LCADC

Waitlist for new clients

In-Person and Virtual Therapy in New Jersey

Addiction counseling at Therapy Aligned is available to adults in person in Metuchen and virtually throughout New Jersey. Virtual sessions use secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth. Whether you are in North, Central, or South Jersey, you can connect virtually with our licensed clinicians from the comfort of your own space, with no commute or waiting room. We are in-network with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare/Optum, Oscar, and Medicare, with self-pay options available as well. You do not have to have it all figured out before reaching out — if something in your relationship with substances is not working, that is enough of a reason to start.

What the Research Shows

Recovery is not only possible — for most people it is the eventual outcome, and how care is delivered matters.

• Among U.S. adults who ever felt they had a substance use problem, 73.1% — about 22.2 million people — consider themselves to be in recovery or to have recovered. SAMHSA, 2023 NSDUH
• Adults with opioid use disorder who received telehealth-based care had 33% lower adjusted odds of a fatal overdose than those who did not. JAMA Psychiatry, 2023
• Among nearly 43,000 Medicaid patients starting buprenorphine, those who began care via telehealth stayed in treatment longer at 90 days (Kentucky: 48% vs. 44%; Ohio: 32% vs. 28%). NIDA, 2023

“…we must continue to prioritize both increasing access to treatment and providing the care and support people need to stay in treatment…”— Nora Volkow, M.D., Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse