Addiction isn’t a character flaw. It is a survived response. It is also a survival response that can be unlearned.
 
Healing can only happen when we address both the trauma and the addiction. In therapy, we do this in a non-shaming way. We understand the why of the behavior, and we appreciate that we survive in whatever way we can.
 
In this video, therapist Jamie Willis and I discuss the unique challenges of trauma and addiction:
https://youtu.be/ZOkQQX7jnI8?si=Fs5HNLKbCCcMfJaW
 
If you need to talk to me about trauma and addiction, get in contact.

Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in New Jersey
​

If you’ve ever said…
 
“I’ll just have one more…”
“I can’t feel anything unless I’m high.”
“I don’t want to feel anything.”
 
…then you are not alone. And you are not broken,
 
I often tell my clients here in New Jersey: Addiction isn’t about the substance. It’s about what the substance is soothing.
Many people are trying to quieten the trauma responses that were never understood, never validated, and never healed.
 
The good news?
You can build new coping strategies. You have also learn to feel without fear.
 
In this video, therapist Jamie Willis and I discuss the unique challenges of trauma and addiction:
https://youtu.be/ZOkQQX7jnI8?si=Fs5HNLKbCCcMfJaW
 
If you need to talk to me about trauma and addiction, get in contact.

Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in New Jersey
​

When someone turns to substances, they’re not just “making bad choices.”
They are trying to cope with pain that their nervous system hasn’t been able to process.
 
As a trauma therapist in New Jersey, I’ve worked with many clients who have used alcohol, drugs, or other behavior to cope with the pain of emotional abuse, childhood neglect, loss and grief, CPTSD, and PTSD.
 
In this video, therapist Jamie Willis and I discuss the unique challenges of trauma and addiction:
https://youtu.be/ZOkQQX7jnI8?si=Fs5HNLKbCCcMfJaW
 
If you need to talk to me about trauma and addiction, get in contact.

Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in New Jersey
​

Communication challenges aren’t just about language. They are also about emotional safety.
 
That’s why psychotherapy and speech therapy often work hand-in-hand.
 
A collaboration between a psychotherapist and a speech and language pathologist can make a profound difference. In this video, I discussed this need for collaboration with speech-language pathologist Laura Grube:
https://youtu.be/WeDbYaEcwvM?si=hlyMiNcKWaf6Tg_w
 
If you need to talk to me about how psychotherapy or speech therapy, get in contact.

Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in New Jersey

“If I know what I want to say, why can’t I say it?”

Sometimes the words are there but anxiety, trauma, or something else gets in the way.
 
Speech therapy and psychotherapy aren’t just for “fixing problems”. They are tools for unlocking authentic communication.
 
Therapists like me help with fear, shame, or trauma behind the silence.
Speech therapists can help with expressive and receptive language.
 
This kind of dual support can be life changing.
 
In this video, I discussed this need for collaboration with speech-language pathologist Laura Grube:
https://youtu.be/WeDbYaEcwvM?si=hlyMiNcKWaf6Tg_w
 
If communication feels hard, it’s not a failure. It’s a signal that something deeper might need attention.
 
If you need to talk to me about how psychotherapy or speech therapy, get in contact.

Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in New Jersey
​

Did you know that psychotherapy and speech therapy often work best together?
 
As a mental health therapist in New Jersey, I often collaborate with speech-language pathologists (SLPs). This arises when clients have to navigate social communication challenges, selective mutism, anxiety that impacts verbal expression, and other speech or language challenges.
 
In this video, I discussed this need for collaboration with speech-language pathologist Laura Grube:
https://youtu.be/WeDbYaEcwvM?si=hlyMiNcKWaf6Tg_w
 
Where speech therapy supports language skills, processing, and articulation, psychotherapy addresses the emotional, behavioral, and psychological layers beneath communication patterns.
 
Together, we support the whole person: Mind, brain, and voice.
 
If you need to talk to me about how psychotherapy or speech therapy, get in contact.

Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in New Jersey
​

Have you ever wondered why you shut down during a stressful experience? Do you apologize even when you’ve done nothing wrong? Do you stay in unhealthy situations out of guilt or fear?
 
These might be trauma responses.
 
Here in New Jersey, I work with many clients who don’t even realize their “habits” started as ways to stay emotionally safe. Therapy can help you to make sense of your reactions, and it can give you the tools to respond from a place of choice, not survival.

There’s nothing wrong with you. You adapted and survived.
Now, you’re allowed to learn a new way and thrive.
 
If you need to talk to me about how trauma responses, get in contact.
 
Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in New Jersey

Have you ever wondered why you shut down during a stressful experience? Do you apologize even when you’ve done nothing wrong? Do you stay in unhealthy situations out of guilt or fear?
 
These might be trauma responses.
 
Here in New Jersey, I work with many clients who don’t even realize their “habits” started as ways to stay emotionally safe. Therapy can help you to make sense of your reactions, and it can give you the tools to respond from a place of choice, not survival.

There’s nothing wrong with you. You adapted and survived.
Now, you’re allowed to learn a new way and thrive.
 
If you need to talk to me about how trauma responses, get in contact.
 
Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in New Jersey

Trauma responses aren’t overreactions. They’re survival strategies.
 
When something painful or overwhelming happens, especially repeatedly, your brain learns how to protect you. These protective responses are called:
 
Fight (your body and mind goes into a state of mobilization; your heartrate increases, blood rushes to your limbs, and you might feel hot, irritable, or angry).
 
Flight (you withdraw, avoid, or shut down).
 
Freeze (you go numb, you feel stuck, you dissociate).
 
Fawn (you people-please to stay safe).
 
These are normal human responses to abnormal experiences.
 
Trauma therapy isn’t about “fixing” you – it’s about helping you to understand these patterns and reclaim your power.
 
If you need to talk to me about how trauma responses, get in contact.
 
Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in New Jersey

Depression doesn’t look the same for everyone.
 
It might feel like you’re stuck in a fog. You’re unable to shake this heaviness, this disconnection from things you used to enjoy. Or you might feel irritable or too distracted or too exhausted to keep up with life. Depression doesn’t have one face, and it doesn’t always come with obvious signs.
 
If you’re feeling this way, it’s more than okay to reach out. I’ve worked with many people in New Jersey who have struggled with these silent symptoms. Once we have worked out what is going on, I have helped people to find their way to a healthier, more balanced life. Healing is possible, and it starts with self-compassion.
 
If you need to talk to me about how depression is impacting your life (or the life of a loved one), get in contact.
 
Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in New Jersey
​

Depression often feels like an invisible weight, but the truth is, you don’t have to carry it by yourself.
 
Whether it’s a lingering sadness, a sense of numbness, or struggling to get through the day, it’s okay to ask for help. You’re not weak, you’re human.
 
As a therapist here in Ridgewood, I know how hard it can be to take that first step toward healing. But together, we can explore what’s underneath the surface and start to build a path to a life where you can breathe a little easier.
 
Remember: Reaching out isn’t a sign of defeat. It’s a courageous step toward reclaiming your peace.
 
If you need to talk to me about how depression is impacting your life (or the life of a loved one), get in contact.
 
Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in New Jersey

Let’s talk about depression.
 
As a therapist here in New Jersey, I see firsthand how depression can silently impact lives. Depression packs a punch for a person of age, background, or life situation.
 
Depression isn’t just “feeling sad.” It can look like anger, irritation, disconnection, fatigue, excessive guilt, struggling to get out of bed, or an inability to focus.


If this sounds familiar, get in contact. You don’t have to struggle alone. Therapy can help you to make sense of those feelings, and it can help you to identify coping strategies. Book online for a free call.
 
Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in New Jersey

How often are your boundaries encroached? Perhaps you are contacted by work colleagues late at night or during the weekend. Perhaps your friends pressure you to do something that you don’t feel comfortable doing. Maybe your partner makes decisions for you, and they don’t even ask for your input.
 
At what point do you speak up about your feelings and needs? At what point do you say no? When you are already experiencing burnout? If so, that might be too late. Studies show that burnout thins the gray matter of your prefrontal cortex (the part of your brain that is responsible for important functions such as reasoning and decision-making), and it can enlarge the amygdala (the brain’s alarm system). By the time you are experiencing burnout, already your ability to advocate for yourself has been eroded.
 
Now is the time to use those basic skills of assertiveness. Now, before you are in burnout.
 
In therapy, we explore the “why” behind our patterns. So it might help you to understand why it is so hard to assert your feelings and needs. This might be a simple case of conditioning. If so, the good news is that you can unlearn whatever you were taught. You can replace “I’m invisible” or “I’m worthless” with “I have a voice that deserves to be heard.
 
Once we understand the “why,” you can then learn how to show up differently in the same situations. You can preserve a work dynamic or personal relationship without constantly capitulating. You have feelings and needs that are as important as anyone else’s. So let’s start living in a way that honors this.
 
Get in contact if you would like to explore this in more detail.
 
Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in New Jersey
​

Do you ever say “no” and then feel guilty? Do you wish you could say “no” but don’t know how? You’re not alone. Many of us, especially in high-pressure careers, have learned from an early age to prioritize the convenience or comfort of others over our own needs.
 
To prioritize the needs of others might seem like an easy fix but in the long-term, this can eat away at your mental health. It is impossible to please everyone all of the time, so eventually your anxiety is going to catch up with you. Eventually, you might compromise your needs so much that you lose a sense of self-esteem, and this is a quick route to depression.
 
Assertiveness is the skill of knowing your own limits without the unnecessary guilt. The trouble is, we live in a society where we are expected to ignore our limits and keep giving more and more.
 
You might have learned about assertiveness at one time in your life, but skills tend to become rusty when we don’t practice them. So here are a few reminders to polish up your assertiveness skills:
 
Watch for unnecessary apologies.
Don’t over-explain yourself.
Don’t expect the other person to agree with you.
Focus on “I” statements. For example, “I don’t feel I have capacity for that right now,” rather than “Yet again, you have overburdened me.”
Assertiveness won’t always be possible, especially if there is a significant power imbalance.
Acknowledge that assertiveness can be hard, and it takes practice.
 
If you need a little help with this, get in contact. I am here when you are ready.
 
Chris Warren-Dickins
Therapist in Ridgewood, New Jersey
​