Michael Baun

Not sure whether you need to quit, but know something needs to change? You may be drinking or using more than you want, trying to cut back, recovering from a return to use, or working hard to protect the recovery you’ve already built. You don’t have to hit “rock bottom,” identify with a particular label, or have your goals completely figured out before reaching out.

I’m a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist with experience in outpatient addiction treatment, medication-assisted treatment, and crisis services. I work with adults across the recovery spectrum and have experience with complex co-occurring concerns, including trauma/PTSD, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and emotional dysregulation alongside substance use. As a veteran, I also welcome veterans and military-connected clients.

I’m not here to lecture you or tell you what recovery is supposed to look like. My role is to understand where you are, help you figure out where you want to go, and work with you on practical ways to get there.

I believe change works better when you have a voice in it. Some clients come to therapy ready to stop completely. Others want to cut back, reduce harm, prevent another return to use, or understand why they keep falling into the same patterns. We’ll start with your goals rather than assuming what they should be.

My style is straightforward, curious, and practical. We’ll look at what keeps the pattern going whether it be triggers, emotions, relationships, stress, trauma, thinking patterns, and other mental health concerns and identify changes that are realistic in your actual life. I draw from motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral strategies, harm reduction, relapse prevention, and strengths-based approaches while tailoring treatment to the person in front of me.

You can expect compassion, but also honesty. I’ll listen without judgment while still asking meaningful questions, pointing out patterns, and challenging you when doing so may help you move toward the life you want.

Your first session isn’t a test, and you don’t need to show up with the “right” answers. We’ll talk about what brought you in, what substance use or recovery has looked like for you, what you’ve already tried, what has helped, and what you wish were different.

I’ll also want to understand the bigger picture! Your stressors, relationships, mental health, strengths, supports, and the role substances currently play in your life. The conversation is collaborative rather than an interrogation, and it’s okay to be uncertain or have mixed feelings about changing.

By the end of our first meeting, my goal is for you to feel understood, have a clearer idea of what we can work on together, and leave with at least one practical next step. We’ll build goals together from there rather than expecting you to have everything figured out on day one.