Why this page exists
Whether it is substances or behaviors you cannot seem to stop, change is possible with the right support. Online therapy helps Tempe community members understand the patterns and build a sustainable path forward.
Isolation is part of the problem. The hour is a place to stop doing this alone without performing recovery for an audience.
Shame keeps the pattern alive. We look at what the substance or process is doing for you — boredom, sleep, a fight you cannot have — and what a week of recovery would actually include.
Mental health is health. In a city the size of Tempe — home to roughly 185,000 people — countless neighbors quietly wrestle with the same things you do. Addictive Behaviors/Substance Abuse is how many of them are finally turning the corner.
Here is the local load, named without a brochure: Long, triple-digit summers, sprawling freeway commutes, and a metro that grew faster than its mental-health workforce. The old in-office version meant circling for parking near Mill Avenue. Addictive Behaviors/Substance Abuse does not erase that — it gives Tempe community members a licensed place to stop carrying it alone.
Whether you have been searching for addiction therapy, addictive behavior counseling, or substance abuse therapy in Tempe, you are in the right place — it is all part of the addictive behaviors/substance abuse care we provide to Arizona residents.
That is exactly where addictive behaviors/substance abuse comes in.
The Standard of Care You Deserve
Care should match your reality. That is why our Arizona clinicians prioritize fit, flexibility, and follow-through — the things that actually keep people in therapy long enough to see results.
Results come from relationship plus method. We pair proven clinical techniques with clinicians who actually connect with their clients, because the bond between you and your therapist is one of the strongest predictors of success.
Credentials matter here. Every clinician serving Tempe is fully licensed in Arizona and trained in the approaches best suited to addictive behaviors/substance abuse — so you are getting genuine expertise, not guesswork.
Here is why that matters for you.
Why Tempe community members Reach Out for Addictive Behaviors/Substance Abuse
Before anything changes, it helps to name what you are carrying. For many Tempe community members, it sounds something like this:
The thing that helped you cope now controls you?
What started as relief has become a prison. You know it's a problem. Quitting sounds simple until you try. The shame spiral makes it worse.
Exhausted from hiding it?
The lies. The cover-ups. The fear of being found out. Living a double life is draining what little energy you have left.
Results only matter if they last — which is why the next part matters.
A Better Way to Start Addictive Behaviors/Substance Abuse
There is no waiting room and no drive home afterward. You finish a session and step right back into your day, which makes online addictive behaviors/substance abuse far easier to weave into a busy Tempe schedule.
Think about the Maricopa County commute, the parking, the time carved out of an already-full day. Online addictive behaviors/substance abuse gives all of that time back to you while delivering the same evidence-based care.
Traditional therapy means traffic, parking, time off work, and a waiting room. Online addictive behaviors/substance abuse removes every one of those barriers while keeping the quality of care identical. For busy Tempe community members, that difference is what makes therapy sustainable.
Here is why that matters for you.
Your Tempe Connection to Addictive Behaviors/Substance Abuse
No matter which part of Tempe you call home, the same standard of care follows you. We proudly serve Tempe community members across Downtown Tempe, Mill Avenue, South Tempe, Maple-Ash, and beyond.
Empower You Experts serves all of Tempe and the wider Arizona area. ASU pressure, startup hours, and a city that never really turns off — burnout is a local occupational hazard, not a personality flaw.
With roughly 185,000 people calling Tempe home, the need for accessible mental health care has never been greater. Empower You Experts helps meet it, one session at a time.
And this is where the difference really shows.
Reasons community members Reach Out
Some community members arrive after months of telling themselves it will pass. Others come the moment they notice the warning signs. Both are right on time — addictive behaviors/substance abuse meets you wherever you are.
There is no threshold you have to cross to deserve support. If something has been weighing on you — quietly or loudly — that is reason enough to reach out for addictive behaviors/substance abuse.
Many Maricopa County community members come in carrying things they have never said out loud. Addictive Behaviors/Substance Abuse offers exactly that: a confidential space to finally put words to what you have been holding.
Here is why that matters for you.
Arizona Telehealth Rules, Plainly
Arizona authorizes telemental health when the clinician holds an Arizona license and the client is physically in Arizona at the time of the session. That is the legal line — not a slogan. Empower You Experts will not see you for addictive behaviors/substance abuse unless you are physically in Arizona during the session.
Dr. Lisa Lavella, PsyD, BC-TMH (Arizona and Illinois) and Christina Liakopoulos, LCSW, BC-TMH (Arizona, Illinois, and Indiana) are named clinicians, not a rotating intern pool. Credentials are on the about pages. We do not invent board affiliations.
There is a clear path forward from here.
What You Gain From Addictive Behaviors/Substance Abuse
Here is what Tempe community members gain when they start addictive behaviors/substance abuse with us:
Therapy from your couch, car, or closet
No commute. No waiting room. No judgmental receptionist. Log in from wherever you feel safe and comfortable.
Zero judgment, 100% acceptance
Bring your mess. Your secrets. Your shame. This is a space where you can be fully human without fear of rejection.
No insurance games, no surprise bills
Straightforward self-pay pricing. You know exactly what you're paying before you book. No claims, no denials, no drama.
Recovery, not shame
We've heard it all. Your past doesn't define your future here. We meet you where you are with compassion, not lectures.
Results only matter if they last — which is why the next part matters.
A Simple Path to Starting Addictive Behaviors/Substance Abuse
This work goes beneath the behavior to what drives it. Your clinician helps you identify triggers, develop healthier coping strategies, and build the kind of support structure that makes lasting recovery possible.
Every session happens over secure, HIPAA-compliant video. You log in from wherever you feel safe — your living room, your parked car, a quiet corner of the house — and your therapist meets you there. No waiting rooms, no commute across Tempe.
Booking is simple: choose a time that works, complete a brief intake, and meet your Arizona-licensed clinician by video. No referrals to chase, no parking to find — just focused care from wherever you are in Tempe.
After the free consultation, most clients begin weekly sessions. As you build momentum and skills, you and your clinician may space sessions out — the goal is always lasting change, not endless appointments.
And this is where the difference really shows.
Methods Tempe community members Can Feel
Trigger mapping and urge skills you can use the same week.
Shame work so secrecy stops running the show.
Clear referral when medical withdrawal or residential care is the honest next step.
Methods are not a menu of buzzwords. For addictive behaviors/substance abuse, we pick tools that match the problem — cognitive work, skills you can use the same day, and a relationship honest enough to tell you when something is not working.
Between sessions, you leave with something small enough to actually do. The work is supposed to live in Tempe, not only inside a 50-minute window.
Who this is for
Tempe community members who cannot seem to stop a substance or a process, and who are done doing it alone.
Here's what that looks like in practice.
Common Questions About Addictive Behaviors/Substance Abuse
Do I have to call myself an addict to start?
No. Therapy for addictive behaviors is a confidential place to tell the truth about substances or processes you cannot seem to stop, without a slogan requirement. We look at triggers, what the behavior is doing for you, and what a week of recovery would actually include in Tempe — people, places, boredom, shame. We are not a detox facility. If you need medical withdrawal support, we will help you find it. If you need outpatient therapy that does not humiliate you, that is this work.
Do you have a therapy office in Tempe?
Our home office is real: 20715 North Pima Road, Suite 108, Scottsdale, Arizona 85255. We do not invent a storefront in every city on this site. Addictive Behaviors/Substance Abuse for Tempe residents is licensed Arizona telehealth — you meet by secure video while you are physically in Arizona. That is a service-area practice, not a fake local clinic. If you need the address for records or a map pin, it is North Scottsdale. It is not a Tempe waiting room we pretended to open so a page would rank. The clinician is named. The license is the state you sit in during the session.
Are your therapists actually licensed to treat people in Arizona?
Yes. Telehealth is licensed by the state where you are sitting during the session, not by the city on the URL. Dr. Lisa Lavella, PsyD, BC-TMH is licensed in Arizona and Illinois. Christina Liakopoulos, LCSW, BC-TMH is licensed in Arizona, Illinois, and Indiana. If you live in Tempe, you simply need to be physically in Arizona when we meet. We do not “see” clients in states where we are not licensed, and we will not pretend a video call erases that rule. The free consult is also where we confirm fit, timing, and whether self-pay or an accepted plan makes sense for you.
Who would I actually work with for addictive behaviors/substance abuse?
Dr. Lisa Lavella, PsyD, BC-TMH (Arizona and Illinois) and Christina Liakopoulos, LCSW, BC-TMH (Arizona, Illinois, and Indiana). They are named clinicians with decades of practice — not a matching engine and not a new intern every month. The free consult is how you meet the person, ask about addictive behaviors/substance abuse, and decide if the fit is right. Credentials live on the about pages. We will not hide behind a brand voice when you deserve a human being. If the pairing is wrong, we would rather say so than keep a mismatched hour.
Is online addictive behaviors/substance abuse in Tempe as real as sitting in an office?
For most of the concerns we treat, the research says yes — outcomes track the relationship and the method, not the waiting room. What changes in Tempe is logistics. You skip the commute, the parking, and the “who saw me walk in” problem. Sessions run on encrypted, HIPAA-compliant video. You still get a named clinician, a plan you both can explain, and homework that lives in your actual week. If video is a poor fit (safety, technology, or preference), we will say so in the consult rather than force a format that does not serve you.
Do you take insurance for addictive behaviors/substance abuse in Arizona?
We are primarily a cash-pay practice and currently accept some insurance plans. Many clients in Tempe choose self-pay for privacy (sessions do not automatically hit a medical record the way a fully billed insurance episode can) and for simplicity — no surprise denials mid-treatment. We will tell you, before you commit, whether your plan is one we can bill and what a self-pay session costs. We do not advertise “we take everything” because that would be untrue. Call or use the consult form and we will be specific about fee, frequency, and whether a superbill is available. If money is the only barrier, say so in the consult; we would rather have an honest conversation than a bait-and-switch about coverage.
What actually happens in the first addictive behaviors/substance abuse session?
The first session is an honest conversation, not an interrogation. We cover what brought you in, what you have already tried, how addictive behaviors/substance abuse has (or has not) helped before, and what “better” would look like in your life in Tempe — sleep, work, relationships, the stuff you can feel. You will leave with a sense of the clinician, the pace, and whether the fit is right. There is no pressure to unload your whole history on day one. If it is not a fit, we would rather help you redirect than keep a mismatched pairing.
If I live in a smaller Tempe community, is this actually private?
Your sessions are protected by law and by ethics, with the usual mandated-reporting exceptions (risk of harm, abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult). Telehealth adds a practical privacy layer a storefront office cannot: nobody in Tempe watches you park at a clinic. You still need a closed door and headphones on your side. We use encrypted video. We will not discuss you in the grocery store, on a sideline, or in a Facebook group. If you share a house or a campus, we will help you plan a setting that is actually private — a parked car with a headset counts.
