Substance Use Counseling
In Houston

With Mary Duran, LCSW, LCDC

Schedule A Free Consultation

We are a team of substance use disorder specialists, including therapists who have been directly impacted by addiction. We’ve seen both the beauty in recovery and the pain of addiction.

Do you feel like substances have taken away things you once loved?
Do you fear you’ll be judged or misunderstood due to your substance use?
Are you constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop, even when you’re trying to do well?

When you’re stuck in the cycle of substance use, it’s often because your nervous system is overwhelmed. You might feel like you’re always "on," driven by an anxiety you can’t name, or so shut down that you use just to feel a spark of something. You overthink every choice and replay every mistake until the noise gets so loud you just need to quiet it down.

Clients Come To Us With

  • Feeling they can’t stop drinking alcohol or using other substances

  • Relationship instability

  • Emotional numbness

  • Uncertainty about their recovery

  • Multiple failed attempts to stop

  • Hiding use from loved ones

  • Social anxiety

  • Losing track of time

  • Being half-present in life

If these symptoms resonate, substance use therapy helps to manage them.

Let's Talk

How Substance Use Counseling With Us Works

We focus on both insight and regulation. Understanding your story matters, but so does calming your nervous system so you can feel safe.

Our work is relational. We build a steady, consistent connection where your system can begin to experience safety. From there, we gently process what happened and teach your brain and body new ways of coping.

Modalities We Integrate

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) will help you build a practical toolkit to master big emotions and life’s high-stakes stress so you don’t have to reach for an escape just to feel okay.

  • We work to heal the deep-seated loneliness or old relationship patterns that fuel the urge to escape, helping you build a more secure foundation within yourself.

  • We help you cut through the internal tug-of-war so you can find your own "why" and make recovery choices that actually stick because they come from you.

  • We use body-based techniques to quiet the physical "high-alert" or "shut down" modes so you can feel steady in real-time without needing a substance to cope.

  • We work to rediscover who you are outside of your past or a "user" label, helping you build a life that feels authentic enough that you actually want to be present for it.

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Recovery isn’t just about stopping. It’s about building a life you don’t want to escape.

After Substance Use Therapy, Our Clients Report

  • Waking up calm

  • Reconnected with loved ones

  • Improved trust with self and others

  • Ability to say “no” to old patterns

  • Effective coping skills

  • Regulated nervous system

  • Clarity on recovery pathway

  • Control over ones life

Meet With Us

About Us 

Mary Duran, LCSW, LCDC

Our style is relational and direct. We build a real connection with you. We give feedback, help you notice patterns in the moment, and teach you how to regulate your body, brain, and emotions. We believe healing happens inside a consistent, honest relationship.

Therapist Mary Duran, LCSW, LCDC
more about me

👋🏼 Hi, I’m Mary

Before joining this practice, I spent years deepening my training in attachment-based theory and therapy. My work focuses on helping clients understand how early relationships shape the patterns they experience in adulthood, especially in the way they connect, communicate, and respond to stress.

Outside of the therapy room, I have practiced yoga for over a decade and find movement essential for calming a fast-moving mind. I live in Houston with my spouse and our two small dogs.

Availability: We work with clients in-person in Houston. Telehealth sessions available across Texas, Colorado, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.

Education, Credentials,
& Trainings

  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Texas

  • Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, Texas

  • Advanced Training in Substance Use Counseling

  • Advanced Training in Attachment-Based Therapy

  • Training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

  • Specialized Trauma Treatment Experience

3 Steps To Get Started

  • Fill out the contact form and share what has been feeling stuck or overwhelming.

  • We will schedule a short call to see if we are the right fit and answer your questions.

  • We begin building safety, understanding your history, and creating a clear plan for trauma-focused work.

Willpower isn't a strategy

Let’s find one that works.

Schedule A Free Consultation