Holistic Healing for Addiction

Meet the Therapists of Harbor Village

Antoinette Hernani: Clinical Therapist

Antoinette Hernani's love for addiction studies stems in her specialization in developmental psychology with children, which soon blossomed into a love for helping ease the pangs of addiction among recovering drug and alcohol users. Committed to her calling, and enlivened by her continual state of nurturing affection, Hernani's role as a clinical therapist allows her to work directly with clients to formulate individualized treatment plans for recovering patients, highlighting areas in need of improvement, and honing in on the many triggers of relapse.

After graduating from Nova Southeastern University's Master's program in mental health, Hernani's passions whisked her to work helping patients recover and find hope in the walls of a psychiatric hospital. Her transition from treating mental disorders, autism, Asperger's syndrome, and behavioral conditions endears her to working with those recovering from substance use disorders, as Hernani gives fresh insight and mastery of mending co-occurring disorders.

"This is a very rewarding job, even though this population can be very resistant," she says.

Because of addiction's multifaceted spectrums among both the physical and psychological planes, Hernani helps recovering users understand the magnitude of their conditions, and arms clients with actionable solutions to prevent relapse, and achieving goals to measure success of recovery.

"Many are unaware of the intensity of the disease. And that is why in our treatment plan we try to find what one's individual triggers are and identify the consequences of drug use." Focusing on bolstering one's support system, Hernani orchestrates individualized treatment plans to emphasize restraining impulsive behaviors, rejuvenate physical and mental health, tapering medication compliance, and how to effectively manage frustrations, without relying on destructive behaviors and mind altering substances.

"We have different goals that we work with clients in every Each individual is unique and has their own issues."

"We help recovering users create goals. We establish personal goals, like developing self-esteem, many have self-esteem issues and history of abuse, or trauma. Every time I see them we work on those goals to establish a better understanding of how we can transcend addiction together."

Hernani's pointed efforts to help clients achieve their goals and triumph over addiction is the highlight of her career, and inspires her to continue working with clients who have yet to manifest their goals.

"When I see someone who has graduated from detox move onto ourrehab program, you can see the tangible weight lifted off of them; they lookbetter, they think more clearly, they understand this is a disease notimpossible to overcome. It is not an easy path, but they know they can overcomeit.

Addiction treatment wholly concentrated on the individual's personal growth and absolution from addiction sorely lacks the necessary touch of the familial spectrum; Hernani helps clients both achieve personal and recovery goals while mediating family therapy. Recovering users are encouraged to invite their families and loved ones to mediated family therapy sessions to mend the bridges decimated as a result of trauma long unaddressed, or fresh wounds afflicted from the throes of addiction.

"When I get together with both client and loved ones we discuss how we got here, what we can do to prevent it, and the things we'll change going forward to never be in this position again. The focal point of family therapy is how we can work as a team for recovery.

"When I see people in recovery doing well, it brings a big smile in my heart. Everyone has their own journey. Sometimes it takes 5, 10, 20 relapses or treatment centers. When they are here, they are alive and safe. We would rather have them here than on the street, where we can help them try again and find their footing."