When working with clients struggling with substance use issues, John takes an integrated harm-reduction approach. This means clients are met wherever they are at with kindness, compassion, and respect—whether they have decided to make a change and are ready to start, or they want to make a change but aren’t sure if they’re ready, or if they’re undecided if they want to make a change and just need some space to figure that out. Clients are empowered to set their own goals for themselves, and supported as they work towards those goals at their own pace and comfort level. People use drugs for a reason, and even though drug use frequently ends up being a problem, it almost always starts as a solution to some other problem. Whatever that underlying problem is—be it depression, anxiety, difficulty connecting with others, feeling uncomfortable in social settings or in one’s own skin—John can help clients to learn healthier ways of coping.