Leigh-Ann Larson, LMHC, Intuitive & Grief Educator

06/19/2026

To support those navigating the challenges of loving someone with a substance use disorder, we are offering a free community educational event. This event is designed to provide information, practical tools, support, and hope for those who are worried about or caring for a loved one affected by addiction.Please consider sharing this opportunity with any clients, family members, friends, or community contacts who may benefit.Register for free here:

Free Virtual Training for Addiction Recovery Coaches in Massachusetts

06/17/2026

Meditation is the BEST medicine! 💕

05/13/2026

https://afspwalks.donordrive.com/participant/3517461

Please support the American Foundation for Su***de Prevention to help save lives and bring hope to those affected by su***de. Donate or register to walk!

05/13/2026

At some point, this realization lands: You cannot make someone stop struggling with addiction.

Not by loving them more.
Not by saying the right thing.
Not by showing up perfectly.

If you’re a loved one, this can feel devastating.

If you’re a professional, it can feel like the quiet truth that sits underneath so much of the work.

Because everything in you wants to help.

To guide.
To support.
To make a difference.

And you do make a difference.

But you don’t get to decide the outcome.

And that’s where so much of the emotional weight lives.

In the space between:

Caring deeply…
and having limits.

Wanting change…
and not being able to force it.

Over time, if that reality isn’t processed, it can turn into:

Chronic stress
Emotional exhaustion
A kind of grief that just sits beneath the surface

Not because you’re doing anything wrong —
but because you’ve been carrying something that was never meant to be carried alone.

That’s exactly why we created this space.

I’m co-hosting a free virtual workshop through Rising Up:

Supporting Someone with Addiction: Tools for Families & Professionals
🗓 Tomorrow — May 14 | 1–2pm ET | Online

This isn’t about learning how to fix someone else.

It’s about learning how to take care of yourself while continuing to care about them.

We’ll walk through practical, body-based tools — including EFT tapping, EMDR-informed techniques, and mindfulness — to help you:

• Process the emotional weight you’ve been holding
• Regulate your nervous system in moments of stress or uncertainty
• Stay grounded without shutting down or overextending
• Continue showing up in a way that’s actually sustainable

Because you don’t have to keep doing this the hard way.

You can still sign up here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988196998744?aff=oddtdtcreator

If you’ve been carrying this, this is your invitation to have some support too.

Learn tools to manage burnout, grief & emotional stress when supporting someone struggling with addiction (MA residents & clinicians)

05/12/2026

Loving or working with someone with addiction means learning how to hold hope… and brace for setbacks at the same time.

You see the progress.

They show up differently.
They’re more present.
Things start to feel… a little more stable.

And part of you wants to believe in it.

But another part of you stays guarded.

Because you’ve been here before.

If you’re a loved one, you might catch yourself thinking:
“I hope this lasts… but I don’t know if it will.”

If you’re a professional, you’ve learned to stay grounded while also knowing how quickly things can shift.

So instead of fully exhaling…
you hold both.

Hope — and hesitation.
Relief — and vigilance.

And over time, that takes a toll.

Because your system never fully gets to relax.

It’s constantly adjusting, tracking, bracing for what could come next.

That’s the part people don’t talk about enough:

The emotional and physical impact of living in that in-between space.

Where things are better… but not certain.
Where progress is real… but fragile.

And underneath that is a deeper layer:

Grief.

Grief for how hard it is to trust the good moments.
Grief for how many times things have gone the other way.
Grief for the reality that you can’t control how this unfolds.

Most people aren’t given tools for this.

They’re told to stay hopeful.
To stay supportive.

But not how to regulate what’s happening inside of them while they do.

That’s why I’m co-hosting a free virtual workshop through Rising Up:

Supporting Someone with Addiction: Tools for Families & Professionals
🗓 May 14 | 1–2pm ET | Online

This space is about helping you navigate this exact experience.

We’ll walk through practical, body-based tools — including EFT tapping, EMDR-informed techniques, and mindfulness — to help you:

• Stay grounded during the ups and downs
• Process the emotional buildup of repeated cycles
• Regulate your nervous system when things feel uncertain
• Support someone else without living in constant bracing

Because holding hope shouldn’t have to feel this heavy.

You can save your spot here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988196998744?aff=oddtdtcreator

If you’ve been living in this in-between space, this was created for you.

Learn tools to manage burnout, grief & emotional stress when supporting someone struggling with addiction (MA residents & clinicians)

05/11/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/16vPcKdBmJ/

05/11/2026

To sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988196998744?aff=oddtdtcreator

05/10/2026

You’ve stood by someone dealing with addiction… and felt the weight of knowing you can’t do the work for them.

You can encourage.
You can support.
You can show up again and again.

But at the end of the day, their choices are still their own.

If you love someone in this position, that realization can feel heartbreaking.

If you work with addiction, it can feel like a constant internal tension —
holding space, offering guidance, and knowing there are limits to what you can change.

Because this is the part that’s hard to sit with:

You can care deeply…
and still feel powerless.

And that powerlessness doesn’t just stay in your thoughts —
it lives in your body.

It can show up as:

Tension you carry without realizing
Emotional exhaustion that builds over time
A sense of heaviness that doesn’t fully go away between conversations or sessions

And underneath all of it… there’s often grief.

Grief for what’s not changing.
Grief for what’s been lost.
Grief for the reality that you can’t step in and fix this for them.

Most people are never given tools to process that kind of experience.

They’re told to “set boundaries” or “not take it on” —
but that doesn’t actually move the emotional weight you’re carrying.

That’s why I’m co-hosting a free virtual workshop through Rising Up

Supporting Someone with Addiction: Tools for Families & Professionals
🗓 May 14 | 1–2pm ET | Online

This space is about helping you navigate this reality in a more sustainable way.

We’ll walk through practical, body-based tools — including EFT tapping, EMDR-informed techniques, and mindfulness — to help you:

• Process the weight of not being able to control the outcome
• Move through grief and emotional buildup in real time
• Stay present without becoming overwhelmed or shut down
• Continue supporting someone without losing yourself in the process

Because caring about someone doesn’t mean you’re supposed to carry all of this alone.

You can save your spot here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988196998744?aff=oddtdtcreator

If this is something you’ve been feeling, this space was created for you.

Learn tools to manage burnout, grief & emotional stress when supporting someone struggling with addiction (MA residents & clinicians)

05/07/2026

You care about someone who’s struggling with addiction… but nothing you do seems to change the outcome.

You’ve shown up.
You’ve had the hard conversations.
You’ve tried to say the “right” thing, do the “right” thing, support in the “right” way.

And still…

The patterns continue.
The setbacks happen.
The uncertainty never fully goes away.

If you’re a loved one, this can feel heartbreaking.
If you’re a professional, it can feel incredibly frustrating — and at times, heavy.

Because at some point, you come up against a reality that’s hard to accept:

You can care deeply.
You can be consistent.
You can offer support, guidance, and presence…

…and you still cannot control the outcome.

That realization often brings up something we don’t talk about enough:

Grief.

Not just grief for what’s already happened —
but grief for what isn’t changing…
for what’s been lost…
and for what may still come.

For loved ones, it can feel like living in a constant push-pull between hope and fear.
For professionals, it can show up as emotional weight that builds quietly over time.

And in both cases, most people are never actually taught how to process that.

They just keep going.

That’s why I’m co-hosting a free virtual workshop through Rising Up:

Supporting Someone with Addiction: Tools for Families & Professionals
🗓 May 14 | 1–2pm ET | Online

This isn’t about fixing someone else.

It’s about supporting you — the person carrying all of this.

We’ll walk through practical, body-based tools — including EFT tapping, EMDR-informed techniques, and mindfulness — to help you:

• Move through grief and emotional overwhelm in real time
• Regulate your nervous system when things feel out of control
• Stay present without losing yourself in the process
• Continue showing up without becoming depleted

Because caring doesn’t have to mean carrying everything.

You can save your spot here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988196998744?aff=oddtdtcreator

If this resonates, this space was created for you.

Learn tools to manage burnout, grief & emotional stress when supporting someone struggling with addiction (MA residents & clinicians)

05/06/2026

https://www.risingup-iop.com/family-healing-addiction-and-recovery-support-in-mass

Anticipatory Grief, Disenfranchised Grief, Secondary Losses and Ambiguous Grief abound when it comes to having a loved one suffering through addiction. Let us support you, while you support them.

If you’re looking for a holistic alternative to weekly therapy sessions, our IOP at Rising Up can help you heal and reclaim your life from trauma/PTSD. Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.