As the loved one of an addict,
are you exhausted from trying to save their life?
Do you lack the support you need to help the addict you love?
Are their struggles affecting your self-respect and well-being?
We know how to help your family. We help families heal. Because addiction creates chaos, division and mistrust within families, at Love With Boundaries, we work with the whole family, including parents, siblings, spouses, and grandparents. When addiction is devastating a family, everyone is affected, and everyone needs to heal.
There IS a better way, and there is support for you.
At Love With Boundaries, we counsel the loved ones of people struggling with addiction so they can reclaim their peace, learn how to set—and maintain—healthy boundaries, and make empowered choices that foster real change.
We know how alone you can feel when addiction is tearing your family apart. We also understand that many families and other loved ones sometimes delay reaching out for help because they feel shame and guilt.
This transformative Group Counseling Program is offered online and is led by experienced addiction counselors from Love With Boundaries. The Group Counseling Program is designed to help you stop enabling and start healing—without sacrificing yourself in the process.
Based on the 16 Steps For Recovery by Dr. Charlotte Kasl, these steps are an empowering and more inclusive alternative to traditional 12-Step programs. While participating in this program, Christine and Elina will help you:
✅ Understand the vital difference between “Enabling” and “Helping”
✅ Learn how to set, implement and communicate your boundaries, coming from a place of love
✅ Break free from the cycle of codependency and people-pleasing
✅ Cultivate self-love and inner strength
✅ Rebuild your confidence and resilience
✅ Become your authentic self and trust in the healing power of truth
And the great news is—you don’t have to do this alone.
In a small, supportive group, you will be guided toward real breakthroughs, allowing you to reclaim your life and genuinely help the addict you love.
Here’s an overview of what we’ll cover in the 16-Step Group Counseling Program:
- Moving through guilt and shame
- Trusting your own wisdom and being empowered to make decisions about your future
- Building your self-esteem and self-respect
- Trusting and taking care of yourself
- Connecting with others and building healthy, respectful relationships
- Exploring your inner calling and developing the will and wisdom to follow it
Please note that our 16-Step Online Group Counseling Program for Women is offered virtually via Zoom. Assistance with getting set up on Zoom can be provided for those who need it.
Benefits of Online Group Counseling
Group counseling programs can be a highly effective alternative to individual counseling. It offers a number of unique benefits like counselor-led support, education, and peer support, but at a reduced cost compared to individual counseling. When our loved ones are struggling with addiction, it can create a sense of loneliness, and you may find yourself feeling that you are the only one going through what you are experiencing. Group counseling programs create a “community” of others going through similar challenges and feelings. This sense of belonging with the group members adds another level of support so that you feel less alone and isolated.
Having your challenges, emotions and questions heard by members of a counseling group can increase important feelings of belonging. Group counseling often increases feelings of worthiness because you receive care, support and validation from other group members. Often, your fellow group members can provide feedback or ideas that you may not have thought of before.
- The 16-Step Group Counseling Program is hosted online; you don’t need to travel or attend in-person meetings.
- Professional counseling will be provided by experienced addiction counselors who have worked with families, loved ones and addicts around a variety of addictions. Supervision is also provided to our counselors by the owner and founder of Love With Boundaries, Candace Plattor, who has more than 30 years of experience in the field of addiction counseling.
- Inspiration and hope: Being in a counseling group provides inspiration and hope as you see other members being a sounding board for each other and sharing their experiences—they’ve been there too!
- Accountability: In this Group Counseling Program, participants will make a commitment to themselves and the others in the group. They support one another and gently hold each other accountable for taking the steps toward making real progress on the improvements and changes they want to have in their lives. Seeing others work through similar challenges will provide you with a sense of hope that change is definitely possible!
- Active participation: You will have the opportunity to practice some of the skills you are learning in the Group Counseling Program, and can ask the counselors questions as you work through the 16 Steps. You will also be provided with resources, worksheets and other educational materials that support you, your family, your progress—and most importantly, your self-respect.
- Affordability: Group counseling is more affordable than individual counseling, and you are able to work with the counselors and the group for 17 weeks, which many loved ones could not afford if they were to do 17 individual counseling sessions.
The 16-Step Group Counseling Program for Women
begins September 21, 2025.
Your investment: $1,995. A payment plan is available.
Are you ready to join us?
SIGN UP FORM HERE
Meet Our Counselors
Christine Zitscher, P.C.
After spending more than 20 years in the field of Human Resources and Business Management, Christine decided to pursue a career helping others overcome their addictions. Christine holds a degree in Professional Counselling with a focus on Family Counselling and Addictions. She has spent several years working in treatment centres and non-profits, and is excited about being part of the Love With Boundaries Team. Christine began her own recovery journey in 2017 and has been clean and sober ever since, raising her two young boys in Vancouver, BC.
Elina Zhurikhina, M.A. Counseling Psychology
Elina is a Registered Clinical Counselor with over 8 years of experience working in the mental health field. She spent several years working with vulnerable populations including youth facing homelessness as well as women who were in contact with the criminal justice system. Throughout her experience, Elina observed the kind of impact addiction had on the clients she worked with as well as their families and loved ones. One thing is certain—addiction is almost always used as a way to cope with the inner turmoil people experience throughout their lives. Another certainty is that people have the power to make different choices. Elina is dedicated to helping families understand themselves on a deeper level and harness their power to make the changes necessary and shift their lives in a healthier direction.
FAQs
What is the difference between support groups and group counseling?
Unlike group counseling, support groups are often led by volunteers and peers, not by a professional addiction counselor. Our 16-Step Group Counselling Program is led by two Love With Boundaries Addiction Counsellors. Support groups are often larger, more open groups and are frequently not attended consistently by members of the support group.
How do you ensure that my privacy will be protected?
We will discuss this in Week 1. All participants in the Group Counseling Program will agree to sign a confidentiality agreement. At the first group counseling session, the counselors will review this with the participants and advise them about their responsibilities regarding confidentiality. The meetings will be held on Zoom, and it’s an encrypted platform that offers security. A private link is provided to participants to access the group meeting, and the meetings are recorded for supervisory purposes only.
What if I need to speak with a counselor or have a crisis during the online counseling program?
At any time during the group counseling, and after it is completed, you are able and encouraged to book an appointment with one of our counselors. Information about our counseling services and rates can be provided to you while you are in the group. Your counseling session(s) take place on Zoom and there are flexible appointment times to work with your schedule and availability.
Still have questions?
Email Christine at christine@lovewithboundaries.com.
She’ll respond within 24 hours.
If you’re ready to heal from the chaos addiction has caused in your life, sign up now.
SIGN UP FORM HERE.
