Adrian Downing-Espinal

Adrian joins IHI after a decade-long career in behavioral health services, specializing in substance use counseling and case management. Their experience encompasses residential abstinence-based recovery, outpatient harm reduction, and intensive outpatient, serving clients from adolescents to retired seniors, homeless veterans, sex workers, individuals living with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, and professionals.

Adrian’s approach is grounded in feminist, anti-oppressive, and anti-racist theory. Therapy is a safe space to gain insight into the nature and origin of distress and collaboratively identify strategies, from practical cognitive-behavioral interventions to meaning-centered exploration of family of origin, childhood trauma, and existential challenges within a broader socio-political context.

Common issues addressed include addiction, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and loss, guilt and shame, low self-esteem, chronic stress/burnout, communication, boundaries, body image, coming out, relationship issues, and isolation/disconnection from self and community.

Educational background:

Master of Social Work, Disaster and Collective Trauma focus, Tulane University

BA in Sociology, minors in Gender Studies and Leadership, University of San Diego

Certificate of Achievement, Alcohol and Other Drug Studies, San Diego City College