Therapy for Phone Addiction
Helping women get off their phone and back to their life.
You can’t look away, but you hate how it feels when you don’t…
You didn’t plan to spend hours glued to your screen. But somehow your phone keeps ending up in your hand. You are not alone in struggling with this.
Maybe you’re constantly checking social media, news, texts, or emails. Maybe it’s a game, scrolling videos, or doomscrolling late into the night. Maybe you’re doing it to escape or get that quick dopamine hit. Maybe it’s even your only alone time for the day. There’s value in it, but you also know it’s tearing you apart.
You know it’s affecting your mood, focus, sleep, and even your relationships. This is not the life you want to live. And while part of you wants to stop, another part feels like you can’t.
Let’s reset your screen habits without shame. Together, we’ll get to the root of your habits and find a path forward that feels realistic and doable.
Phone Addiction Therapist in Chicago Suburbs, Greater Milwaukee area, and throughout Illinois & Wisconsin
How therapy for phone addiction can help
It’s not a willpower issue. Our phones are designed to be addictive. And, for many of us, they’ve become a coping tool. It’s become a way to escape stress or boredom, a break from constant caregiving or work demands. Phones offer us a fast hit of entertainment, connection, or needed numbness.
If you find yourself reaching for your phone automatically, feeling anxious without it, or struggling to stop even when you want to, therapy can help.
As a behaviorally focused therapist, I help clients explore what’s actually driving their habits. Together, we’ll look at your routines, triggers, and unmet needs. We will then create realistic strategies to shift your relationship with your phone and build practical habits that align with your values: whether that’s being more present with your kids, getting better sleep, reconnecting with hobbies, or simply breaking the cycle of burnout and doomscrolling.
We’ll work together to find the balance that is meaningful to you. Less guilt and more awareness. Less autopilot and more intention. Less distraction and more presence.
Therapy for Phone Addiction Topics
Ready to reclaim your time and attention? Here’s what we can work on together.
Why do I scroll so much?
We’ll dig into the underlying triggers and help you understand what drives the urge to pick up your phone. Once you know the “why,” it gets a lot easier to create change.
How to change phone habits
Together, we’ll explore what really matters to you, and use those values to gently shift your relationship with your phone.
Setting phone boundaries that stick
Let’s build sustainable boundaries around phone use that actually work in your real life.
Healthy coping skills instead of scrolling
Phones are often our go-to for stress, overwhelm, or just zoning out. We’ll find supportive ways to handle those moments, ones that actually help you feel better, not just distracted.
Phone use and sleep problems
Late-night scrolling messes with more than your bedtime. We’ll talk about how overstimulation affects your body and brain, and build wind-down habits that support rest, calm, and better sleep.
How to stop phone addiction
No scolding. No judgment. Just thoughtful guidance rooted in compassion and behavior science.
Symptoms of Phone Addiction
Everyone’s relationship with their phone looks a little different. As a therapist who helps women navigate phone overuse, I take the time to understand your unique habits, triggers, and goals. Here are just some of the common signs that your phone use might be getting in the way of your life.
Frequently checking your phone - You’re constantly reaching for your phone, even without a ping or notification. It’s become automatic.
Anxious without your phone - When it’s not nearby, you feel unsettled, irritable, or distracted until you have it in hand again.
Phone-related lack of focus - You struggle to concentrate. You bounce between apps or pick up your phone in the middle of a task without thinking.
Failed attempts to cut back - You’ve tried limits, screen time apps, or deleting social media, but the habits return quickly.
Giving up hobbies and interests - You’ve stopped or cut back on activities you enjoy because your phone takes up your time.
Using phone to cope with emotions - Stress, boredom, or overwhelm lead you to grab your phone as a way to escape or numb out.
Phone time guilt - After using your phone, you often feel regret about how much time you lost.
Can’t unplug from phone - Even when you want to be present with others or take a break, it feels nearly impossible to put your phone down.
Spending more time than intended - You plan to check your phone for a few minutes but end up using it for much longer.
Hazardous phone use - Using your phone in risky situations, like while driving or crossing the street.
