Spokane, Washington, USA - September 4, 2025 - Clinical social worker Dr. Amanda Kern has now released her book, It's Never Just About the Substance: Understanding The Hurt Beneath the Habit. This new book is a highly transformational guide for people battling addiction, their families, and the recovery professionals working with them. Pairing 20 years of professional experience with deep personal insights, the author peels back the layers and addresses the unresolved trauma that often fuels addiction.
It's Never Just About the Substance debunks myths about addiction and challenges outdated notions that often frame addiction as a personal failing. Instead, it uses science and personal experience to help readers understand how addiction is a very human response to unhealed trauma. Designed to be both a helpful toolkit and a sympathetic guide, the book takes a deep dive into the complex relationships between trauma, mental health, and healing. In addition to offering foundational recovery steps, the book is also part of a broader cultural shift that removes stigma from addiction, making treatment and healing more accessible to people from all walks of life. Bridging the gap between neuroscience, therapy, and lived experiences of recovery, the book is not only comprehensive and practical, but it is also deeply compassionate and relatable, offering true support when the path to healing and recovery seems dark.
Dr. Amanda Kern is a passionate educator and thought leader who personally helps people heal and recover while also educating and inspiring the next generation of social workers who are committed to making a positive impact. In addition to being a speaker and sought-after therapist, she is also an adjunct professor at the University of Kentucky. As the founder of Integrated Balance Psychotherapy, she works firsthand with individuals and families to build a path towards sustainable recovery.
In addition to being EMDR and scx-therapy certified, Amanda also holds a doctorate in clinical social work. For the past two decades, her work has spanned from public advocacy and education to in-person therapy and social work. Always placing trauma at the center of recovery, she has been at the helm of innovation in treatment systems for substance abuse. Dr. Amanda Kern is available for interviews.
It's Never Just About the Substance: Understanding The Hurt Beneath the Habit is now available on Amazon.com.
Book Preview: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNBKJXRY
About Dr. Amanda Kern: https://www.integratedbalance.org/dr-amanda-kern
Contact:
Dr. Amanda Kern
Integrated Balance Psychotherapy, LLC
amandakern@integratedbalance.org
509-294-1705
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