I am a Therapist, Writer, Coach and Educator. Since 2012, I’ve helped people find their footing in strange, difficult, and sometimes shocking circumstances.

 I would not be as effective in doing this line of work with others if I were not familiar with the ground myself. I am a domestic adoptee, through the department of children and family services (DCF). I’ve  been through the process of search and reunion with my own biological family. The process was long, difficult and had many complex surprises along the way. I am a person in long-term recovery (16+ years)  from Substance Use Disorder, and I’ve also been through the hell of having watched loved ones suffer through the erosion of addiction.

As an existentialist at heart, I believe that transformational healing begins to take place with a willingness to become aware of our truths, our fears, and our grief. Throughout these difficult journeys I have found lessons that have led me to some enlightening perspective shifts as well as an abundance of beautiful connections.

Hi there, I’m Lisa Coppola. I also go by “LC”

  • I spent the first half of my counseling career facilitating programs for dual diagnosis treatment throughout Massachusetts, working with individuals and their family members . So many clients in those treatment programs were adopted or had spent time in foster care, it was very clear to me that there was a major link between early attachment disruption and addiction.

    Through Boston Post Adoption Resources (BPAR) I created and directed the Voices Unheard Storytelling Program for Adult Adoptees, and produced, for five years, the Voices Unheard: Real Adoptee Stories forum, a live speakers event in Cambridge, MA. Alongside these endeavors, I also hosted a video series called “Adoptees in 3: Connecting through Mind, Heart and Action.”

    In 2022 I authored Voices Unheard: A Reflective Journal for Adult Adoptees, which was published by Boston Post Adoption Resources.

    I have conducted trainings, and continue to do so, both nationally and internationally for addiction recovery programs, dual diagnosis treatment centers and group psychotherapy practices.

    I am a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC #10015) in the state of Massachusetts and a licensed clinical professional counselor in the state of Maine (LCPC#CC7693). I hold a Masters degree of Education in Counseling Psychology with an Addiction concentration from Cambridge College and a Bachelor's degree in Human Services from the University of Massachusetts in Boston. I am a member of the Co-Occurring Collaborative Serving Maine (CCSME)

    I have additional trainings in:

    • Narrative therapy, Re-Authoring Interventions and Rich Story Development

    • Right to Know Trainings completed in: Search and Reunion, Ethical and Psychological Impacts of MPE, Grief and Loss of MPE’s, MPE’s and Identity Interventions

    • Written Exposure Therapy (WET) for PTSD

    • Treatment of Problem Gambling

    • Motivational Interviewing

    • Stage of Change Model for Addictions

    • IDDT (Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment)

    • Working with the Pain of Abandonment: A training facilitated by the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine.

    I am actively engaged in lifelong learning and in unlearning, and I will continue to work  towards developing awareness of how power and privilege affect the way others navigate and experience the world.