Recovery Month Kickoff: Adoption, Trauma, and the Road to Recovery with Ben Mushlin

Ben Mushlin is the founder of Searchlight Therapy, a practice dedicated to providing individualized care for adolescents, young adults, and families navigating substance use and mental health challenges. A psychotherapist whose work is informed by his own lived experience with substance use and trauma, he began his career in New York City’s recovery community in sober living residences before moving into roles as a Recovery Coach, Case Manager, and leader of a NYC Department of Health opioid overdose response team. He earned his Master of Social Work from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College and has held positions as an outpatient psychotherapist, director of a transitional living program for adults with co-occurring disorders, and Clinical Director at a leading adolescent and young adult outpatient program in New York City.  In 2026, he authored Lighting the Way: A Parent’s Guide to Walking With Teens and Young Adults Through Substance Use and Mental Health Challenges.

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