Our Story
Our Story
Myrina one of the pioneers
of online counseling.
During my own inpatient treatment over 30 years ago, I witnessed something that would shape the rest of my life. A fellow patient, newly discharged and attending my weekly support group, was struggling without her medication. Because it was a Friday evening, her doctor wasn’t available, and she needed to wait until Monday for a prescription renewal.
She was terrified she might relapse before then. I invited her to stay with me so she wouldn’t have to travel back and forth in such a fragile state.
When Monday came, her doctor refused to renew her prescription because she couldn’t afford to pay for the session. I offered to cover the cost, but the medical team wouldn’t allow it. They said, “You know what she’s going to do with those medications.”
“She’s just an addict.”
She was found outside the facility, lost to an overdose just days after being denied care.
That experience has haunted me ever since. It’s what drives me to challenge the stigma surrounding addiction, and to fight for a care system that sees the person, not just the illness.
In 2008, we launched Myrina Addictions Counseling and Life Skills Consultation Service, LLC – an international online practice that connected licensed therapists with clients across the globe. Our model prioritized cultural understanding, offering support in many diverse languages including Nigerian, Dutch, German, Urdu, Turkish, Swiss, Spanish, and more. What began as a small service quickly became a thriving global community of healing.
Despite the global addiction therapy system having helped many people, the addiction crisis has only worsened worldwide and in the US. We’ve seen firsthand how systemic failures and financial barriers continued to block access to treatment. We continue to ask: Why must someone have money to pursue recovery? The answer? Because therapists have bills to pay.
That’s when we envisioned a new path.
Myrina is now a nonprofit charitable organization, with a mission to remove cost and session limits from addiction care as we work with individuals, families and communities to facilitate lasting change.
Empower Growth
Our Goals
- Becoming a fully functional, online counseling entity with a great clinical staff including recreational and life skills components attached to our system of operations.
- To provide education and clinical supervision for the new generation coming into the field.
- Initiate a System Development Team who will evaluate systemic needs and develop prevention and intervention policies and programs for any entity in need.
Our Therapeutic and Counseling Services will use time and resources efficiently, both for our clients and their families. We, along with our staff, will use all technological advantages at our disposal along with those we develop.