Allison Devlin, LCSW, CASAC is the Clinical Director of Serenium, leading a team of 100+ professionals. With an MSW from NYU and over 20 years of experience across emergency rooms and crisis units, she specializes in evidence-based recovery and motivational interviewing. Allison carries on a family legacy of establishing pioneering Therapeutic Communities for addiction across North America.
Allison provides clinical insights on overcoming “phubbing” and digital distractions to help parents foster deeper, technology-free connections and strengthen emotional bonds with their children in a hyper-connected world. – NJ Family
Representing Serenium, Allison outlines the launch of specialized digital detox programs designed to combat technology fatigue and improve mental health outcomes for professionals and families across New Jersey. – NJBIZ
Anxiety After Retirement: What the Research Actually Shows Retirement is often spoken about as a finish line. But for many people, crossing it brings something unexpected: a persistent sense of unease, restlessness, or worry that is hard to name. This is not unusual. Research consistently shows that the shift from structured working life to retirement…
How to Start Therapy: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide Deciding you want therapy is one step. Actually starting it is another. Many people know they want support but get stuck on the practical side: how to find a therapist, which type of therapy to look for, or what to say in a first session. This guide…
Driving Anxiety and Perimenopause: Why Your Brain Is Not Broken If you have been driving confidently for years and suddenly find yourself gripping the steering wheel tighter, avoiding the motorway, or feeling a wave of panic at a roundabout, you are not alone, and you are certainly not losing your mind. Perimenopause and menopause can…
My Elderly Mother Is Consuming My Life: What’s Happening and How to Find Your Way Back If you’ve typed those words into a search bar, please know this first: you are not a bad person. You are a tired one. And there is a big, meaningful difference. Caring for an elderly mother is one of…
Sudden Loss of a Friend: What You’re Feeling Is Real, and You Don’t Have to Face It Alone Losing a friend unexpectedly is one of the most disorienting experiences a person can go through. One moment they are part of your everyday world, and the next, there is a silence where they used to be….
First Day of School Anxiety: A Compassionate Guide for Parents and Kids New backpacks, fresh notebooks, and a knot in the stomach that shows up right along with them. If your child (or you) is feeling a little shaky about the first day back, you are in good company. Butterflies before a big change are…
Why Are My Shoulders Always Tense and Raised? If you have ever caught yourself mid-conversation with your shoulders practically touching your ears, you are in very good company. Surveys show that shoulder pain affects around a quarter of the population. That creeping, constant elevation is not a quirk, a bad habit, or a sign that…
Tensing Face Muscles Without Realizing It: What Your Body Is Telling You If you have ever caught yourself sitting at your desk with your jaw clamped shut, your brow furrowed for no clear reason, or woken up with a tight face and sore temples, you are not alone. Tensing face muscles without realizing it is…
Why Do I Keep Losing Things? You know the feeling. You had your keys a minute ago. You set your phone down somewhere. Your glasses are on your face. And yet, here you are, running ten minutes late and retracing your steps for the third time this week. If you keep losing things, you are…
Anxiety Manual Breathing: Why You Can’t Stop Thinking About Every Breath (And What Actually Helps) You take a breath in. Then another. And then, suddenly, you are very, very aware that you are breathing. You notice the inhale. You monitor the exhale. You wonder if it is deep enough, fast enough, right enough. And now…
