About the Author
Sonja Riddle
Clinician, educator, and speaker working at the intersection of addiction and family systems.
Sonja Riddle is a clinician, educator, and speaker who has spent her career working at the intersection of addiction and family systems. With more than 15 years of clinical and systems-level experience, her work focuses on a group that has been historically overlooked in addiction conversations: families.
Sonja holds a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, a Bachelor of Social Work and is a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC). Her professional work has included direct clinical practice with individuals and families, as well as consultation, training, and systems-level education for organizations that support people impacted by addiction.
Her understanding of addiction, however, did not begin in a classroom.
Like many children growing up in homes shaped by addiction, she learned early how families adapt to chaos, how silence forms around painful realities, and how the people who love someone with an addiction often carry the heaviest burden with the least support.
Those early experiences eventually shaped the direction of her professional work. Rather than focusing only on the individual struggling with substance use, Sonja’s work centers the family system — the partners, parents, siblings, and children whose lives are deeply affected but whose voices are often missing from the conversation.
Sonja is also the mother of two young children, an experience that continues to shape how she thinks about family resilience, intergenerational patterns, and the environments children need in order to feel safe, seen, and supported.
In addition to her clinical work, Sonja speaks regularly at professional conferences and organizational training, where her work focuses on family systems, clinician sustainability, and the often-misunderstood dynamics of addiction in relational contexts.
Sonja has also been featured on podcasts and media platforms discussing addiction, family dynamics, and the emotional impact of loving someone who struggles with substance use. Her ability to translate complex clinical ideas into clear, accessible language has made her a trusted voice for both families and professionals.
Credentials
Focus Areas
About Sonja Riddle
Clinician. Educator. Speaker.
Sonja Riddle has spent her career working at the intersection of addiction and family systems — bringing together more than 15 years of clinical experience, lived personal history, and a deep commitment to the family members who are so often left out of the recovery conversation.
Her work is built on a simple but powerful belief: families don’t have to wait for recovery to begin. Healing is available to them right now.
15+
Years of clinical experience
MA
Counselling Psychology
CCC
Canadian Certified Counsellor
BSW
Bachelor of Social Work
What She Believes
The principles behind every conversation, resource, and program.
Recovery Begins With Us
Families cannot control another person’s choices, but they can transform the environment in which recovery becomes possible by changing themselves first.
Change the System, Change the Outcome
Hope Grounded in Science
Recovery is strengthened by understanding how the brain, relationships, and behaviour change over time—combining neuroscience, family systems, and lived experience into practical tools that create lasting wellness.
Journey
Two decades in motion.
2009
Personal Loss Becomes Purpose
Lost her father to addiction, igniting a lifelong commitment to helping families navigate addiction and recovery.
2010
Began Career in Addiction Treatment
Started working directly with individuals and families affected by substance use disorders, building the foundation for a systems-based approach to recovery.
2015
Bachelor of Social Work
Graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, strengthening a clinical understanding of trauma, families, and recovery.
2016
Founded True North Interventions
Established a nationally recognized intervention and family recovery practice dedicated to supporting lasting change for families impacted by addiction.
2019
Master of Counselling Psychology
Completed a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology, integrating neuroscience, counselling, and family systems into her work.
2021
Co-Founded a Nonprofit
Established a nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to recovery support for families.
2022
National Speaker & Educator
Began delivering keynotes and professional training on addiction, family recovery, and family systems.
2024
Developed the Onus of Change Framework
Introduced a new model for family recovery that shifts the focus from changing a loved one to transforming the family system.
2025
Expanded Services for Veteran Families
Broadened nonprofit programs to support veterans and veteran families affected by addiction, trauma, and mental health challenges.
2026
Author & Thought Leader
Launches her debut book, introducing a new framework for family recovery that shifts the focus from changing a loved one to transforming the family system.
