Addiction, Alcohol & Coping
Whether you are starting to question your reliance on substances or are firmly in recovery seeking deeper inner work, substances often begin as a buffer. They offer a quiet landing place for a nervous system in distress.
In our work, we replace shame with curiosity. We investigate the origins of your habits while fostering the self-warmth essential for true healing.
Reasons We Turn to Alcohol and Substances
- Seeking self-soothing, calming a loud inner critic or sensory overload; easing social anxiety; managing boredom, loneliness or emotional intensity; or creating a buffer between your inner world and external demands.
Areas of Focus
A Kind, Trauma-Informed Perspective
My practice centers on identifying why alcohol entered your survival toolkit. We examine those layers without blame, keeping the therapeutic environment a safe, gentle container for your growth.
Emotional Depth & Sensory Processing
For those who experience life vividly, the environment can feel abrasive. We explore how alcohol lowers the volume and seek healthier ways to balance your nervous system response.
High-Functioning Stress & Burnout
When you are constantly performing, alcohol signals your mind to power down. We work to establish sustainable methods of rest that honor your health and energy levels.
Menopause & Identity Shifts
Facing physical and mental changes often revives old dependencies. We carve out space to process who you are becoming during these significant life transitions.
Fostering Long-Term Growth
We work collaboratively to understand the complex interplay between your internal world and your external environment. By examining these layers, we build a foundation for long-term growth and fulfillment, ensuring your recovery is not just about abstinence, but about a vibrant, meaningful life.
Topics for Our Collaboration
- Analyzing the emotional purpose of substances; nervous system regulation skills; processing the loss of past versions of yourself; rebuilding trust in your intuition and authentic self.
Deep work for established recovery
For those who have found stability in sobriety but feel a calling toward deeper inquiry, our work focuses on the emotional landscape that remains. We move beyond the mechanics of recovery to explore the core identity, processing the transitions that occur when the buffer of substances is removed.
Recovery is often the beginning of a larger journey toward self-knowledge. In this space, we investigate the underlying emotional patterns and life transitions that require a more intensive therapeutic approach, fostering a resilient sense of self that thrives in the presence of authenticity.
Investment & Connection
Maintaining Clear Boundaries
To protect the depth of our work, I require all clients to be clean and sober for at least 24 hours before a session.
If you’re drinking heavily, it can sometimes be unsafe to stop suddenly without medical support. Therapy can help you explore the emotional patterns around drinking, but any physical withdrawal needs to be managed by a GP or medical team. If needed, I may suggest speaking with your GP before we begin.
Weekly 50-minute sessions are £70 for online sessions, £80 for in-person sessions in Bickley, and £95 for walk-and-talk sessions in nature. I offer remote video therapy for clients throughout the UK.
Ethical Practice
I practice as a pluralistic therapist following the BACP Ethical Framework, ensuring our relationship remains confidential, professional, and entirely ethical.