Frequently Asked Questions

Below you’ll find answers to some of the questions I’m most often asked about counselling, therapy, addiction, trauma, relationships and the support I offer. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, please get in touch, and we can discuss how I may be able to help.

What approach to counselling do you use?

My counselling approach is trauma-led, incorporating integrative approaches, drawing on several therapeutic approaches including Gestalt, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), Inner Child Therapy, Trauma Recovery, and Emotional Release Therapy. I tailor the work to the individual rather than using one approach for everyone. Where appropriate when working with addiction and recovery, I am also familiar with and use approaches including the 12 Steps, SMART Recovery, psychoeducation, and relapse prevention. The aim is to create a supportive therapeutic relationship where we can explore your experiences, understand patterns of thinking, emotions and behaviour, and work towards meaningful and lasting change.

Can therapy help with addiction, alcohol misuse and addictive behaviours?

Yes. Therapy can help you explore the emotional, psychological and behavioural factors underlying addiction and alcohol misuse. We can work together to understand triggers, patterns, coping strategies, relationships and nervous-system responses, while developing healthier ways to manage difficult emotions, stress and cravings. Whether it's an addiction to alcohol or substances, process addictions like gambling and gaming, or people addictions like love addiction, love avoidance, sex addiction, trauma bonding or codependency, therapy can help identify the underlying determinants and pain points to help with recovery and healing.

What is trauma-informed therapy and who can it help?

Trauma-informed therapy recognises that past experiences can influence how we feel, think, behave and relate to others. It focuses on safety, choice, collaboration and understanding rather than judgement. It can be helpful for people experiencing the effects of trauma, addiction, relationship difficulties, emotional overwhelm, stress or difficulties with self-regulation.

Can trauma affect addiction and the way the nervous system responds to stress?

Trauma and addiction can sometimes be closely connected. Experiences of trauma may affect how a person responds to stress, emotions and relationships, and some people may use alcohol, substances or other behaviours as ways of coping with overwhelming feelings. Trauma-informed therapy can explore these patterns without judgement and support the development of safer and more sustainable coping strategies.

How can therapy help with trauma and nervous system regulation?

Trauma can affect the way the nervous system responds to stress, relationships and everyday situations. Trauma-informed therapy can help you understand these responses, recognise signs of dysregulation and develop practical strategies to feel safer, more grounded and better able to regulate your emotions and nervous system.

How can I regulate my nervous system when I feel overwhelmed, anxious or stressed?

Nervous-system regulation involves learning to recognise what is happening in your body and developing techniques that support a greater sense of safety and stability. Depending on your individual needs, this may include grounding, breathing, movement, sensory awareness, emotional regulation, vagal toning, self-care and other trauma-informed approaches.

How can I support someone who is struggling with addiction or trauma?

Supporting someone with addiction or trauma can be difficult, particularly when you are unsure what to say or how much support to provide. Trauma-informed guidance can help you understand their behaviour, recognise potential triggers and boundaries, communicate more effectively and support recovery without losing sight of your own wellbeing and self-care. If it’s a loved one who is struggling, we can provide them with the right source of help and treatment needed to help them recover. As well as providing couples counselling and ongoing aftercare, so everybody gets the support they need. Addiction doesn’t discriminate and doesn’t just affect the person with the habit; it affects the whole family. This is called the ripple effect.

What can I do to look after myself when I am supporting someone with trauma or addiction?

Supporting someone else can be emotionally demanding. Self-care is not selfish—it is an important part of maintaining your own wellbeing and ability to provide support. This may include establishing healthy boundaries, recognising your own stress responses, taking time to rest and recover, seeking your own support and developing practical nervous-system regulation strategies.

Do you offer couples therapy?

Yes. Couples therapy provides a confidential space for partners to explore relationship difficulties, communication patterns, conflict, emotional needs, trust, attachment and recurring relationship cycles. The aim is to help couples develop greater understanding, improve communication and work towards healthier and more connected relationships. I also provide couples counselling for people leaving treatment for addictions and alcohol abuse to provide ongoing support for their early recovery and settling back into family life.

Do you offer family therapy and support?

Yes. Family therapy can help families understand patterns of communication, conflict, relationships and emotional responses. It can be particularly valuable when a family is affected by trauma, addiction, mental health difficulties or significant changes within the family. The work focuses on improving understanding, communication, boundaries and supportive relationships. We explore the specific dynamics and family roles members have taken on or been given in their family of origin.

Do you provide help for families and partners affected by a loved one’s behaviour and addiction?

Yes. I offer therapeutic support and aftercare support for couples and families affected by addiction. Addiction affects more than the individual, and family members and partners may need their own space to understand addiction, process what has happened and learn how to establish healthy boundaries and supportive ways of communicating. Where appropriate, a tailored package can support the wider family as everyone adjusts to life after treatment.

Programmes & Services

What is the Reclaiming Your Inner Child programme?

Reclaiming Your Inner Child is a therapeutic programme designed to help you explore how earlier life experiences may continue to influence your emotions, relationships, behaviours and sense of self. The programme provides a safe, supportive and trauma-informed space to develop greater self-awareness, emotional regulation, self-compassion and healthier ways of relating to yourself and others. We explore all 7 developmental stages to identify developmental wounds, areas needing attention and healing, emotional dysregulation and affect regulation, core belief systems and cognitive distortions you have accumulated along the way.

Is there a programme to help with alcohol addiction?

Yes. The Alcohol Addiction Programme provides structured therapeutic support for people who want to understand and change their relationship with alcohol. The programme explores patterns of alcohol use, triggers, emotional regulation, underlying issues, coping strategies and relapse prevention, while supporting the development of healthier and more sustainable ways of coping. It combines my lived experience and professional experience with psychoeducation and exercises to enhance learning and healing.

Is there a programme to help with cocaine addiction?

Yes. The Cocaine Addiction Programme provides structured support for people who are experiencing difficulties with cocaine use and want to make meaningful changes. The programme explores triggers, cravings, emotional and behavioural patterns, relationships, coping strategies and relapse prevention within a supportive, non-judgemental and trauma-informed approach.

What programmes and services does London Counselling and Consultancy offer?

London Counselling and Consultancy offers a range of therapeutic programmes, counselling and training designed to support individuals, couples, families and professionals. The work is trauma-informed and focuses on understanding the underlying patterns, experiences and behaviours that can affect our emotional wellbeing, relationships and recovery.

• Reclaiming Your Inner Child
  A therapeutic programme exploring how childhood experiences can continue to influence our emotions, beliefs, relationships and behaviours in adulthood. The programme supports greater self-awareness, self-compassion, emotional regulation and a deeper understanding of the patterns that may be affecting your life today.

• Alcohol Addiction Rebab Programme
  Structured therapeutic support for people who want to understand and change their relationship with alcohol. The programme explores triggers, cravings, emotional regulation, underlying issues, coping strategies and relapse prevention, while supporting the development of healthier ways of living and maintaining recovery.

• Cocaine Addiction Rebab Programme
  Support for individuals who are struggling with cocaine use and want to make meaningful changes. The programme explores the relationship between substance use, emotions, stress, trauma, relationships and behaviour, alongside strategies for managing triggers, cravings and relapse and developing healthier coping mechanisms.

• Gambling Harms Programme
  A programme for people affected by gambling and the impact it can have on emotional wellbeing, relationships, finances and everyday life. The work explores the patterns and triggers associated with gambling, underlying emotional needs, coping strategies and practical steps towards reducing or stopping harmful gambling behaviours.

• From Survival to Safety: A Journey into Understanding Your Nervous System
  A therapeutic journey focused on understanding how your nervous system responds to stress, trauma and overwhelming experiences. The programme helps you recognise your individual patterns of activation, shutdown and dysregulation and learn practical ways to support regulation, develop a greater sense of safety and move from simply surviving towards feeling more present, connected and able to cope.

  If you are unsure which programme or type of support is right for you, we can discuss your circumstances during an initial consultation and identify an appropriate way forward.

• Who are your therapeutic programmes and services suitable for? The programmes and therapeutic services are designed for adults who may be experiencing difficulties related to trauma, addiction, relationships, emotional regulation, family difficulties or patterns of behaviour that they would like to understand and change. Each person's circumstances are different, so support is tailored to their individual needs, goals and circumstances.

What if I need more help than counselling or online support programmes for my addiction or drinking?

If you feel that online therapy or counselling alone isn't enough, you don't have to navigate the next step on your own. I can help you understand what level of support may be appropriate and, where needed, help you explore and access suitable addiction treatment and specialist services. This may include discussing options such as community addiction services, specialist addiction treatment, residential rehabilitation, medically supervised detoxification and other appropriate support. Where detoxification is required, this must be assessed and managed by an appropriately qualified medical professional or specialist addiction service, particularly where alcohol or other substances are involved.

Can you help me access detox or rehab if I want to stop drinking or using drugs?

Yes. I can help you find the right level of care. I can support you in taking the next step if you feel you need more structured support to stop drinking or using drugs. I can help you explore appropriate treatment options, understand the different levels of care available, and support you in accessing suitable detox, rehabilitation or specialist addiction services. I can also help you understand the different treatment options, identify appropriate referral pathways in the UK and Europe and provide ongoing therapeutic support and aftercare alongside your treatment where appropriate.

Do you provide aftercare once I leave detox or addiction treatment?

Yes. At London Counselling and Consultancy, I provide tailored aftercare support for people returning home after detox, residential rehabilitation or other forms of addiction treatment. Leaving treatment is an important stage of recovery, but returning to everyday life can bring new challenges. Aftercare provides continued therapeutic support as you begin to reintegrate into your home, relationships, work and wider community. It can help you maintain the progress you made during treatment, recognise potential triggers, manage cravings and emotional difficulties, and develop practical strategies to reduce the risk of returning to previous patterns of drinking or drug use.

Together, we can create a structured aftercare plan based around your individual circumstances and recovery goals. This may include regular counselling sessions, relapse-prevention work, emotional regulation and nervous-system support, rebuilding relationships, developing healthy routines and strengthening your support network. Aftercare can provide an important bridge between structured treatment and independent recovery, helping you feel supported and prepared as you move forward with your recovery and build a sustainable life beyond addiction.

Training and Resources for Professionals

What is Trauma-Informed Care Training?

Trauma-Informed Care Training is designed for professionals and organisations who want to develop their understanding of trauma and its impact on behaviour, working relationships, emotional regulation and the nervous system. Training can help practitioners recognise trauma responses, respond in a safer and more compassionate way, and develop trauma-informed practices within their professional setting. The training supports participants to recognise trauma responses and develop safer, more compassionate and trauma-informed ways of working to reduce retraumatisation.  The training includes topics such as understanding different types of trauma and trauma responses, the psychological and physiological effects of trauma, the nervous system and neurobiology, Polyvagal Theory, the relationship between trauma and addiction, recognising trauma responses and responding to disclosures, Trauma-informed practice and avoiding retraumatisation, knowing when to provide support and when to refer someone to specialist services, Staff wellbeing and resilience, and organisational implementation guidance and checklists.

Where can I get the Trauma-Informed Care Toolkit?

The Trauma-Informed Care Toolkit, created by London Counselling and Consultancy, is available as both a digital download from our online shop and as a Kindle e-book through Amazon. The toolkit is designed for professionals, organisations and anyone working with people who may have experienced trauma. It explores trauma, its impact on the brain and nervous system, trauma responses, Polyvagal Theory, trauma and addiction, trauma-informed practice, responding to disclosures and avoiding retraumatisation. It also includes practical guidance, implementation suggestions and organisational checklists to help embed trauma-informed approaches into everyday practice.

You can purchase the digital download directly from the London Counselling and Consultancy shop, or choose the Kindle edition on Amazon. We have also created accompanying resources for professionals, including The Trauma-informed Care Toolkit Cards and workbooks to enhance and deepen your understanding of trauma and how it affects the nervous system and brain and how to rest and digest, reset and regulate after trauma.

Where can therapists and mental health professionals find trauma-informed resources to support their clients?

London Counselling and Consultancy provides practical, trauma-informed resources for therapists, counsellors, coaches, wellbeing practitioners and other professionals supporting people affected by trauma. Resources are designed to help practitioners explain trauma in an accessible way and support clients with understanding the impact of trauma on the brain, nervous system, emotions, behaviour and relationships. The Trauma-Informed Care Toolkit and other resources available through the online shop can be used alongside therapeutic and wellbeing work, providing practical psychoeducation, reflection and self-care tools for professionals and the people they support.

What trauma-informed resources are available for practitioners working with trauma recovery?

The London Counselling and Consultancy shop provides practical resources to support professionals working with trauma, addiction, emotional regulation and recovery. These include the Trauma-Informed Care Toolkit, Toolkit Cards and other practitioner and client workbooks, worksheets and resources designed to make trauma psychoeducation accessible and practical. Resources can be used to support discussions about the effects of trauma on the brain and nervous system, trauma responses, emotional regulation, grounding, self-care and recovery. They are suitable for use across a range of settings, including counselling and therapy, coaching, wellbeing work, groups, workshops and other support services.

What are the Trauma-Informed Care Toolkit Cards and how can professionals use them?

The Trauma-Informed Care Toolkit Cards are practical resources designed to support psychoeducation and therapeutic conversations around trauma and recovery. They can be used in one-to-one therapy, counselling, coaching and wellbeing sessions, as well as groups, workshops and other support services and institutions such as treatment centres and rehabs, drug and alcohol services, prisons and young offenders institutions, schools, pupil referral units and all other education establishments as well as corporate settings. The cards can help practitioners introduce conversations about how trauma affects the brain and nervous system, recognise trauma responses, explore emotional regulation and identify practical self-care and nervous-system regulation strategies. They can be incorporated into existing professional practice as an additional resource to support client understanding, reflection and recovery.

For more information or to discuss your requirements, please get in touch using the contact section.