Home / Our services / Addiction and substance abuse
What's worrying you?
Addiction and substance abuse
Written by Luisa Kos
Table of contents
Why therapy is essential for addiction recovery
Addiction is not just about substance use—it often stems from deeper emotional pain, trauma, stress, or mental health challenges. Many people turn to substances or addictive behaviours as a way to cope, only to find themselves caught in a cycle that feels impossible to break. Therapy offers a structured and supportive way to understand and address addiction at its core.
Key benefits of therapy for addiction:
- Identifying the root causes – Understanding the emotional, psychological, and environmental factors that contribute to substance use.
- Developing healthier coping strategies – Replacing addictive behaviours with sustainable, positive coping mechanisms.
- Managing triggers and cravings – Learning how to recognise and handle situations that increase the risk of relapse.
- Rebuilding relationships and restoring trust – Addressing the impact of addiction on family, friendships, and work.
- Addressing co-occurring mental health issues – Many people with addiction also experience anxiety, depression, PTSD, or other mental health conditions that need attention.
- Creating a sustainable plan for long-term recovery – Recovery is an ongoing process, and therapy helps build a personalised strategy for maintaining progress.
Addiction recovery is not about willpower alone—it’s about having the right support system, tools, and guidance to make lasting changes.
Understanding different types of addiction
Addiction is not limited to substances like alcohol or drugs. Many individuals struggle with compulsive behaviours that can negatively impact their lives. Therapy can help with:
- Alcohol addiction – Understanding dependency, withdrawal, and strategies for moderation or sobriety.
- Drug addiction – Addressing both prescription and recreational drug misuse and its underlying causes.
- Gambling addiction – Overcoming compulsive gambling and financial consequences.
- Sex and love addiction – Managing unhealthy relationship patterns, compulsive behaviours, and self-worth issues.
- Internet and social media addiction – Reducing excessive screen time and dependency on digital platforms.
- Food addiction and emotional eating – Developing a healthier relationship with food and body image.
Regardless of the type of addiction, therapy provides a structured path towards regaining control and improving overall well-being.
Therapists who understand addiction
Seeking therapy for addiction can feel daunting, but finding a professional who truly understands your experience can make all the difference. Our directory features therapists with expertise in addiction treatment, using a variety of evidence-based approaches, including:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – Identifying negative thought patterns and developing healthier behaviours.
- Motivational Interviewing (MI) – Strengthening your motivation and commitment to change.
- Trauma-informed therapy – Addressing past experiences that may contribute to substance use.
- Mindfulness & stress reduction – Learning techniques to manage cravings, stress, and emotional distress.
- 12-step facilitation – Exploring structured recovery programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous if they align with your needs.
- Harm reduction therapy – Supporting individuals who are not ready for complete abstinence but want to reduce harmful behaviours.
Our therapists take a compassionate, non-shaming approach, focusing on empowerment and progress rather than blame or guilt.
A Supportive and non-judgmental space
Many people struggling with addiction fear being judged, misunderstood, or labelled. The therapists in our directory provide a confidential and understanding space where you can talk openly about your challenges.
Whether you’re in the early stages of recognising a problem, actively working towards recovery, or maintaining sobriety, therapy can be a powerful tool for lasting change.
Does therapy work for addiction?
Therapy has been shown to be highly effective in treating addiction, especially when combined with other forms of support such as medical care, peer support groups, and lifestyle changes. Many people find that therapy helps them:
- Gain deeper self-awareness about their addiction
- Replace harmful habits with healthier alternatives
- Improve emotional regulation and stress management
- Build confidence in their ability to maintain recovery
No matter how long you have been struggling, it is never too late to seek help.
My identify shifted when I got into recovery. That’s who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have that identity than to be a musician or anything else. It gives me a spiritual anchor.
Find a specialist
Recovery looks different for everyone, and finding the right therapist can be a crucial step in your journey. Our directory allows you to search for addiction specialists based on location, therapy style, and specific areas of expertise. Whether you’re looking for in-person sessions or online support, you can find a therapist who aligns with your needs.
Start your search today and take the first step towards a healthier, more fulfilling life.
Therapists who can help with addiction and substance abuse
Stefania Orsi
I am an experienced Counselling Psychologist, working in private practice in Shoreditch since 2014. Extensive NHS experience in IAPT low and high intensity services. Experience working with children, adults, and groups. Works both face to face and online (Zoom, Skype, FaceTime). Integrates bodywork, family constellations, and Gestalt methods.
Samuel Smith
I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and practise in accordance with their Ethical Framework. I hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling from the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling, London. Alongside my clinical practice, I am engaged in doctoral research jointly with the New School and Middlesex University, exploring how gender shapes therapeutic relationships, particularly in the context of working with women who have experienced trauma. This ongoing work continues to deepen my commitment to a therapeutic practice that is inclusive, reflective and sensitive to the dynamics of power, identity and social context.
David Bevins
Person-centred counsellor based in Walthamstow, East London, offering in-person and online sessions. He works from a warm, non-judgmental approach, helping clients take greater control over their lives. He is currently accepting new clients and offers a free 20-minute phone consultation.
Wendy Eastwood
I have over 25 years’ experience of supporting individuals and families in a variety of settings, including Great Ormond Street Hospital, Camden Youth Offending Service, a leading visible difference & disfigurement charity Changing Faces, as well as private practice. Through working with individuals from many different backgrounds I see it as important to work with a person’s social and cultural context, and how different parts of a person’s identity come together. With the use of gentle questioning and offering my own reflections during our conversations we will work together to help you gain a new understanding. I will bring my curiosity and patience in helping you to make sense of and connect with yourself and with the world around you. Sessions will be unique to us and the relationship we build together. Whether you are new to counselling or not, the sessions may feel challenging at times, there will be moments of discomfort but there will also be moments of surprise and relief, possibly joy, as you understand and discover more about yourself. I am experienced in working with a wide range of issues, including but not limited to: Identity, Body Image, Loss/Bereavement, Trauma, Relationships/Dating, Anxiety, Depression, Obsessional Thinking/Behaviour, Confidence and Self-worth.
Jessica Quiñones
UKCP-registered psychotherapist based in Cornwall who specialises in working with music industry professionals. She offers individual therapy to artists, musicians, producers, managers, and others navigating the particular pressures of creative industry careers — including performance anxiety, creative blocks, burnout, and identity. She is listed on the Music Industry Therapist Collective and Psychology Today, and works both in person and online.
Jayati De Cruz
Life can leave us with patterns that once helped us cope but no longer feel helpful. You might struggle with relationships, confidence, boundaries or simply knowing what you need and want for yourself.
I offer a sensitive, non-judgmental space where you can pause and explore what’s going on for you. Together, we can make sense of your experiences, including how earlier relationships may have shaped the way you relate to yourself and others.
Perhaps you are struggling with low self-esteem, anxiety, overwhelm or depression or facing challenges around your identity or sense of belonging, related to race, gender, sexuality or something else.
If there are areas of your life where you feel stuck or dissatisfied, we can explore what’s keeping you there and figure out what might help you move forward.
My aim is to help you feel more accepting of yourself, better resourced to face life’s challenges, and freer to make choices that feel right for you.
Julia Garden
Accredited by the National Counselling Society and Professional Standards Authority, I qualified as a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) with a Distinction from the College of Behavioural Therapies. I specialise in REBT (Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy), a form of CBT Therapy. REBT is a goal orientated model and proven to work, looking at the person as a whole and focusses on each person’s potential. REBT looks at the way we think and teaches us to be less rigid in our thoughts. I will look at what is causing you issues and teach you a model that will help you achieve a more balanced way of thinking, result in long lasting emotional and behavioural change. This effective approach combined with other CBT therapies such as Compassionate Focussed Therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy and Solution Focussed Therapy can help you find strategies to cope with life’s problems and help manage emotions, empowering you to become your own therapist. With a good therapeutic working relationship, I hope to find the most effective way of working with you.
Jonathan Pollard
I am a fully qualified psychotherapist, having undertaken a five year MSc in Integrative Psychotherapy at the Metanoia Institute, London. I am registered with the UKCP and BACP.
I have experience working with a broad range of clients in both short and long term therapy. As well as my private practice, I have worked at the Metanoia Counselling and Psychotherapy Service, and at the Centre for Better Health, Hackney. I also have experience in an NHS-funded setting with people with enduring problems in living.
Elisabeth Barton
What brings people is often exhaustion after years of masking, difficulty at work, sensory sensitivities that shape daily life, relationships that keep going wrong for reasons that are hard to name, or a sense that the usual advice has never fitted. We work at your pace, in whatever format suits you: in my ground-floor room in Bishopthorpe, in your own home, by video, by telephone, or walking side by side in Rowntree Park if eye contact is a cost you would rather not pay.
Louise Greene
I am a professionally trained integrative counsellor and psychotherapist with over 15 years’ experience, and an Accredited Member of the BACP. I work with young people, adults and couples, offering both short and longer-term therapy. My approach is flexible, drawing on different models to suit each person, and I aim to provide a calm, non-judgemental space where you can speak openly.