Recovery and healing are not just about changing behaviours — they are about understanding the thoughts, emotions, and experiences that shape who we are. Addiction, trauma, anxiety, depression, and challenges with identity often intersect, influencing how we see ourselves, relate to others, and navigate the world. These experiences can leave us feeling stuck, disconnected, or unsure of our value, and they can affect relationships, self-esteem, and overall wellbeing. Whether the struggles come from past pain, childhood experiences, or ongoing mental health challenges, therapy offers a compassionate space to explore these patterns, understand their impact, and uncover the strengths and resilience that have carried you this far.
Through therapy, you can reconnect with yourself, nurture your inner child, and rebuild trust in your feelings, needs, and choices. We focus on cultivating self-awareness, emotional resilience, and a stronger connection to your authentic self, while developing healthier ways to cope and relate to others. Recovery is not about perfection — it’s about rediscovering hope, self-worth, and the possibility of meaningful change. With support, patience, and compassion, it becomes possible to heal, embrace your unique strengths, and create a life grounded in safety, connection, and self-trust.
Addiction
Addiction doesn’t happen in isolation — it affects how we see ourselves and the people around us. For many, it begins as a way to cope with pain, stress, or difficult emotions. What may start as an attempt to find relief or control can, over time, begin to take over, leaving you feeling stuck, ashamed, or disconnected from yourself and those you care about. Addiction can create distance where you long for closeness, and tension where you hope for understanding.
Whether it involves substances, behaviours, or thought patterns, addiction is rarely just about the habit itself. It often has roots in deeper experiences of loss, trauma, or unmet emotional needs. The patterns that once offered protection or comfort can gradually become restrictive, keeping you trapped in cycles of guilt, fear, or self-criticism. Recognising these patterns is the first step toward change — and it’s a journey you don’t have to take alone.
Therapy provides a compassionate space to explore the role addiction has played in your life and what it may be trying to communicate about your pain, your needs, and your resilience. Through understanding and self-awareness, you can begin to rebuild trust in yourself, develop healthier ways of coping, and reconnect with the values and relationships that bring meaning and balance.
Recovery isn’t about perfection or willpower — it’s about rediscovering hope, self-worth, and the possibility of change. With support, patience, and compassion, healing becomes a process of coming home to yourself and creating the kind of life and connection you truly want and deserve.
Addiction and loved ones
Living with someone who has a drug or alcohol problem can be incredibly stressful and painful. You may be dealing with worry, isolation, relationship breakdown, or financial concerns. Perhaps you’ve already tried to find help but felt let down or unsure where to turn.
Addiction is difficult to understand and can leave families feeling confused, frustrated, and hopeless. I offer support, practical guidance (including the “dos and don’ts” of living with addiction), and—most importantly—a non-blaming, compassionate approach.
You’ve likely been doing your best, but despite your efforts to help your loved one, things may only seem to get worse. Addiction is an all-consuming relationship with a substance or behaviour, driven by a desire—conscious or unconscious—to feel differently. The consequences affect not just the person struggling, but also the family around them.
The stigma of addiction can push families into isolation, making it harder to cope. I have supported many people affected by a loved one’s substance misuse, helping them to:
• Better understand addiction
• Break out of unhelpful cycles of communication
• Discover healthier ways to cope
• Focus on their own wellbeing, not just their loved one’s
Relationships
Family, friends, co-workers, intimate partners, and even the relationship we have with ourselves all play a vital role in shaping who we are and how we feel. When addiction becomes part of our lives — whether it’s our own or someone close to us — it can place significant strain on these connections. Trust can be shaken, communication may break down, and feelings of guilt, frustration, or distance can grow. These challenges often leave people feeling isolated, misunderstood, or unsure of how to rebuild meaningful connections.
Talking therapy provides a safe, nonjudgmental space to explore these experiences and the patterns that may have developed over time. Together, we can examine how addiction has affected your relationships, uncover underlying emotions, and identify ways to reconnect and strengthen bonds. Therapy can also help you understand your own needs and boundaries, fostering healthier dynamics and communication. Over time, this process supports rebuilding trust, enhancing empathy, and creating more authentic, supportive, and balanced relationships — including the one you have with yourself.
Self-Worth and Confidence
How we see and value ourselves has a huge impact on our wellbeing. Our sense of self-worth is often shaped by our past experiences, the messages we’ve received from others, and the beliefs we’ve built over time. When life feels difficult, or when addiction has played a part in our story, it’s common for confidence and self-worth to be affected. We may doubt our abilities, question our value, or struggle to trust ourselves.
Therapy offers space to explore these feelings with care and curiosity. Together, we can begin to understand where these beliefs come from, recognise your strengths, and rebuild a sense of confidence and self-acceptance. Everyone has value — sometimes it just takes time, support, and compassion to see it again.
Trauma
Trauma can occur when we experience something deeply distressing or overwhelming that leaves us feeling unsafe, helpless, or disconnected from ourselves and others. It can shape how we think, feel, and respond to the world — sometimes long after the event has passed. Trauma can affect every part of life: relationships, self-esteem, and even the way we experience our bodies and emotions. Many people living with trauma experience anxiety, flashbacks, or a sense of numbness, while others may find it difficult to trust, to feel present, or to believe that safety is possible.
These responses are not signs of weakness — they’re the mind and body’s way of protecting us after something painful or threatening has happened. Over time, however, the strategies that once helped us survive can begin to keep us feeling stuck or disconnected. Therapy offers a safe and supportive space to understand how trauma has shaped your experiences and how it continues to influence your thoughts, emotions, and relationships.
Approaches such as Narrative Therapy and Psychodynamic Therapy can help by gently exploring your story, recognising your strengths, and finding new ways to make sense of what has happened. Through this process, it becomes possible to reconnect with your inner resilience, rebuild trust in yourself, and begin to experience the world with greater ease and confidence.
Healing from trauma takes time, patience, and compassion. With the right support, you can rediscover a sense of safety, connection, and self-compassion, and begin to live in a way that feels more grounded, authentic, and whole.
Trauma and the Inner Child
Each of us carries within us a younger version of ourselves — the part that first learned how to feel, trust, and connect. When painful, confusing, or overwhelming experiences happen, especially in childhood, that part of us can be left feeling unseen, unheard, or unsafe. These early experiences can quietly shape how we view ourselves and the world, influencing our relationships, self-esteem, and sense of safety well into adulthood.
Inner child work is about gently reconnecting with these early parts of ourselves — not to relive the past, but to bring understanding, compassion, and healing where it’s long been needed. In therapy, this process may involve recognising old patterns of protection or self-blame, acknowledging the emotions that were once too big to face, and offering the care and reassurance that may not have been available at the time.
Through this work, therapy can help you nurture your inner child, build self-compassion, and develop a more supportive and forgiving relationship with yourself. As these early wounds begin to heal, many people notice a renewed sense of confidence, ease, and connection — both within themselves and in their relationships with others. Healing the inner child is ultimately about reclaiming your sense of worth, belonging, and the ability to live with openness and self-trust.
Exploring Identity in Recovery and Personal Growth
Identity is at the heart of how we understand ourselves — our values, beliefs, life experiences, and the roles we play in different relationships and environments. For many people, addiction and recovery bring profound questions about who they are and who they want to become.
In therapy, exploring identity offers space to make sense of the past and reconnect with the parts of yourself that may have been lost, hidden, or shaped by difficult experiences. Together, we can work to uncover the values and strengths that feel most authentic to you, helping you build a sense of self that feels grounded and whole.
Talking therapy provides a safe, nonjudgmental space to reflect, process, and grow. Through this work, you can begin to integrate different parts of your story, strengthen your self-understanding, and move forward with greater clarity, confidence, and compassion for yourself.
Depression – Low Mood
Depression is a complex mental health condition that can deeply affect how a person thinks, feels, and experiences the world. It often brings a sense of persistent sadness, loss of interest in once-enjoyed activities, changes in sleep or appetite, and feelings of emptiness or hopelessness. These symptoms can make even the simplest tasks feel heavy and isolating.
Low mood shares some of these emotions but tends to be less severe and shorter in duration. It can arise in response to stress, change, or life events. However, when low mood becomes persistent, it may develop into depression — especially when combined with feelings of shame, guilt, or disconnection.
In the context of addiction and recovery, depression and low mood are particularly common. Substance use can sometimes mask or intensify these emotions, and in recovery, they may surface more clearly as individuals reconnect with their emotions and experiences. Therapy offers a safe and compassionate space to explore these feelings without judgment — to make sense of what lies beneath them and to understand how they connect to your wider story.
Together, we work to build awareness, strengthen emotional resilience, and develop healthy coping tools that support both recovery and overall well-being. Through this process, clients can begin to reconnect with themselves, find meaning in their experiences, and move toward a renewed sense of hope and self-worth
Anxiety – Panic Attacks
Anxiety can be experienced as a constant sense of worry, unease, or fear — often accompanied by physical symptoms such as muscle tension, rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, or difficulty sleeping. While these feelings are a natural part of life, when they become persistent or overwhelming, they can begin to shape how we think, feel, and behave.
Panic attacks are sudden and intense surges of anxiety that can feel frightening and uncontrollable. They often come with strong physical sensations such as chest tightness, dizziness, or shortness of breath, leaving individuals feeling unsafe or out of control, even when there is no immediate danger.
For many people, anxiety and addiction are closely connected. Substances may once have been used to manage or escape feelings of fear, uncertainty, or emotional distress. In recovery, as the use of substances lessens, anxiety can sometimes re-emerge more strongly — no longer masked or numbed, but ready to be understood and healed.
Therapy offers a safe and supportive space to explore the roots of anxiety and to develop practical ways of managing it. Together, we work to identify triggers, understand underlying patterns, and build healthier coping strategies that support both recovery and emotional stability. Over time, this process helps restore a sense of calm, control, and confidence in navigating life’s challenges.
Embracing Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity recognises that differences in the way people think, learn, and experience the world — including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other cognitive variations — are part of natural human diversity. These differences are not deficits to be “fixed,” but unique ways of perceiving, processing, and responding to life.
For many individuals, neurodiverse traits can intersect with experiences of addiction and recovery. Substances may have been used to cope with sensory sensitivities, emotional overwhelm, or social pressures, and in recovery, these underlying differences often become more noticeable. Recognising and honouring neurodiversity in therapy provides an opportunity to understand these patterns and develop strategies that work with, rather than against, your natural cognitive style.
Sessions are tailored to your individual needs and preferences — using tools such as visual supports, structured goal setting, creative expression, or inner child work — ensuring therapy is accessible, practical, and meaningful. The goal is to create a supportive space where you feel understood, empowered, and able to build
Mental Health Recovery
Recovery is not only about changing behaviours — it’s also about understanding the thoughts, emotions, and experiences that shape who we are. Mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, or struggles with identity often develop alongside, or in response to, difficult life experiences and patterns of coping. Many people find that these challenges are closely connected to their journey through addiction, trauma, or loss.
Therapy provides a supportive space to explore these deeper layers of experience — to make sense of old patterns, understand emotional triggers, and develop new ways of relating to yourself and the world around you. It’s a process that moves beyond symptom management, inviting curiosity and compassion toward the parts of you that have been trying to cope the best way they could.
In this work, we focus on building self-awareness, emotional resilience, and a stronger connection to your authentic self. As you begin to understand the links between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, it becomes possible to respond to challenges with greater clarity and self-kindness.
Mental health recovery is not a linear path — it’s a gradual process of rediscovering balance, meaning, and hope. With the right support, you can cultivate a deeper sense of stability and self-trust, creating a foundation for lasting growth and wellbeing.
© Lizzie Kincaid
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