Substance Use Counselling in W3

Is there something troubling you? Something upsetting you? Something making you sad, anxious, angry, fearful, lonely or unheard? Have you lost someone you love or lost direction? Or is it something inside that you can’t fathom out, but is affecting your life? These feelings and many others are ones we all face during our lives and when they remain unaddressed they can lead to anxiety, depression, addiction, relationship problems, work issues, loss of self-confidence and self-esteem, or simply a feeling of being stuck. The good news is that therapy can help you explore one's issues you in a safe, caring and confidential space.

As an integrative psychotherapist, I'm here to provide you with a welcoming, non-judgmental, and compassionate space where you can explore challenging thoughts, emotions, and life experiences. I understand the anxiety that may arise from seeking therapy and choosing a therapist. Please rest assured, I am here to help and answer any questions you may have, making this journey as comfortable as possible. My private practice is located in North Acton W3, where I offer in-person sessions. I am dedicated to providing a personalised, client-centered service that encourages you to be your authentic self and embark on a therapeutic journey.

I have more than 14 years of experience working with issues ranging from trauma, geographical displacement, depression, anxiety, addictions, asylum-seeking process, relationships, attachment, parenting, identity, sense of belonging, and a myriad of cultural approaches. I have worked in a variety of settings including private practice, community, and mental health charities. I work both on a one-to-one & group basis and provide psychoeducational webinars/workshops for the NHS. I am a fully accredited member of the British Psychological Society (GMBPS) & Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

I am a fully qualified BACP Accredited Integrative Psychotherapist, with over 20 years' experience, who worked in frontline NHS services (Hospitals and GP surgeries) for most of my career, and now works exclusively in Private Practice. The three issues I am most proficient in treating are anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties. (I count myself in the number of people I have helped out of those dark places.)

My name is Jamie (she/her). I moved to London from Toronto to further my education in counselling and psychotherapy. I'm a compassionate integrative counsellor, trained psychodynamically, who consistently provides a safe, supportive, therapeutic environment where my clients feel comfortable sharing their innermost thoughts and feelings. By maintaining an empathic, trauma-informed stance, I create a space where clients can feel held. By bringing unconscious thoughts and feelings into conscious awareness, clients can learn to better understand themselves.

I offer a safe online therapeutic service. I specialise working with young and older adults and LGBTQ+. Do you feel lost, desperate, alone and have tried other avenues but still find your right back at the same place. Are you grieving a lost one. At Safe Space Therapy we can explore why you are not able to move forward and be the authentic person you can be. We can explore the blocks and barriers and old patterns that have suppressed you in life. I have a strong ethos with supporting clients to explore and set their own inner boundary, therefore allowing and empowering you to find your own inner therapist.

Our consciousness is like a small candle in vast darkness; we must not let it go out. Sometimes when we are faced with life challenges, our mind falters like a candle in the wind; we are confused, sad, angry, or agitated, and at times like this we need listening ears to listen to us and help us decipher our experiences to make sense of what is causing these emotional reactions and pain. Sometimes, confusion and contamination of our minds can be brought about by broken relationships, job loss, bereavement, mental illness, toxic relations, racism, oppression, wrong religious beliefs, divorce and cultural influences to mention a few.

Maybe you are struggling with an addiction and feeling trapped, and would like to find a way out. Or maybe you are in a relationship that isn’t good for you. You would like to be more assertive. You might be feeling depressed or anxious and would like to experience more joy in life. Perhaps, you are at a difficult place with your marriage, fighting all the time and would like to feel connected again. Maybe you have everything in life nevertheless you aren't happy. Or you might feel affected by the pandemic, and you realised there is something that needs to be addressed. I would love to help you!

My commitment is to provide a confidential, non-judgmental and empathetic environment. In my practice, I employ trauma therapy approaches to enhance the healing process. For the best possible outcome, I integrate different approaches. Amongst others, I have been specifically trained in The Existential Approach, CBT, EMDR, ImTT and CRM.

It takes a great deal of courage to seek out help and support at difficult times in our lives. If you’re here reading this and wondering if you might benefit from therapy, then you’ve already taken a huge step. Perhaps you’re here because you’ve recently experienced a bereavement, breakdown of a relationship or illness. Or maybe you would like a space to explore patterns of behaviour and ways of being in the world that you realise no longer serve you. I believe we all have the capacity to flourish and that therapy can offer an opportunity to open up new ways of being in the world and connecting with ourselves and those around us.

I am Dr Samantha Richards and I am a Chartered Psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) based in Ealing, West London. I am a trained IFS therapist and an accredited EMDR therapist and a member of the EMDR Association of UK and Ireland. I have over 10 years’ experience and have worked in various settings including NHS Mental Health Services. In my private practice I aim to provide a safe, confidential, non-judgemental space for you to explore any challenges, difficult thoughts and emotions you may be experiencing currently or which may have links to the past.

If you have found your way to this page, there is every possibility that you are looking for help in some way. Life challenges us in unexpected ways and sometimes we might need more support to find our way through. You may be feeling a loss of meaning, or experiencing symptoms such as depression, anxiety, addiction or grief. Or you may be ready to continue with your own journey of self-awareness. I strongly believe that there is a wisdom and resilience in each person, but it can often be hidden. The therapeutic relationship is key to recovering our resources.I integrate Psychotherapy and body-centred approaches to healing.

You feel stuck and unsure about the way ahead. You experience overwhelming feelings when you need to take a decision. Your sleep is disturbed or you fall asleep when awake. You burst into tears too quickly or too slowly. You experience relational challenges with your family/friends or at work. You desire to talk about yourself to better understand who you want /don’t want to be. This list is endless as varied are the reasons leading people to therapy. My priority is to listen to clients, to meet them in their life journey. We define together the steps ahead so that I can support them in finding what they want from therapy.

At the heart of my approach to therapy is a belief that the answer to life’s dilemmas is not ‘out there’ but within us. When we start to love and accept ourselves as we are, we can begin to feel more empathy for others, our relationships will improve, and we will find it easier to have the sort of life we want. It is my view that most people could benefit from therapy. It is a space where you can speak your mind without fear of upsetting friends or family. It is a chance to talk over problems with someone who is not going to be judgemental or tell you what to do. It is a place where you can consider your options and make choices.