For treatment that fits into your life

Searching for ‘addiction treatment’ online one might be forgiven for thinking that residential rehab is the only option available for someone looking for help with an addiction. Celebrity gossip seems to confirm that that’s the only path – in and out of rehab they go, on a never ending roundabout.

And for some individuals rehab is entirely appropriate. For a period of time their best treatment option is a radical change of environment to detoxify their bodies and/or completely escape any temptation to indulge their addiction. If that’s the case we’d certainly recommend rehab and point an individual in the right direction.

However, it’s not the only way. The City Addictions approach is for people who can’t take that time out for rehab, but things are starting to fall apart and they know they need help and support.

In our experience, many individuals can be successfully treated for addictions and supported effectively within the context of their everyday lives, without the need to take the time out for rehab. For high functioning individuals who hold down jobs, have full and busy lives, perhaps family and other commitments, we can provide an alternative treatment option that’s private, effective, convenient and cost-effective, which fits into their lives.

A scientific approach

At City Addictions we’re a team of highly qualified psychologists who specialise in addiction therapy. Indeed, we’re fairly unique in that our entire practice is specialised in addiction treatment, so we’re a centre of excellence in this field.

As psychologists we use a scientific approach to treat addition, which is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – a proven technique in this area. We don’t use techniques such as the 12 step programme as we believe that CBT provides the most effective, scientifically tested treatment methodology, which has been shown to work over the long term.

We also use a diagnostic tool known as the ’psychological formulation’. It’s a way of analysing in detail the individual story of each individual’s addiction – the triggers, drivers and other factors that have contributed to their particular situation. It’s a flexible tool that we use to understand how best to tackle the issue, and then revisit throughout therapy to ensure that our therapeutic interventions are as successful as possible.

Private one-to-one attention throughout

All our sessions are one-to-one, tailored for the individual and completely private. There’s no need to reveal personal circumstances or individual stories in group therapy sessions, and it means that individuals get the attention they need. And our sessions are held in calm, discrete spaces in central London, giving individuals exceptional levels of privacy and the right environment for their treatment.

A ten month ‘life support’ programme

We’ve developed a ten month programme designed to fit into an individual’s life and support them within the context of their daily activities. It includes initial assessment sessions, an intensive treatment stage and a relapse prevention stage. In our programme there’s no need to adapt to a different environment, or give up phones and laptops, and individuals can continue to interact with their friends and colleagues as usual throughout.

We think it’s the way forward for many people with addictions. Becoming emotionally healthy whilst living in the day-to-day, with the right level of support throughout, as they learn to function without their addiction and move forward with their lives.