The Mews House Team

Founder and Clinical Supervisor

Grad Dip Psych (Open), MA (Edin), DPsych (City), CPsychol (BPS), AFBPsS

Cosmo is an addictions treatment specialist, chartered psychologist, doctor of psychology and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He has been helping people to recover from addiction since 2005.

Before founding Start2Stop in 2010, Cosmo had worked for some years in South Africa, where he was head of addictions treatment at a private hospital in Cape Town. He brings to Start2Stop a through-the-line wealth of experience in helping people suffering with addiction, being possibly the only person in the private sector to have run primary residential, secondary residential, tertiary residential, sober living and outpatient programmes. He has also worked for the NHS in London, in its specialist outpatient gambling clinic.

Having been initially educated at Eton College and Edinburgh University, he later received a 1st class undergraduate degree in Psychology, being awarded the ‘Bruner Prize’ by the Open University. Cosmo’s published doctoral thesis was on the subject of the ideological dilemmas of 12-Step recovery.

Cosmo has given talks on treating addiction at the British Psychological Society’s (BPS) annual conference and at Public Health England (PHE). In 2018, he was invited to give one of the opening talks at the iCAAD London international addictions treatment conference:  https://vimeo.com/282225633

More recently, he was a speaker at iCAAD Paris (2019), on the topic of ‘Recovery & Identity’. He is a co-author of ‘Recovery RSA’ (2011), a guidebook to recovery from addiction.

Admissions Co-ordinator

CPCAB (Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body) Level 1, 2 & 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies (QCF) CPCAB Level 5 Sex addiction, CPCAB level 3 Health and Social care, FDAP (accred), ATSAC member

Trish has been involved with Start2Stop since 2010 and was the Unit Head of Mews House, the residential and day care arm of Start2Stop/The Mews House. Trish now heads up the assessment and admission team; she also works as a counsellor, working with clients on a one-to-one basis.

Previously Trish worked at ODAAT, an addictions treatment programme in South London. Prior to entering recovery, Trish worked for the London Ambulance Service and the National Missing Persons Helpline. 

Trish is a level 5 sex addiction counsellor and is an Accredited Drug and Alcohol Professional with FDAP. 

Trish lives in South London and enjoys animals, sports, cinema and reading. 

Team Leader & Counsellor

Diploma in Counselling (SACAP), FDAP, MBACP

After a long and successful career in the music business, Dougie stepped into his own recovery process and retrained as an addictions treatment specialist. He worked as an addictions counsellor in Cape Town from 2010-17, across all levels of care. This included senior and consultancy roles at residential primary and secondary clinics, as well as at outpatient treatment facilities. Dougie also founded the popular ‘Cape Town Recovery Film Festival’ and co-founded The Cape Town Recovery Walk.

Dougie has a passion for literature, writing and the spoken word; he also enjoys urban walking, vegetarian cooking and documentary films.

Team Leader & Counsellor

Dip Integrative Counselling, Recovery Coach, MBACP

Dan is a qualified integrative counsellor, certified group facilitator and recovery coach with over ten years of experience working in the field of addiction treatment. He trained at Richmond Adult College, studying psychodynamic, person centred, transactional analysis, gestalt and transpersonal therapy methodologies. 

Additional training includes transpersonal psychology, family systems theory, experiential and attachment therapy, from organisations including Clearmind International and The Bowlby Centre. Dan is committed to ongoing professional development training.

He possesses over fourteen years of experience with the twelve steps and has a passion for this process and how it can transform people’s lives. Dan is passionate about the work he does and finds great joy and appreciation in seeing others recover from addiction.

Counsellor

CPCAB (Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body) Level 1, 2 & 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies, Advanced Practitioner Member of Addiction Professionals, FDAP

Matt works with clients on a 1 to 1 basis and facilitates groups and workshops at The Mews House. He began his training at Morley College and is currently working towards an MSc Integrative Psychotherapy at Metanoia Institute.

Prior to joining the team, Matt trained as an actor, did an MA Creative Producing and was interning at a West End production office before finding his own path in recovery. He believes in working holistically alongside clients, to unearth and discover their authentic selves.

Matt is a dog lover and in his spare time, he enjoys going to the theatre, playing the piano and making music. He finds creative outlets therapeutic in their own right.

Counsellor

Dip. (Level 6) Transactional Analysis Psychotherapeutic Counselling; MBACP

Holly worked in the Media industry for two decades before retraining in Transactional Analysis at the Metanoia Institute. She joined the Start2Stop Outpatient team in October 2021 after spending time on the Evening Programme as a client in 2017. She is a passionate advocate of the 12-step process and incorporates her beliefs into her therapeutic work.

Holly works on both The Mews House Day Care and Start2Stop Evening programmes as a 121 counsellor and group facilitator. She has experience of working with eating disorders as well alcohol, substance and process addictions.

Holly also has a private practice in Clapham and online. She enjoys spending time with her children and her cat.

Counsellor

Post Graduate Diploma (Level 7) in Addiction Psychology and Counselling from LSBU, (BACP)

After a decade working in the music industry, Robert entered recovery in 2017. Post-treatment at Start2Stop, he studied philosophy at Roehampton before starting an MSC in Addiction Psychology & Counselling at South Bank University.

Robert believes in the value of exercise and runs Start2Sport, introducing clients to various sports. He enjoys playing football, cricket, golf and running.

Robert is a counsellor at The Mews House who favours a solution-focused, person-centred approach. He is passionate about the 12 Steps which he credits with saving his life.

Counsellor

BSc Hons, MSc Psych (UCL), UKCP member

Through studying Psychology at University College London (BSc, MSc), Daisy pursued her interest in the human psyche from an academic perspective until her own experiences with addiction and eating disorders redirected her aspirations to the field of psychotherapy. After spending a year working as a Recovery Assistant at Start2Stop, she enrolled at The Metanoia Institute to train in Integrative Psychotherapy and joined the Mews House Team as a counsellor. She facilitates groups for The Mews House Day Care programme alongside her training as an eating disorders specialist. 

Daisy is also proficient in British Sign Language. She is passionate about helping others find their voice and a means to communicate with the world when struggling with isolating conditions such as social anxiety, ASD and post-traumatic stress. She spends most of her spare time figure-skating, an activity she re-engaged with when she first entered recovery. 

Experiential group facilitator, Positive Psychologist and EMDR Consultant

MSc, FDAP (accred), EMDR (accred)

Having studied Philosophy and Psychology at Bristol University, Josh spent the next decade in the music industry as a writer, producer and performer.

Returning to the psychology field, he spent two years training as an addictions and a systemic family counsellor, qualifying in late 2011. Josh has been part of the Start2Stop team since 2012; he is an accredited Alcohol and Drugs Practitioner, a licensed Heartmath coach and is one of a relatively small number of accredited EMDR Consultants in the UK.

Josh currently runs experiential groups and positive psychology workshops at Start2Stop at The Mews House.

Surfing is a passion: Josh travels the world in pursuit of the biggest waves. He also works in private practice, specialising in EMDR therapy for trauma. He is the owner and clinical director of Resurface, providing surf-therapy retreats focused on trauma, resilience and creativity.

Practice Manager

Coming from an Art School background, Fi worked in advertising as a Graphic Designer and subsequently as a Design Studio Manager for many years, both in London and New York. She later joined the charity sector to work as a Company Manager for Vauxhall City Farm working with disadvantaged children and adults and those with special needs.  She set up a Riding for the Disabled Project as well as several animal therapy, educational, and environmental programmes for local residents and schools.

From 2009 to 2015 Fi worked for a London Daycare programme gaining invaluable insight into the workings of an addiction treatment centre. She worked as a Project Manager on a diverse and challenging range of developments including the implementation of policy and best practice.

In 2015 Fi joined Start2Stop Ltd as a Practice Manager and “loves working alongside a dynamic and highly skilled team in a fast-paced, stimulating and challenging role: never a dull moment”.

Art Group Facilitator

BSc Architecture (Bartlett)

Educated at the Bartlett, UCL, where she took a degree in Architecture, and at postgraduate level at Central St Martin’s, Araminta started facilitating our art groups in 2010. She also runs art groups for a children’s charity in inner-city schools.

She believes that art touches on a deep and emotional level: art therapy enriches the recovery process. Araminta is an award-winning environmental photographer, whose work has been exhibited in Europe, Africa, America and in the National Portrait Gallery, London, as well as being featured in numerous magazines and books. She is married with two children.

Meditation

Tim has been teaching meditation at Start2Stop since 2010. His sessions are inspired by his daily programme of Transcendental Meditation and the Advanced TM Siddhi Programme. Tim is a qualified Senior Social Worker for disabled children, Reiki Master, and published author. He is devoted to studying the ancient spiritual practice of shamanism. Tim is a former tennis coach, having spent several years coaching in America. He has a passion for playing  African drums and lives by the sea with his family.

Kirtan Chanting

Nikki is a leading pioneer in the field of chanting, core voice and sound work in the UK. Nikki has inspired thousands of individuals to chant and has led chanting workshops for many corporations including M&C Saatchi, Deutcshe Bank and Cisco. She has also taken her cutting edge approach to working with the voice into Wandsworth men’s prison and she is the resident voice facilitator at the Priory hospital in North London where she has impacted the recovery of hundreds of addicts over the years.

Nikki has recorded four highly popular chanting Cd’s: Nectarine, Monsoon, Soundscape and Epiphany. She is the resident Kirtan (Chanting) leader at Triyoga in London and has travelled the world with her work to places including California, Singapore, NYC, Europe and Melbourne, Australia. She led a chant for over 2000 people at the 11.11.11 Mind, Body, Spirit show and at the 12.12.12 Oneness ceremony in London.

Beginner & Intermediate Yoga

After a career of touring the world as a musician and using yoga to stay flexible, healthy and sane within a chaotic world, Rhianna trained as a yoga instructor to deepen her knowledge and to be able to share the peace she had gained during 20 years of yoga practice. In tandem with a full-time job in the music industry, she teaches private clients and small classes in Ashtanga Vinyasa and meditation with an emphasis on yoga’s benefits on the mind as well as the body. She loves to teach with encouragement and kindness and aspires to make yoga accessible to all, including the clients on the Outpatient programme at Start2Stop.