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

Transactional Analysis Psychotherapeutic Counsellor (MBACP) and Trauma-informed Practitioner (ACCPH)

Holly worked in the Media industry for two decades before retraining as a Transactional Analysis Psychotherapist at the Metanoia Institute. She joined the Start2Stop team in October 2021 and works across The Mews House Day Care and the Intensive Outpatient Programme as a 121 counsellor and group facilitator.

She is a passionate advocate of the 12-step process and incorporates her beliefs into her therapeutic work.   She has experience of working with eating disorders as well alcohol, substance and process addictions.

Holly also has a private practice in Clapham.  When she is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her children…….and her cat!

Counsellor

BSc Hons, MSc Psych (UCL), Advanced Diploma (NCFED), UKCP trainee

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. Since she joined the Mews House team as a 121 counsellor and group facilitator, Daisy has also become a certified eating disorder practitioner (National Centre for Eating Disorders).

Daisy is 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 and ice dancing, activities she re-engaged with when she first entered recovery.

Counsellor

Higher Professional Diploma (Level 5)
MBACP

Before retraining as a counsellor, Alex spent over twenty years working in the hospitality industry. Her journey into addiction counselling began with her own first-hand experience into recovery and the 12 Step programme. This installed in her a deep understanding of the challenges faced by those struggling with addiction and as a result she is passionate about creating a safe and supportive environment where clients feel valued and understood.

She believes that recovery is a journey and is committed to walking alongside her clients every step of the way, empowering them to promote their own mental and emotional wellbeing.
Alex is an experienced 1:1 counsellor having worked with a wide range of clients and has previously spent time as part of a counselling team working with teenagers. Outside of work she loves nothing more than spending time with her 3 children.

Trainee Addiction Counsellor

BA Hons, NCFE Trainee

After a career in the culinary industry, Ollie found his way, via the Start2Stop Residential Programme, into recovery. He has been a member of the Start2Stop Residential Team since 2022, first as a Recovery Assistant and now as a Trainee Counsellor. Ollie is currently training at Morley College and is passionate about recovery and is strongly informed by 12 step philosophy.

Ollie works with clients 121, facilitates groups, runs lectures and workshops and assists the outpatient programme on Saturday mornings.

When Ollie is not at Start2Stop, he can be found on a golf course, cooking or walking his dogs in the countryside.

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 as a Project Manager gaining invaluable insight into the workings of an addiction treatment centre. 

In 2015 Fi joined Start2Stop Ltd as a Practice Manager working on a diverse and challenging range of developments including the implementation of policy and best practice.

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.