Addiction counselling at Harley Street
Dr Jacquet trained as an addiction specialist at the Hazelden Foundation in the United States (one of the world’s leading addiction treatment centres) and at Hope-One. Addiction has been the central strand of his clinical work for twenty-five years, in one-to-one therapy and in group work covering addiction, eating disorders and dual diagnosis, including nine years working inside private residential treatment and more than five supervising it.
Addictions treated
- Alcohol dependency
- Cocaine addiction
- Gambling addiction
- Sex addiction
- Pornography addiction
- Cannabis and other substances
- Behavioural addictions, screens, exercise, spending
- Dual diagnosis, addiction alongside depression, trauma, or anxiety
The clinical approach to addiction
Addiction is not a moral failure or a lack of willpower. It is a relationship (between a person and a substance or behaviour) that once served a function and has become the problem. The work in addiction therapy is to understand what that function was, what need the addiction met, and how to build a life that meets those needs without it.
The practice does not offer detox or residential treatment. What it offers is depth individual psychotherapy for people who are ready to understand why the addiction took hold and how to live without it. This work requires honesty, courage, and time. It is not a quick fix. It is the work that produces lasting change.
The twelve-step model
The twelve-step model is recommended alongside individual therapy where relevant. Not because it is perfect (it is not) but because what individual therapy cannot provide is a community. The person in recovery who is working with a skilled therapist and attending regular meetings has a significantly better prognosis than either alone.
The lifeboat does not need to be your favourite colour. It needs to float.
Porn and sex addiction
Sex addiction and pornography addiction are among the most underreported presentations in private practice, and among the most isolating. The shame that surrounds them makes it difficult to seek help. At Harley Street, these presentations are treated with the same clinical seriousness as any other addiction, without judgment, and with full confidentiality.
The practice is one of a very small number in London with specialist expertise in sex and pornography addiction. Search for a porn addiction specialist on Harley Street and this practice is among the first you will find.
“Addiction is not the problem. It is the solution to a problem the person has not yet found another way to manage. The task is to find the other way.”
, Dr Philippe Jacquet
For the fuller clinical picture, see addiction therapy in London.
Outside the UK: addiction treatment for Switzerland, English-speaking and online.
For clinicians and advisers: addiction referrals for Switzerland.
Dr Philippe Jacquet is a UKCP registered psychotherapist, a Jungian analyst and an HCPC registered art psychotherapist, with twenty-five years of clinical practice. His Doctorate of Professional Practice at the University of Essex examined male eating disorders from the perspective of analytical psychology. Registration can be checked on either public register.
How the work is delivered from here
All international sessions are by secure video, in English or French. Online therapy is not a reduced version of consulting room work: it is the format that lets weekly work survive living abroad, travelling, or relocating. Sessions run in United Kingdom hours, which suits most regions, and if your time zone makes none of it workable, say so when you enquire rather than assuming it rules you out.
For clinicians and treatment services
Dr Jacquet supervises clinical teams in private residential addiction treatment and in a private psychiatric hospital. For treatment centres, psychiatric units and group practices looking for external clinical supervision, including in places where no supervisor of this seniority is available locally, team supervision is also delivered by video. For individual practitioners, see clinical supervision.
Common questions
Is addiction therapy at Harley Street confidential?
Yes. Confidentiality here is strict. Nothing shared in sessions is disclosed to any employer, insurer, GP or family member without your consent, save for the narrow legal and safeguarding limits every registered practitioner is bound by, which are explained at the outset. For clients in professional or public-facing roles, this discretion is essential, and the Harley Street practice is arranged with privacy in mind.
What is your approach to treating addiction?
Dr Jacquet trained as an addiction specialist at the Hazelden Foundation and Hope-One. The work is depth-oriented individual psychotherapy that treats addiction not as a moral failure but as a solution that once met a need and has become the problem. The twelve-step model is recommended alongside individual therapy where relevant, because individual work cannot provide community.
Do you provide detox or residential treatment?
No. The practice offers depth individual psychotherapy, not detox or residential treatment. Where medical detox is needed first, that is discussed honestly at the outset. What this work provides is the understanding of why the addiction took hold and how to live without it, the part that produces lasting change.
Do you treat sex and pornography addiction?
Yes. Sex and pornography addiction are a particular specialism here, treated with the same clinical seriousness as any other addiction, without judgment and in full confidentiality. This is one of a very small number of London practices with specialist expertise in this area.
How many sessions will I need?
There is no set number, and it would be wrong to claim to know it in advance. It depends on the severity of the difficulty and on how each person responds to therapy. This is not a quick fix; it is the work that produces lasting change, and it is reviewed together as it develops.