The Psych Med Sanctuary
My Offerings & Price List
to help, validate & support
A peer, not a provider
I coach from lived experience. I’m not here to replace doctors. I’m here to walk beside you.
Confidential & unhurried
Every conversation is private, and you decide the pace you’re comfortable with.
Here for the community
I’ve quietly built a community of people who’ve been exactly where you are now.
1-to-1 Coaching Calls
I offer 60 min coaching calls, with 30 min followups possible after the initial session. Reduced rates are available for those who are out of work or on benefits.
Group Sessions
I am delighted to say I will soon be offering group calls, a membership area, daily encouragements, meditations and much more – more details to follow!
PRICE LIST
1-to-1 Coaching Calls
I offer 60min coaching calls, with 30min followups possible after the initial session. Reduced rates are available for those who are out of work or on benefits.
Group Sessions
I am delighted to say I will soon be offering group calls, a membership area, daily encouragements, meditations and much more – more details to follow!
PRICE LIST
How To Book
ready to book a call? here's how it works
To book a session your simply email me at thepsychmedsanctuary@gmail.com so we can discuss your requirements and agree a mutually acceptable time and date. I’m in the GMT timezone but work with clients from all over the world, including Australia and the United States, so I am happy to figure out times that work for both of us and help you with timezone conversions.
The sessions are 1 hour long and are delivered via Zoom or an online platform that works best for you (other options are Skype, or if connection fails WhatsApp video call).
To confirm the session I take payment via a payment link on the Book A Session page.
I will send you a client agreement to sign, making sure we are working ethically. Finally, I will send you a Zoom link once that is all confirmed and completed.
The Psych Med Sanctuary
My 1-To-1 Coaching Sessions
how do I work & what's included?
How I Work
I am a client-centred coach who works with the individual
Each person has their own unique history and it is important to take note of all the nuisances that has led the client up until this point.
I work with the deep knowing that what’s worked for me won’t necessarily work for you, I don’t come with a bias or a one way or the high way approach.
It is a zero judgement space, having kindled myself, taken more medication and been down the many pitfalls I am certainly not holding the beliefs that if you have done all those things you won’t heal and I won’t be advising you that you have done anything wrong. We work on what are the important choices moving forward.
There is no judgement on anyone who is happy to be on their medication and it is working for them, and it is another medication that is causing problems. I am aware of the spectrum in which some people experience symptoms and a lot of problems with these medications and some people don’t at all and then there is everyone in-between.
I do not take the place of medical advice or give medical advice, everything shared and discussed is from lived experience and learnt knowledge having walked the tight rope myself and figured out how not to fall off.
Validation is so important. This experience is often ignored or shunned by many, and we are left feeling isolated and terrified, I am there to walk beside you in this, and to empower you to support yourself and listen to your intuition and what is right for you. To have someone hear you and truly know your suffering I feel can come with a collective healing.
Topics we might cover in our call
Below are some of the areas I have experience in coaching people through
Polydrugging
As I say I myself have been through this and have experienced the many twists and turns, as well as extensive polydrugging in this journey of prescribed harm. I have been medicated with Benzodiazepines, Antidepressants and Antipsychotics. I know what it’s like to untangle from a polydrugged maze, and how it feels to navigate through that, which one do I do first? How is that medication reacting with that one and so on. So I offer support to people who are polydrugged.
Benzodiazepine harm / withdrawal ( BIND )
I experienced a benzodiazepine withdrawal initially with coming off mine in 2 weeks after 6 months use, and went through the journey of reinstatement and then water tapering off the benzodiazepine. I know how this medication can feel different, and work differently. Meaning certain choices and things to take into account when tapering and navigating more that one medication, again though depending on the individual. I also know reinstatement is not always successful and certainly make sure to come from a balanced and realistic place with this.
Antidepressants
I personally have been given various antidepressants briefly in withdrawal, such as Sertraline and Citalopram. Ending up on Mirtazapine for 3 years whilst slowly tapering off it. I have a sense of Mirtazapine, knowing that of course we all experience it differently, however there are themes with this medication and I know what it feels like to feel like you will never be able to get off it. The weight gain, the way it makes you feel and the often slow taper that is needed to come off it, when there are sensitivities to it. I know what it is to cut and weigh a medication as well as deciding to go to water and what that involves.
Antipsychotics
I was put on Olanzapine, Risperidone and Quetiapine, all for long enough to experience the themes these medications carry. Again we are all going to experience it at different levels and in different ways. What I know for sure is these medications feel heavier than the others in a different way. It is said scientifically they affect more receptors than Antidepressants and Benzodiazepines. These medications are said to have a 2 week long half life, and I certainly experienced this, again you may not, however this highlights the importance of finding out when a medication may show you symptoms from a taper/cut, is it 2 weeks, is it 3, is it 4 that you feel the taper/cut. I also mention I have had experience with individual medications as I know each one has it’s own story, and there is then an understanding which can lead to a more fruitful exchange.
Family and friends sessions
If you have a member of your family or a friend who is trying to understand this, and wants to know how to support you through this, I offer these sessions for just that. I have often had this enquiry, perhaps a parent is really trying to get to grips with this, or a partner is also hanging on for dear life as they are pulled through this rollercoaster. I offer these sessions to help your loved ones gain more clarity on what is happening and how to best support you. For example: many people find it confusing that a person in withdrawal cannot leave the house and or are terrified of being alone, this can create huge tensions and misunderstandings. If you are pacing with akathisia and everyone keeps telling you to sit down. It’s useful to have someone to advocate for you about things like this. It is also useful for your loved one to have a space where they can ask questions and be in discussion with someone who has also been through this. You may be experiencing a loved one just not believing you, these sessions can hold space for these differing points of view.
Tapering support
As I am not a medical professional I do not help with the prescription of medications nor do I give you taper plans to follow. However what I do do is discuss and collaborate with you on the research and advice you have found or been given. As I have tapered in various ways I can answer any questions you have. I am aware currently there is a lack of information like this within the medical community and patients are seeking support through withdrawal coaches and the online community that is now growing and growing. I myself had a taper mentor, I will call him, Hans, who really gave me some great advice, without his advice I truly feel I would not be here today. So I know the true importance of that guiding light that is coming from a grounded place. I am aware that when we are harmed on these medications we are often told by Drs to taper much faster than our body will allow us. This leads me to the ethos of my taper support and that is helping you listen to your body and what feels right for you and how slow you need to go, not me telling you, or the doctor telling you, us discussing and collaborating together. There are some clear dos and don’ts which I will certainly bring into your awareness.
For example: stopping your medication abruptly. There are also guidelines that have been set out now in certain books about percentages and hyperbolic tapers. I can guide you in a positive direction. Everything is discussed in a nonprescriptive way.
