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Peer support · Active patients

You do not have to go through this alone.

A small online peer support group for active clinic patients living with post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). It is held by Melanie Davis, and it sits alongside the care you already receive here.

This group is open only to people who are currently patients of The Holistic Psychiatry Clinic and working with one of our psychiatrists. Secure checkout is via Stripe.

Wooden boardwalk winding through a calm sunlit forest

Recognise yourself

When PAWS feels bigger than the gaps between appointments

Person joining an online session from a sofa at home with a laptop

Post-acute withdrawal can fluctuate in waves. Symptoms may come and go for longer than people around you expect, and it can feel lonely to explain that again and again.

  • You are living with protracted or post-acute withdrawal, and the intensity of it needs more holding than a straightforward taper usually does.
  • Individual consultations help, and yet you still want a place where others understand PAWS without you having to start from scratch.
  • You are an active patient of this clinic – currently working with one of our psychiatrists – and you want peer connection alongside that care.

This is not a broad tapering club. Instead, it is a group for people with more need for peer connection during a difficult phase of recovery from medication effects.

Why peers

What connection can offer – in addition to clinic care

Your psychiatrist, GP, and therapist remain responsible for your clinical care. In addition, the group offers something they cannot fully replace: the company of people who know this terrain from the inside.

  • Being understood without translating

    You do not have to explain what PAWS is, why waves happen, or why a “good week” does not mean it is over. Instead, the room already knows.

  • Less isolation between appointments

    Consultations matter. Between them, however, many people feel cut off. A monthly Monday session can therefore make the gaps feel less solitary.

  • Shared experience, not instructions

    Medication talk stays in the first person – what happened to me. As a result, nobody tells you what to take, stop, or restart. Those questions go back to your named clinician.

  • A room that is not another clinic session

    Melanie Davis holds the room. Meanwhile, your psychiatrist still holds your taper and your care plan. The two sit alongside each other.

Clear boundaries

What this is – and what it is not

Honesty keeps the room safe and useful. Before you book, please read both sides.

This is

  • Peer support for active patients of this clinic
  • A small online group, held by Melanie Davis
  • Confidentiality expected (though never fully guaranteed online)
  • Cameras optional – private space and headphones where possible
  • Hosted inside our CQC-regulated clinic, with clinical oversight for safety

This is not

  • Crisis or emergency care
  • Prescribing, taper advice, or medical instruction
  • A public or NHS group, or open to people who are not our patients
  • A promise of how long recovery will take
  • A replacement for your psychiatrist, GP, or therapist
  • Between-session chat, email checking-in, or group messaging

Your facilitator

Held by someone who knows this work

Melanie Davis

Alongside your clinic care

Melanie Davis

Peer group coordinator · prescribed drug dependence

Melanie Davis has worked in prescribed drug dependence for over 30 years. As Manager of REST (Recovery Experience: Sleeping Pills & Tranquillisers) — a specialist service originally established by Mind in Camden and now provided by Change Grow Live — she has supported more than 3,000 people affected by benzodiazepine, sleeping pill, tranquilliser, and psychiatric drug dependence.

She developed the REST programme at Mind in Camden, where it was recognised as a model of good practice by the Department of Health.

Since 2022 she has also co-facilitated a peer psychotropic deprescribing group and reflective sessions for North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT). In 2025, this service became the National Psychiatric Drug Deprescribing Clinic.

Melanie has contributed to national policy and guidance through the Beyond Pills All-Party Parliamentary Group, the Council for Evidence-Based Psychiatry, and LEAP. She has contributed to NICE guidelines and Public Health England reports, and her work has been featured in national media, including BBC Newsnight.

She holds this group with care, clarity, and firm boundaries. Her role is to keep the room supportive — medication and taper decisions stay with your named Holistic Psychiatry Clinic clinician.

Melanie facilitates the peer space. Your named clinician remains responsible for your treatment.

Practical details

How the sessions run

When

First Monday of each month · 19:00 UK time · 60 minutes · online · from September 2026

Where

Online · joining link sent after you book

Fee

£75 per session · pay each time you book · not a subscription or block booking

Group size

Small group · maximum 12

Set-up

Private space and headphones where possible · cameras optional

Outside the group

No between-session monitoring · urgent need uses your usual crisis plan

How to join

For active patients of this clinic

This group is open only to people who are currently under our care and working with one of our psychiatrists. If that describes you, you can join in three short steps.

  1. Be an active patient. First, you should already be working with a Holistic Psychiatry Clinic psychiatrist who remains responsible for your care.

  2. Read this page. Then check that the boundaries, format, and fee make sense for you.

  3. Book and pay for the session you will attend. Finally, pay £75 per session via Stripe for the next first Monday. Joining details follow by email.

If you are not currently a patient of this clinic, please do not book. You are welcome to enquire about becoming a patient first, or to speak with your named HPC psychiatrist if you already are under our care.

Book this month · £75

Questions

Frequently asked questions

These answers cover who the group is for, and then the practical details of joining.

About the group

Who is this group for?

It is for active Holistic Psychiatry Clinic patients – people currently working with one of our psychiatrists – who are living with post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) or protracted withdrawal. It is not open to the public, and it is not open to people who are not under our care.

What does PAWS mean here?

Post-acute withdrawal syndrome – sometimes called protracted withdrawal – refers to ongoing or fluctuating symptoms that can continue after the acute phase of reducing or stopping psychiatric medication. This group is therefore for people for whom that experience is significantly distressing, and who need more peer support than a more ordinary tapering path usually requires.

Can I get taper or medication advice in the group?

No. Medication talk is experiential only – what happened to me. The coordinator and other members will not tell you what to take, stop, or restart. Instead, bring prescribing and taper questions to your named clinician.

Is this instead of my appointments?

No. The group sits alongside your existing clinic care. Your named psychiatrist remains responsible for your treatment. In other words, peer support does not replace consultations, prescribing decisions, or therapy.

Practical details

What if I am in crisis?

We are not a crisis service, and we cannot provide immediate support. If you are in immediate danger, call 999. For urgent mental health support, contact NHS 111 (call 111), Samaritans (116 123), or text SHOUT to 85258. Outside the group, use your usual crisis plan.

Do I have to keep my camera on?

Cameras are optional. Where possible, however, join from a private space with headphones so others’ confidentiality is protected.

What is the cancellation policy?

During the first six sessions of this group, each person may use one late-cancel credit. After that credit is used, the session fee is kept. Please cancel as early as you can, so the room stays settled for others.

Come back each month

A room you can return to

Sessions cost £75 each – book month by month, not as a subscription. They run on the first Monday of each month at 19:00 UK time, online, and they are for active clinic patients.

Book this month · £75 Questions? Email us

This group is open only to people who are currently patients of The Holistic Psychiatry Clinic and working with one of our psychiatrists. If that is not you, please do not book.

This peer support group is for active patients of The Holistic Psychiatry Clinic – people currently working with one of our psychiatrists. It is not a crisis service, not a substitute for psychiatric or medical care, and does not provide prescribing or taper advice. Medication decisions remain with your named clinician. Confidentiality is expected but cannot be guaranteed in an online group.

All deprescribing decisions are made collaboratively, following a full psychiatric assessment. Reducing or stopping psychiatric medication can carry risks and should only be undertaken with qualified medical supervision. Never stop or change your medication without consulting your doctor.

If you need urgent help: NHS 111 – call 111 · Samaritans – 116 123 (free, 24 hours) · Emergency – 999