The Full Treatment Programme: a recovery journey

 

PROGRAMME SUMMARY

The Full Treatment Programme at a glance

 

The Full Treatment Programme is our most comprehensive private outpatient treatment programme for problematic alcohol and drug use, including alcohol, cocaine, cannabis and ketamine. It combines ten one-hour talking therapy sessions with John Wilkinson, two personalised RTT® sessions with Dr Shyra Raj, and twelve months of aftercare. Because it is outpatient, you can continue living at home and working while you take part.

 

UK clinical guidance describes problematic alcohol and drug use as a biopsychosocial condition, shaped by brain chemistry, emotions, learned habits, life experience and the people and places around us. Treatment therefore looks beyond stopping use, at what may be keeping the pattern going. Every stage is guided by a personalised treatment and recovery plan, created with you and reviewed as you go.

 

 

Before you start: a free consultation

 

Everything begins with a complimentary, confidential 30-minute conversation. We talk about what has been happening, how ready you feel to make changes, and whether outpatient talking therapy and RTT® is a suitable and safe fit. If a medically managed detox would better meet your safety needs, we will discuss this openly.

 

 

Phase 1: Foundation

 

The first phase is about understanding the cycle of use before trying to change it. Session 1 is a full biopsychosocial assessment covering your alcohol or drug use, physical and mental health, co-occurring difficulties, risk and wider circumstances, with baseline outcome measures (TOP and SADQ) and your personalised recovery plan. Session 2 explains how alcohol and drugs affect the brain’s reward system, how tolerance, dependence and withdrawal develop, and how triggers and cues are learned. RTT® session 1 then begins the subconscious work, and Session 3 uses Motivational Interviewing to explore mixed feelings and strengthen your commitment to change.

 

 

Phase 2: Core therapeutic work

 

The second phase works with thoughts, emotions, trauma and unmet needs. Session 4 uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) principles to recognise thinking traps and practise new responses to stress and cravings. Session 5 gently explores trauma, loss and emotional regulation. RTT® session 2 builds on the earlier subconscious work, and Session 6 addresses practical challenges and builds a toolkit of healthier coping strategies.

 

 

Phase 3: Consolidation and identity

 

Session 7 explores values, guilt, shame and purpose, helping you rebuild confidence and self-respect. Session 8 looks at relationships, communication, peer influences and daily routine, recognising how much recovery is shaped by the wider circumstances of your life.

 

 

Phase 4: Relapse prevention and maintenance

 

Session 9 builds a written relapse prevention plan for you to keep, rehearsing high-risk situations and bringing your coping strategies together. Session 10 reviews your progress against your treatment plan and agrees aftercare and any further support.

 

 

How RTT® fits in

 

Each RTT® stage has three parts: a video preparation call with Dr Shyra Raj, a 2-hour personalised in-person session, and a short follow-up call a few days later. After each session you receive a personalised hypnosis recording to listen to every day for at least 21 days. RTT® combines elements of clinical hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioural principles and psychodynamic insight, and aims to work with the subconscious beliefs and emotional patterns that may be keeping the pattern of alcohol or drug use going.

 

 

Twelve months of aftercare

 

After the programme ends, support continues with a 30-minute Zoom check-in every month for twelve months. Family involvement can be arranged separately if you request it and give consent.

 

 

Where and when

 

Sessions take place at our consulting rooms on Altrincham High Street, convenient for Hale, Bowdon, Sale, Timperley and South Manchester, and at the Alderley Edge Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre, convenient for Wilmslow, Prestbury and Macclesfield. Online sessions via Zoom are available across the UK. Talking therapy with John runs Tuesday to Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, so treatment can fit around work and family life.

 

 

Who delivers the programme

 

Talking therapy sessions are delivered by John Wilkinson, BSc, MSc, AP APM, FMBPsS, who has 27 years’ experience across drug and alcohol treatment and mental health services. He is a Registered Advanced Practitioner with Addiction Professionals and a Full Member of the British Psychological Society. RTT® sessions are delivered by Dr Shyra Raj, a consultant medical doctor trained in Rapid Transformational Therapy®.

 

 

Safety first

 

This is a private outpatient programme. It is not a substitute for medical treatment, crisis care or medically managed detox. If you may be physically dependent on alcohol or benzodiazepines, stopping suddenly can be dangerous, so we will discuss this with you and, where needed, signpost you to a medically managed detox service. RTT® is not a regulated medical procedure in the UK. If you are at immediate risk or in crisis, contact your GP or NHS 111, go to A&E, or call 999 in an emergency.

 

 

Your next step

 

To find out whether this programme is right for you, book a complimentary, confidential 30-minute consultation. It’s a no-obligation conversation about what has been happening and the support that may suit you.