WORK WITH DONNA

A powerful framework for understanding addiction and rebuilding a life worth living.

I came to this work not through theory alone, but through lived experience.

Like many people, I found myself caught in patterns of addiction and destructive behaviour before I even had the language to understand what was happening.

At the time I believed what many people believe — that I should simply be able to pull myself together.

What I later came to understand is that addiction is rarely about weakness or lack of willpower. It is often an adaptation — the brain and nervous system trying to survive pain, trauma, disconnection or overwhelm.

Recovery changed my life, but not in the way it is often portrayed. It was not a single moment or dramatic turning point, but a gradual process of learning, unlearning and beginning to understand myself with compassion rather than judgement.

That experience led me to formally study psychology and criminology and dedicate my career to helping individuals and families break free from cycles of addiction.

Today I combine clinical training, lived experience and more than two decades working in the addiction field to help people rebuild lives that are not only free from destructive behaviours — but meaningful and sustainable.

Because recovery is not just about stopping behaviour.

It is about creating a life you actually want to wake up to.

My work integrates clinical psychology with the Recode-Me framework, a structured approach to understanding and changing destructive behavioural patterns.

I work with individuals and families experiencing:

• addiction and substance use
• destructive behavioural patterns
• emotional overwhelm and distress
• relationship and family difficulties
• major life transitions

Together we focus on understanding the psychological patterns driving behaviour and developing practical strategies that support lasting change.

The Recode-Me framework guides people through five phases of change:

RECOGNISE
Understanding the patterns driving behaviour.

REGULATE
Stabilising the nervous system.

REWIRE
Replacing destructive behavioural responses.

REGAIN
Rebuilding identity and personal agency.

RECODE
Embedding a healthier way of living.