Fourth Nunhead Psychotherapy Group begins
Kairos is delighted to welcome the fourth cohort of the Nunhead Psychotherapy Group, which held its first session this week.
Over the next 30 weeks, the group will offer Southwark and Kairos residents with at least one year in recovery a supportive space to speak freely, be heard and connect with others through shared experience.
The group is facilitated by addiction specialists Will Pugh and Tim Penrice, who bring more than 30 years’ experience, and meets every Tuesday evening at Kairos’ Garden Day Programme in Nunhead.
We wish the members of the new cohort well as they begin their work together.
A reflection from co-facilitator Will Pugh
To mark the beginning of the fourth cohort, we are revisiting a reflection written by co-facilitator Will Pugh for our 2024/25 Annual Report, following the completion of the Nunhead Psychotherapy Group’s second cohort.
Here, Will describes what makes the group work and why making psychotherapy accessible within the community matters.
Over the past two years, I have had the privilege of running the Nunhead Psychotherapy Group with my colleague Tim Penrice, supported by Southwark Council’s Drug and Alcohol Action Team.
We have recently completed our second group, and both have been deeply rewarding experiences. I’ve watched people grow in confidence, find their voices, and develop a greater understanding of themselves through their relationships with others.
It takes real commitment from everyone for the process to work and that shared commitment becomes the foundation of the group’s strength. Members turn up not just for themselves but for each other, often in a way many have not experienced before. This consistency helps to create a secure base where people can begin to heal attachment wounds and experience a sense of belonging.
Psychotherapy is sometimes seen as a privileged or exclusive practice, but this group challenges that idea. The Nunhead Psychotherapy Group is a community, local authority funded space designed to bring the depth of group analysis to ordinary people. It offers a chance for those who might not otherwise access psychotherapy to explore their inner world, share their experiences and feel understood.
Being part of this process has been one of the most moving and meaningful experiences of my career.
- We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Drug and Alcohol Action Team at Southwark Council for commissioning this programme as part of Kairos Recovery Communities, which provides therapeutic and community-based support for people in recovery.