ROBIN LEFEVER

Managing Director

Robin Lefever has a BSc in Psychology from the University of Kent and is the Managing Director of PROMIS Clinics.

A leading researcher in the field of addiction, Robin has studied addiction treatment for over twenty years, publishing numerous articles and papers in international scientific journals. Robin is also a skilled therapist and his clinical interests include a wide range of therapies including EMDR, NLP, EAP, Psychodrama, CBT, DBT, Sand Play, Ropes Course, Family Therapy and Intervention.

'What makes PROMIS so different is that we still understand how important it is to know "you" as well as offering cutting edge psychological treatments.'

ARLETTE LEFEVER

Hay Farm Manager

Arlette Lefever has a French Baccalaureat, with a specialist option in 'Philosophies and Lettres'. She then moved to the UK where she obtained a Proficiency in English Certificate (French being her native tongue) and obtained a City and Guilds Certificate in Computing and Business.

She completed a year of a Business Management and Marketing course at Christ Church University in Canterbury before becoming Clinic Manager at Promis, overseeing the housekeeping, staff and looking after our patients. Having a keen eye in interior design, Arlette treats PROMIS as an extension of her home, making sure our premises offer the most comfort as well as appealling to the eye.

PENNY ANNE

Number 11 Manager

Penny Anne has a background in PR marketing and media and gymnastic sports coaching in Europe and London. She is an NLP master practitioner who has worked at PROMIS for over five years working on assessment and interventions and is on the front line of helping people with addictions alongside the PR and marketing.

She is responsible for the Number 11 Clinic premier primary care programme in our London centre and motivational work, working alongside young people. She works closely to the charity, 'OCD UK' in which she has a keen interest.

GEORGIE BAINBRIDGE

Kent Unit Manager / PROMIS Therapist

Georgie Bainbridge gained a BSc in Psychology from the University of Kent. She joined PROMIS last year and is responsible for the Equine Assisted Psychotherapy programme, which is a therapy that reaches to the core of self through experiential learning. 'People have great fun too'.

Georgie is the manager at Hay Farm and responsible for the Family Programme; believing that family involvement, wherever possible, is key to a healthy and sustained recovery. She has deep insight into the destructive havoc that addiction can reek on a family.

'PROMIS offers a programme of support, education and understanding about addiction specifically geared for family members.'

CLAIR VAINOLA

London Unit Manager / PROMIS Therapist

Clair Vainola attended London University where she obtained a B.A. in Philosophy and then a Post Graduate Diploma in Law from the University of Northumbria. Clair worked for the British Government as part of their Drug Intervention Program, setting up the first 24 hour service for addicted populations seeking assistance. Clair undertook DANOS training in Drug and Alcohol Knowledge, Motivational Interviewing, and Brief Solution Focused Therapy, in addition to a certificate in Counselling Skills.

Clair has worked as a senior therapist in Lebanon in an attempt to introduce Twelve Step Recovery and Addiction Treatment in the Middle East. Clair has experience facilitating group therapy and family groups, utilizing the Minnesota 12 Step Model. Clair's speciality areas include addiction, compulsive helping, women's group therapy, conjoint and family sessions.

LINDA STEVENS

Clinical Treatment Director

Linda Stevens has worked at PROMIS since 1993 and has achieved many qualifications, including: Practitioner skills for eating disorders (awarded by the British Psychological Society,) an addictive behaviours counselling diploma (from AEB) and a CSCT diploma in counselling. Linda's interests include eating disorder addiction/recovery, family therapy & counselling.

'As an addict in recovery myself, I've experienced the devastation addiction has on families: by the time a person goes into treatment they are usually broken in every way a person can be, physically, emotionally and spiritually. However with support and understanding and a gentle environment, it's not long before the peace, joy and laughter returns into their lives and as importantly, into the lives of their families. This is what PROMIS offers'.

JEFF COCKFIELD

Senior Therapist

Jeff Cockfield joined PROMIS in 2003 as a trainee therapist, and in 2006, he gained a Masters degree (MSc) in Addiction Counselling from the University of Greenwich. Having read all the literature available about the twelve steps, we consider him to be our Twelve Step Expert.

Jeff is a recovering alcoholic and gambling addict who has been in recovery for over 15 years. He specializes in working with families dealing with the wreckage of addiction, and is keen to develop more in this particular field. He grew up with alcoholism all around him and feels a particular affinity for children growing up in similar circumstances.

’Recovery didn’t come easily to me and I struggled for several years to accept the true nature of my addictions. I just didn’t get it. I know how difficult it can be for people to accept addiction in their lives. I struggled very hard to get my head around spirituality confusing spirituality with religion. One of my specialist areas is to demystify spirituality. It’s not just for a select few.

’Addiction tears families apart and it’s progressive.  First, it isolates you, then it drives you out of your mind and finally it kills you. That’s the reality I’ve witnessed. There is a solution and it’s not complicated and there’s no superstition involved in it. And if you’re a stickler for facts, you can apply simple logic and common sense and get well.’

PETER KAAGMAN

Therapist, Amsterdam

Peter Kaagman is manager in our Amsterdam office undertaking interventions and working with families, running group and one-to-one therapy sessions both there and in the UK. He has two diplomas: MAVO AND HAVO. He ran various businesses but because of addiction, lost everything in life.

His life turned round after treatment with PROMIS. After working in a treatment centre in Amsterdam as a facility manager, he was offered training by Robin Lefever and obtained a certificate in addiction counselling.

'I am quite passionate about my work: the 12 step approach to treat people for addiction disease in combination with CBT (Beck), RET(Ellis), NLP(Bandler), EMDR(Shapiro) is always developing. I believe that our approach, working very closely and intensely with our patients, is at the frontier of these developments. Promis is one of the few addiction treatment centres where we work closely with families. Addiction is a family disease.'

RENE FONCK

Senior Therapist

Rene Fonck is currently studying for an MSc in Psychotherapy at the University of Kent. Rene has been in recovery for almost a decade after reaching a point where he lost all interest in life.

At Promis, we feel the deep empathy Rene brings, borne of his wide experience of environments and people, allowing patients to feel comfortable and open up to him both individually and in group dynamics. His contribution is invaluable and benefits the participants enormously. 

‘PROMIS is a safe place where solutions to your problems can be found, where you can learn how to develop skills and adapt to a new, happy way of life. It’s not just a place where you learn not to indulge in alcohol or drugs. Ambitions are greater: it’s a place where you can learn how to live a more harmonious life. That is our contribution to you.’

JANE EDBY

PROMIS Therapist

Jane Ebdy is an addictions therapist who has worked at the PROMIS Recovery Centre in Kent for the last four years. Jane has an AEB/CAC Certificate in Counselling Skills & Theory and has also attended a GCT Intermediate Group Work course. She has a Postgraduate Certificate in Addiction Studies. Jane is interested in all aspects of addiction counselling, and is keen to develop her knowledge & experience.

Jane was a patient at PROMIS when she was 16; and although she didn't enter into recovery at that time, the seeds of recovery were sown. After losing her job due to alcohol abuse at the age of 20, she found herself back in treatment and her recovery process began.

'What makes PROMIS a very special place is the unique warmth and friendliness provided by the establishment. It has to be the staff who are the contributors to this atmosphere and I am privileged to work alongside such a committed team who strive to provide a service of excellence to the patients embarking on their journeys of recovery.’

CHLOE ASPREY

PROMIS Therapist

Chloe Asprey has worked in the addiction field for twenty years in association with Promis, and combines this with her private practice as a life coach/mentor.

She has trained in the States as well as in the UK and has a Diploma in Humanistic Psychology (Surrey University), PCET (Surrey University) and is a Master NLP practitioner.Alongside cross-addiction, her expertise lies in relationship issues and family dynamics, stress management, assertiveness training, spirituality/creativity and  maintaining a more enjoyable life style.

RUSS MCVITIE

Trainee Addictions Therapist/Activities coordinator

Russ McVitie initially joined PROMIS in 2005 as a Fitness Instructor/Personal Trainer running exercise sessions with the patients.

He worked in the Health and Fitness sector for approximately 10 years before joining PROMIS. Starting as a fitness instructor, Russ eventually became the Club Manager for a private health club in Canterbury, Kent. Now he is both a trainee addictions therapist and activities coordinator. He has been responsible for developing our health and fitness programme with the goal of encouraging patients to address their physical health, leading to a healthy balance of body, mind and spirit. He now facilitates groups, and works with patients individually.

'No one day is the same. PROMIS offers immense job satisfaction: seeing patients arrive absolutely beaten and at the end of their tether and leave after 28 or so days with a new lease of life and renewed hope would be hard to beat. I believe my experience of working for PROMIS, particularly as an addict in recovery myself,  makes me a much better person. PROMIS offers me the opportunity to carry on learning, developing my perspective on life both as an employee and a person.'

CHRIS DIFFORD

Music Therapist

Chris Difford is co-founder and front-man of the legendary band Squeeze, whose relentless 2008/09 touring schedule climaxed in sharing the main stage at V with Amy Winehouse, The Feeling and The Verve, and a sold-out gig at Radio City Music Hall in the US. His lyrics have been covered by Lily Allen, Elton John, Bryan Ferry and many others beside. Chris has also managed to reach out and write with a wide and eclectic mixture of people. Last year he picked up his second Ivor Novello award from Mark Ronson and two weeks later a lifetime achievement award from Lily Allen. Both were proud moments.

Chris is now embarking on an adventurous dream to bring songwriting to the small screen with a number of varied and, hopefully, inspiring films for the BBC. At Promis, Chris offers inspirational work to our patients by sharing his own story interspersed with his music- some of his own compositions and some belonging to others.

'I came to PROMIS for treatment 18 years ago, it was a huge moment in my life. My journey has had its up and downs but without the foundations of a good program my life would have been so much darker. Promis is a placefull of loving people who care about each other, and the nest that it provides is a good place for most people to start to find themselves, whatever the addiction. I have always wanted to work at Promis and now I have the good fortune of running music therapy groups there once a week.'

CAROLINE LATHAM

Wordsmith / Mind Training Therapist

Caroline Latham joined PROMIS in late 2009. Although her background was originally in the business world, she has worked as a therapist for over twenty years, being one of the few to receive referrals from the NHS. She set up and runs the 'Canterbury Tibet Link' and has two books published (The 'Heart of Healing' by Findhorn, and 'Gargantua Now' under the pseudonym of Rabelaise). She has a BA (hons) in French and Russian from Bristol University, many years of training with the 'Psychology of vision' model, and is a full member of the NFSH. She has been on a part-time retreat overseen by the Dalai Lama's teacher for the last eight years requiring three hours a day training.

Her work at PROMIS enables patients to learn life-long tools to develop inner calm and thereby inner freedom.

'I am so impressed by the genuine dedication of the team at Promis who are devoted to their patients' welfare. My intention is to do as much as I am able to support this.'

OLIVER BRADY

Part-Time Therapist

Oliver Brady trained as a Master Practitioner in NLP, TimeLine Therapy and Ericksonian Hypnotherapy in 1998. He has been practicing ever since offering one-to-one sessions and group seminars/workshops. He later obtained a Diploma in Life Coaching in 2005. His therapy sessions combine an experience as an artist and as a coach, helping participants to be truly present and access awareness of the Reality of life.

'Promis is a wonderful haven, where transformational change can happen. A patient can feel safe in the warm, loving and compassionate space that is held so earnestly by the remarkable people who work there. Time spent at Promis is time that most human beings will never get: an opportunity to be truly still and maybe, for the very first time, to get to know the wonder of who they truly are, beyond addiction and pain.'