DB Recovery and UKESAD – Addiction Treatment and Recovery Conference

Last month, London hosted one of the largest annual addiction treatment and recovery conferences: DB Recovery in collaboration with UKESAD. Held over two impactful days, the event brought together professionals, advocates, and individuals with lived experience to share the latest developments and best practices in the field of addiction recovery.

What sets this conference apart is its inclusive ethos—organised by people in recovery, for anyone affected by addiction. Attendees ranged from therapists to service providers, educators to researchers, policymakers to family members, making it a truly holistic and community-led gathering.

The programme featured a rich variety of expert speakers and presentations covering a wide range of topics. These included:

• Evidence-based, culturally sensitive addiction treatment
• Collaboration between lived experience advocates and professionals
• Childhood relational trauma
• The neurobiology of talking therapy
• Embodied countertransference
• The benefits of international accreditation with NAADAC
• Ethics and marketing in addiction treatment

Key highlights included:

• John F. Kelly, renowned Harvard Medical School Professor, who shared groundbreaking insights into evidence-based recovery approaches.
• Mike Trace, CEO of The Forward Trust, who discussed the effectiveness of public and private sector collaboration in criminal justice system treatment services.
• A presentation by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), introducing their Addiction Competency Framework.

The event also coincided with World Drug Day, reinforcing its role as the largest addiction treatment and recovery conference globally on that date.

Our Executive Committee member, Liz Martin, attended the event, actively engaging with the community and proudly representing our union.

With many psychotherapists and counsellors from both public and private sectors in attendance, it was an excellent opportunity to connect, raise awareness of our work, and promote membership. Our new “JOIN PCU” leaflet was really well-received and helped encourage more professionals to stand with us in building a stronger voice for therapists across the UK.