Elmer Terry
Addictions Therapist
Conditions treated
Treatment approaches
Languages spoken
- English
Professional qualifications, accreditations and memberships
- Nat Addiction Centre Cert: Drug Dependence,
- English Nursing Board 616: Drug Dependence,
- LCCH Dip Clinical Hypnosis,
- LCCH Practitioner Dip CBH.
- MBSCH
Professional experience
Elmer Terry has worked as an addiction therapist since 1989, initially for the Chemical Dependency Centre at Thurston House then, from 1991 – 1996, for the NHS at both the Maudsley and the Royal Bethlem Hospitals Addictions Directorates.
In 1996 he became manager at a RAPt rehabilitation unit. In 1999 he co-authored the RAPt treatment manual which became the first addiction treatment programme in the UK to achieve accreditation.
In 2000 he was appointed to the position of Director of Clinical Policy from which he retired in 2005.
Since then, in addition to returning to individual practice, Elmer has worked as a consultant and therapist to organisations, including RAPt, the Drug & Alcohol Foundation, Seventy4 Foundation and Stepping Stones, setting up treatment programmes, training staff and providing patient aftercare.
At Nightingale Hospital, he currently provides assignments, education, therapy and aftercare groups for addiction patients.
Personal statement
Having specialised in the field of addiction with many patients over many years, Elmer recognises that active addiction generally stems from an attempt by the individual to overcome emotional issues or problems by use of outside ‘fix.’ The fix, (commonly, but not exclusively, alcohol or drugs), eventually becoming a devastating problem in its own right.
Elmer’s preferred method for helping clients to overcome these issues is within a group setting and has found the understanding, empathy, identification and support, found within a facilitated group of recovering individuals, to be without parallel.
