Alumni of the month – July 2015

Tara Day
MSc Addiction Psychology and Counselling, 2013

Tara Day previously had a legal career working for one of the world’s most influential defamation and human rights lawyers, but realised she was better able to contribute to society's unmet needs. She is now an Addiction and Trauma Therapist at her own London-based practice and writer for national addiction publications.

The LSBU Alumni Association spoke with Tara on the back of her appearance at UKESAD, the largest European conference on the treatment of addictive disorders, where she presented her research on tattoo acquisition as an emerging addictive behaviour.

Rewind the clock three years and Tara was struggling to identify what type of therapist she wanted to be. A chance meeting with the Head of the Addictions Unit at a high-profile treatment centre led to an epiphany; she decided to follow the route that her respected predecessors had taken and enrolled on the MSc in Addiction Psychology and Counselling at LSBU.

The first person from her family to attend university, LSBU proved both an educational and liberating experience: “I was like a sponge and soaked up as much information as I could. LSBU also diagnosed my dyslexia after years of struggling to learn, which actually came as a relief.”

Knowing she had outgrown law, Tara devoted herself entirely to the service of those who needed it most. And she was ready for the challenge: “I worked in law four days a week, attended LSBU one day a week, studied at weekends and undertook clinical hours in the evening. What I learned at LSBU is the foundation upon which I built my therapeutic career, the articles I write and the topics I present.”

Aside from writing, presenting and running her own private practice, Tara still has the drive for projects benefiting those seeking a life post trauma and addiction. She is working hard to dispel public misconceptions of sex and love addiction and will soon launch a completely independent Aftercare and Psychotherapy group with her business partner: “I’m passionate about what I do and the community I serve. To anyone who is about to embark on a course, you will earn every one of those letters after your name. It’s not going to be easy but it will be worth it.”

Accredited by the Federation of Drug and Alcohol Professionals (FDAP), the MSc Addiction Psychology and Counselling is a well-established route to a professional career in counselling within the addictions field.