Psychotherapy & Coaching for Men

Therapy for Men Who Don't Want Therapy.

A grounded, jargon-free approach to the things men most commonly struggle with — and least often talk about. In person and online.

Get in touch Find out more

About

For men who thought this wasn't for them.

Richard De Val — Psychotherapist & Coach

I'm a psychotherapist and addiction specialist with over a decade of experience working across private practice and clinical settings in London and internationally — including time working on Wall Street in New York, which gave me a first-hand understanding of the pressures, culture, and emotional costs of high-performance environments.

I work with a wide range of people — C-suite executives, professionals, creatives, musicians, and sports people — many of whom are managing significant external success while finding things increasingly difficult to manage privately. That gap between how life looks from the outside and how it feels on the inside is something I understand well, and it's often where the most important work happens.

My specialism is addiction, and I've spent years working with cocaine, alcohol, and gambling problems in both individual and group settings. I've worked within traditional 12-step frameworks and seen both their value and their very real limitations — particularly for men who don't identify with the disease model, or for whom abstinence as the sole goal doesn't reflect where they actually are.

My approach is built around the individual, not the model — informed by the work of Dr Marc Lewis and Dr Andrew Tatarsky. No labels, no single right answer — just honest, individualised work toward a life that functions better for you.

A growing part of my work involves men who've been drawn into toxic online spaces — the Manosphere, red-pill communities, and influencers who exploit real feelings of disconnection, inadequacy, and frustration. The damage these environments do is real, and often poorly understood by the people around them. I work with the men themselves, not against them, as well as with the partners, parents, and families trying to make sense of what's happened to someone they love.

Alongside addiction, I work with burnout, anxiety, shame, identity, and the particular pressures that come with high-performance and public-facing life.

I became a therapist because I believe that the things men most struggle with — and least talk about — deserve a space that actually works for them. That belief shapes everything about how I practise.

A different approach to addiction.

"No labels. No one-size-fits-all. No assumption that abstinence is the only valid goal."

My approach is rooted in harm reduction psychotherapy, informed by the work of Dr Marc Lewis and Dr Andrew Tatarsky.

I work from the understanding that substance use exists on a continuum of harm, shaped by a person's history, circumstances, and psychology — not a disease to be managed for life. We start from where you are, not where a model says you should be.

Services

What I offer.

01

Psychotherapy

Short-term and long-term one-to-one work, tailored to what you actually need.

02

Cocaine Misuse Programme

Specialist support for cocaine use — research led, harm reduction based, stigma free, built around your life.

03

Addiction Services

Support for alcohol, gambling, and related issues. Confidential, practical, and non-judgemental.

04

Performance Coaching

For men who want to think more clearly and lead better — without the therapy label.

05

Recovery Coaching

Structured support through recovery, built on real-world tools and honest conversation.

06

Group Work

Men often do their best work alongside other men. Small groups available alongside 1-to-1.

Why this works

Built differently, on purpose.

Grounded and jargon-free — no textbook language, no assumptions, no fluff

Individually based — meeting you where you are, not where a model says you should be

Label and stigma free — no diagnoses required, no single right answer

Works for men who've never tried therapy — and men who've tried it and found it wasn't for them

Experience working with high-achievers, executives, creatives, and sports people

In person or online — flexible around your life

What clients say.

"I now feel like I have confidence in my convictions, am able to express my emotions freely with less apprehension and am significantly less concerned about the perception of others, which has granted me the ability to have a more healthy relationship with friends, family, colleagues and substances, but more significantly with myself. I couldn't recommend this process highly enough."

R — Commodities Trader

"I'm drug free for the first time since I was a very young man and Richard's support, guidance, patience, push to face the truth and the consequences helped me achieve that. I recommend Richard as the starting point for a life change — take the plunge, you are in capable hands."

L — CISO

"Following a relapse of many years and re-entering recovery one can imagine how critical and reactive I would be of anyone working in the field. However my experience of Richard was an extremely positive one. I found him to be highly empathic and extremely astute. We engaged on a number of therapeutic levels — he seemed to know at what times different approaches were needed. I felt totally supported at a time of great vulnerability."

W — Art Therapist

"My understanding of my life deepened, my experience of myself in the present transformed considerably and my view of my future improved beyond recognition. His understanding and individualised approach played a pivotal role in all of that becoming so. I have neither drunk alcohol nor taken drugs since working with him."

P — Psychotherapist

Contact

Let's talk.

If you're not sure whether this is for you, get in touch anyway. A brief initial call costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

London — Kings Cross 1 Birkenhead St, Kings Cross
London WC1H 8BA
London — Forest Hill Headroom, 33 Dartmouth Place
London SE23 3AU
Bristol 61 Park Street, Bristol, BS1 5NU
Sessions In person & online via Zoom
Thanks for getting in touch — Richard will be back to you shortly.

Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026

Who I am

I am Richard De Val, a psychotherapist and coach in private practice, operating as a sole trader. I can be contacted at richard@richarddeval.com. I am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) as a data controller.

What information I collect

When you contact me via the enquiry form or by email, I collect your name, email address, and any personal information you choose to share in your message. I do not collect any information automatically through this website — there are no cookies, tracking tools, or analytics in use.

Why I collect it

The information you provide is used solely to respond to your enquiry and, if we agree to work together, to provide therapeutic services. I will never use your information for marketing purposes or share it with third parties, except where I am legally required to do so.

Confidentiality

All enquiries and communications are treated with the strictest confidence, in line with my professional obligations as a BACP registered member. The only exceptions to confidentiality are where there is a serious risk of harm to you or others, or where disclosure is required by law — and these would always be discussed with you wherever possible.

How long I keep your data

Enquiry emails from people who do not become clients are deleted within six months. Client records are retained for seven years after the end of our work together, in line with professional guidance, and then securely destroyed.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to request access to the personal data I hold about you, to ask for it to be corrected or deleted, and to withdraw consent at any time. To exercise any of these rights, please contact me at richard@richarddeval.com.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how I handle your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.

Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated from time to time. The current version will always be available on this website.