Ashraf Lotfy

Ashraf Lotfy is a Recovery Manager at Harbor and an addiction counsellor. He has spent more than 17 years helping people affected by drug and alcohol use and other addictions.

Much of that time has been spent in residential treatment, where he has counselled clients one-to-one and in groups. His clients have included people who have relapsed several times, as well as others whose addiction comes alongside a mental health condition.

Ashraf has also worked in outreach, taking addiction support into the community instead of waiting for people to come to a clinic.

Professional Background & Qualifications

Ashraf holds a BA in Psychology from Cairo University and a Diploma in Recovery Counselling from the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population.

He holds an Internationally Certified Addiction Counsellor credential through the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals.

His further training includes addictive behaviour, alcohol and drug counselling, and behavioural health and recovery coaching.

Professional Experience

In residential settings, Ashraf’s role has gone beyond counselling. He has managed cases and provided supervision, as well as drawing up treatment plans for individual clients and reviewing how they progress.

His outreach work has been with people who use drugs, men who have sex with men and other groups at higher risk of HIV. This has given him experience with clients whose addiction is bound up with other health or social problems.

Ashraf has also led seminars and group programmes, presented at international conferences and worked with families as well as the person in treatment.

Approach to Care

Ashraf shapes his work around each person, pairing structured addiction counselling with practical help in everyday recovery.

His years of working with people who have relapsed have taught him patience. He sees recovery as something that carries on over time, rather than something one course of treatment can finish. He has also been in recovery himself since 2008.