Lisa Newman

Lisa Newman is a Recovery Manager at Harbor. She works with people in the early stages of recovery from addiction, and much of her experience has come from live-in recovery coaching.

She supports clients through detox and early recovery from drugs or alcohol, including those living with the effects of trauma. In live-in work, she stays with a client day to day, so her support must be consistent and practical.

Her interests include women’s recovery and trauma-informed care, and she draws on breathwork and other body-based practices in her work with clients.

Professional Background & Qualifications

Lisa’s first qualifications were in media and communications, including a BA (Hons) in Public Relations and Media.

She later trained in yoga, meditation and breathwork in India, with a focus on supporting people affected by trauma, addiction and mental health difficulties.

Lisa is a certified recovery coach and breathwork facilitator, and has also completed mindfulness and meditation teacher training. She is currently training in trauma coaching, drawing on polyvagal theory and somatic approaches.

Her further training includes nutritional therapy, gut health, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and principles of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).

Professional Experience

Lisa has spent several years as a live-in recovery coach and companion, supporting clients at what is often the most fragile point in their recovery. Alongside detox support, she mentors clients in the everyday life skills that early recovery depends on. She can work one-to-one with a client or as part of a wider clinical team.

Her interest in combining Eastern and Western approaches goes back to 2002, when a Winston Churchill Fellowship took her to India and California. There, she studied how yoga, meditation and Ayurveda (a traditional Indian system of medicine) could support recovery.

Approach to Care

Lisa’s approach is practical and body-centred. She helps clients feel steadier as they recover and become more aware of what their bodies are telling them.

Depending on the client, sessions may involve movement, breathwork, mindfulness or meditation. Above all, she teaches people how to calm their nervous system, so that when intensive support ends, they have skills they can keep using on their own.