One Year of Heathwell: The Story So Far

A year ago, Heathwell began as a simple idea and a single room in Blackheath Village. I wanted to create a local practice where people could find high quality therapy with experienced practitioners, without waiting lists or impersonal systems. A place that felt human, local, and genuinely cared for.

When I set up Heathwell in November 2024, it all started with finding the right space. After years of practising in a windowless room in Blackheath Village, and a long search for something better, I finally found the Brigade Street room. Spacious, bright, and made for therapy. That room made it possible to bring to life what I had been imagining for years: a local clinic that could be a base for a group of therapists offering specialised support to the community I have lived and worked in for so long.

Blackheath turned out to be the perfect location for it. It sits between Greenwich and Lewisham, making it easy to reach from both boroughs, and is also well connected to Central London, Bromley, and Bexleyheath. Its village feel, calm surroundings, and sense of community make it an ideal setting for therapy.

Creating a Different Kind of Practice

I had worked in similar clinics before and seen how they operated. Many took up to seventy percent of therapists’ fees, which never felt right. I wanted to build something fairer, where therapists’ work was properly valued and where therapists’ work was properly valued and their professional independence protected.

The model took time to develop, with its share of challenges and adjustments along the way. Therapists at Heathwell work completely independently. They set their own fees, their own contracts, and work in the way that suits them best. Heathwell’s role is to bring together a group of highly skilled and experienced therapists, provide the space, and then match clients with the right person. After that, we step back. No involvement, no interference, only trust in the therapeutic relationship.

It seemed to work. Client enquiries exceeded what I expected, and therapists shared that they valued the autonomy the model gave them. Less than a year in, I began looking for a second space and found one on Tranquil Vale, opposite Blackheath station, even brighter and more central than the first.

One Year On

A year later, we are thirteen therapists working across two rooms. We have supported individuals, couples, young people, and older adults with everything from relational trauma and ADHD to psychosexual difficulties and life transitions. The breadth of experience and specialism each therapist brings has made the practice what it is today.

Together we offer therapy in eleven different approaches and nine languages, reflecting the diversity of the clients we serve and the community we belong to.

What We Have Learned

Getting the matching process right has been one of the most important lessons. I offer clients a conversation, not a form or an automated response. I use my years of experience as a therapist to listen carefully and think about who might be the best fit based on each person’s needs, preferences, and availability. If none of us is the right match, I direct them to another therapist in my network. No enquiry goes unanswered. People who contact us are often vulnerable, and they will always receive a response within twenty four hours. It is a personal system from start to finish.

Flexibility has also proved essential. Therapy does not fit neatly into nine to five slots, and neither do people’s lives. Having therapists who offer evening and weekend sessions, and who work across different modalities and languages, often makes the difference between someone accessing help or not.

What Has Stayed the Same

Heathwell was built with diversity and inclusivity in mind, for both therapists and clients. Every therapist who joins is chosen for their experience and expertise. They are all qualified, registered, and insured professionals who bring a genuine depth of knowledge to their work.

We are still a collective of independent therapists, not a corporate model. What unites us is a commitment to providing thoughtful, ethical, and accessible therapy without compromising on quality.

We have kept the human element at the centre. No algorithms, no automated booking systems, no long waiting lists. Just real conversations about what someone needs and how we might help.

What Comes Next

Year two will bring new therapists, new specialisms, and some exciting developments in how we work, which I look forward to sharing soon.

For now, I am deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of Heathwell’s first year, whether as a client, a colleague, or someone who simply believed in what we are building.

Here is to the next chapter.

Elena Miari - Founder