Trusted Practitioners

This list contains practitioners (withdrawal coaches, psychiatrists, counselors and doctors) that have firsthand experience and/or have demonstrated a reputation within the psychiatric drug withdrawal community as being compassionate, trustworthy and working with patients/clients in line with safe tapering guidelines. This list is not exhaustive, nor is it limited to Irish practitioners- in fact most of those listed are not from Ireland, however many offer international consultations and resources. It is advisable to contact them directly to query.

Psychiatrists

Dr. Mark Horowitz, MBBS, PhD

Website: markhorowitz.org 

Dr. Mark Horowitz is an Australian-born psychiatrist, researcher, and clinical fellow in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) known for his pioneering work on safe antidepressant tapering, withdrawal, and deprescribing. He is the lead author of landmark clinical guidance book 'The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines', designed to help doctors safely wean patients off antidepressants, benzodiazepines and other psychiatric medication. 

Dr. Josef Witt - Doerring 

Website: taperclinic.com 

Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring is a board-certified psychiatrist and CEO of TaperClinic, the world’s largest medical practice dedicated to psychiatric deprescribing. He creates individualized tapering protocols, guides patients through complex withdrawals, and leads a clinical team focused on safe, evidence-based care. A former FDA Medical Officer, he combines deep regulatory insight with clinical expertise to help clients taper safely and regain stability.

Dr. Mark Leeds

Website: drleeds.com

Dr. Mark Leeds is a physician specializing in dependence & addiction medicine and evidence-based deprescribing. Based in Florida, he provides medical care locally and offers tapering consultations to clients worldwide. Using protocols like the Ashton Manual and Maudsley Guidelines, he supports safe, gradual benzodiazepine discontinuation with compassion and individualized care.

Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal Coaches

Dr. Jennifer Austin Leigh

Website: benzowithdrawalhelp.com

Dr. Jenn is a psychologist, coach, and award-winning author featured in national media, Psychology Today, and other top publications. After a prescribed benzodiazepine caused a brain injury, she shared her recovery and now helps people worldwide navigate benzo withdrawal/BIND, supports caregivers, educates the medical community, and promotes plant-based diets as part of holistic well-being.

Baylissa Frederick

Website: baylissa.com

Baylissa Frederick is a psychotherapist, counsellor, and mindfulness teacher with over 20 years of experience. Internationally recognized for her compassionate work in psychiatric drug withdrawal, she has supported tens of thousands of people through antidepressant and benzodiazepine withdrawal. Blending clinical expertise with mindfulness and compassion-based approaches, Baylissa helps clients find stability, healing, and hope. Her work has become a lifeline for those navigating the often misunderstood journey of withdrawal.

Angie Peacock

Website: angiepeacock.com

Angie Peacock, CPC, MSW, is a life coach specializing in psychotropic drug withdrawal and chronic iatrogenic illness. Drawing on training in therapy, somatic work, and lifestyle interventions - as well as her own lived experience- she offers compassionate, non-pathologizing support. Angie helps clients and caregivers manage fear, build resilience, and navigate the challenges of deprescribing with practical tools and guidance.

Dr. Julia Britz

Website: drjuliabritz.com

Dr. Julia Britz, ND - Naturopathic Doctor & Integrative Mental Health Specialist - helps individuals safely taper off psychiatric medications and manage drug discontinuation syndrome, using nutrition, botanical medicine, and targeted biochemical support to restore balance and address root causes of anxiety, OCD, and mood disorders.

Malissa Pistello

Website: malissapistello.com

Malissa Pistillo is a holistic psychiatric drug harm and protracted withdrawal coach who walks this path alongside you from lived experience. She blends formal training with the hard-earned wisdom of survival, offering trauma-informed coaching and consultation. With compassion and steady presence, she provides practical strategies, tools, emotional support, and spiritual insight-integrating education, support, somatic and shadow work, and always meeting you exactly where you need to be met. Her work is about more than withdrawal-it’s about helping you rebuild trust in your body, reclaim your voice, and reconnect with your inner strength and intuition as you heal.

Renée "Ras'"Jacobs 

Website: rasjacobson.store/psych-med-withdrawal-support

Renée "Ras" Jacobs is a Certified Life Coach, Peer Recovery Advocate, and author of PSYCHiATIZED: Waking Up After a Decade of Bad Medicine. Having personally navigated psychiatric drug withdrawal, she now offers compassionate, trauma-informed support to others on their healing journeys. Through one-on-one sessions, Ras helps clients develop grounding habits, understand withdrawal, and connect with holistic professionals who support safe tapering and true recovery.

Dr. Patricia Halligan

Website: drpatriciahalligan.com

Dr. Patricia Halligan supports patients through psychiatric drug withdrawal and physical dependence with safe, patient-led tapers—especially for benzodiazepines. Concerned by overprescribing and the lack of deprescribing training in medicine, she provides comprehensive consultations, group therapy, and individual psychotherapy, offering care rooted in safety, compassion, and hope.

Dr. Jenn Schmitz

Website: jennschmitz.com

Jenn Schmitz is a Holistic Deprescribing Consultant with an M.A. in Clinical Psychology who helps people safely taper SSRIs, SNRIs, and benzodiazepines while optimizing brain health. Her approach blends clinical training with personal experience as she navigates her own SSRI taper. A dedicated advocate for those harmed by psychiatric drugs, Jenn co-hosts the internationally acclaimed podcast The Gaslit Truth. She takes a holistic approach to optimizing sleep, nutrition, movement, and meditation, empowering individuals to reclaim their lifestyle and strengthen their inner agency.

Chris Paige

Website: chrispaigelcsw.com

Chris Paige is a Withdrawal Support Specialist and trauma-informed therapist who helps people navigate psychiatric drug withdrawal and protracted symptoms. Combining lived experience with professional training, he offers group support, practical coping tools, and therapies like EMDR and the Safe and Sound Protocol. Chris empowers clients to heal nervous system wounds, resolve trauma, and move toward a more grounded, fulfilling life.

Tomasz Starczewski

Website: protracted-withdrawal.com/about

Tomasz is a neuroscientist and recovered patient who helps people safely taper off psychiatric medications and heal from protracted withdrawal. After enduring years of PSSD and other post-SSRI symptoms, he combines training in cognitive science and neurobiology with lived experience to design hyperbolic taper plans, provide steady support, and use non-drug tools that restore nervous-system balance.

Dr. Valsa Madhava

Website: thebenzotaperdoctor.com

Dr. Valsa Madhava is a board-certified internist, addiction medicine specialist, and functional medicine physician advancing a new understanding of benzodiazepine withdrawal. Her research shows that benzo withdrawal and injury are not a single illness but distinct biological phenotypes, each requiring individualized care. Through her phenotype-driven tapering model at The Benzo Taper Doctor, she integrates neuroscience, systems biology, and compassion to guide patients toward true recovery.

Fluroquinolone Specialists

Dr. Stefan Pieper

Website: praxisdrpieper.de

Dr. med. Stefan Pieper is a German physician specializing in integrative and holistic medicine, combining general practice with homeopathy, and nutritional approaches. He is internationally recognized for his expertise in Fluoroquinolone-Associated Disability (FQAD) and has guided thousands of “floxed” patients worldwide. Through a focus on restoring cellular health, stabilizing the nervous system, and rebuilding resilience, Dr. Pieper offers a path forward for those living with fluoroquinolone toxicity.