“I want to push open doors that feel closed,” says Jodie Cariss, founder of Self Space, the world’s first on-demand mental health service on the high street. The psychotherapist, author and speaker launched the concept in 2017 to break down the barriers to mental health treatment; at Self Space there are no waitlists or lengthy assessments.
“We set out to make therapy something people could access in the same way they look after their physical health, reducing stigma and normalising the fact we are all messy complicated beings, and that’s okay,” Carriss tells Broadsheet.
Now, Self Space has five sites across the capital and 150 therapists. But where does a therapist go when they need to relax? And what’s Carriss’s recipe for the perfect recharge day? Broadsheet spoke to Cariss to discover her top picks for chilling out in east London – and where she takes out-of-towners when she wants to impress them.
Hi Jodie, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I'm the founder of Self Space, a psychotherapist for 20 years, author and speaker. I grew up in a village in Sussex … [and] I started my career as a wildlife presenter and then went on to work in young people's services until I launched Self Space in 2017. I have two awesome kids, Elvis and Biba and I’ve lived in Clapton for 25 years.
What, to you, makes the perfect day off in London?
Always gym or moving my body at Blok; sauna and ice when I can. Coffee with a local friend at The Tram Store in Clapton. A squeeze of my kids and little catch-up. A Lime bike to Granary Square to check in on one of our spaces. Maybe lunch with a friend and a sit in the sun on the deck chairs. Home, tea with the kids and then maybe try and catch a film at The Castle Cinema. If I can, I’d squeeze in face time with my rabble of nieces and a mooch around any vintage and second-hand bits because I’ve always got my eye out for interesting pieces for the business and myself.
Where do you go in London when you need to de-stress?
I’ve become pretty good at regulating wherever I am now, but when things do feel really hard I notice I want an escape from myself. In those moments I try to consciously be with myself as opposed to abandoning myself. I’ll walk around Hackney Downs or down to Broadway Market, or I’ll book a sound bath at We The Conscious.
What London would you recommend for busy Londoners who need to relax?
At the moment, I love a Lime bike ride along the canal. I like the fact I can’t be on my phone or listening to stuff, it just helps me feel super present and it helps me see London in a different way.
For you, what's the essential play, TV show, song, book or film about London?
I love anything that captures London’s contradictions, its chaos and its warmth at the same time. I really enjoyed Dolly Alderton's Everything I Know About Love on Netflix, set in Camden, and the film Rocks which had some local girls from Clapton Girls School in it and is set around here.
What’s your favourite London restaurant?
One of the things I love most about Clapton is that it still feels like a community. I feel very aligned and “arrived” when I'm there. I love Suba for coffee and pastry, I think the founder is awesome. Dumplings at My Neighbours the Dumplings, will always be a win.
What’s a recent cultural outing that you've particularly loved?
I’m obsessed with the Young V&A in Bethnal Green. I went often when my kids were small and I still really love the vibe in there. I always find something new to look at and the dolls’ house collection is beautiful.
If you want to impress someone, where would you take them?
I'd probably avoid the obvious. I'd start with a walk because conversations are always better side by side, then somewhere that feels intimate rather than flashy. London has so many places that feel like you’ve discovered a secret. Rochelle Canteen for food and a wander around Spitalfields Market.
Where do you go for coffee or tea?
Jolene and Fika coffee on Chatsworth Road.
What are your favourite shops around London? Any good finds recently?
I love a good vintage and second-hand shop. The car boot sale at Princess May School in Stoke Newington! Got a great flying jacket there recently.
Where do you head when you need a break from London?
As much as I love London, I think leaving it every now and then is part of appreciating it. I try to go to Morocco on my own once a year just to properly relax and connect with myself. Also the food, the people, the textiles.
What makes London so amazing to live in?
For me it’s the diversity not just of people, but of ideas, cultures, creativity and possibility. You can meet someone over coffee who completely changes your perspective, discover somewhere you've never noticed before, or feel part of a community that reflects exactly who you are. It’s busy and messy and sometimes exhausting, but it’s also endlessly inspiring.
Anyone or anything you'd like to shout out that’s making it a better place right now?
I'm constantly inspired by the people quietly building communities across London. The independent businesses, creative spaces, charities and grassroots organisations that make neighbourhoods feel human. We talk a lot about what cities need more of, but so much of it already exists if we choose to support it. Those are the places that make London feel connected rather than just crowded.
