Ian Leigh
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Welcome to a Place Where You Matter
Life can feel confusing and overwhelming. Whether you're grappling with anxiety, depression, relationship challenges or trauma, you're not alone, there's nothing 'wrong' with you, you're human. And you're here because you're ready for a change.
My aim is to support you to discover your joy, purpose and sense of self. My approach is warm, collaborative, and supported with evidence-based practices and over a decade of client work. Together, we'll explore what's troubling you, your experiences, and work towards achieving a happier and more meaningful life for you.
Approach: I provide a confidential and non-judgemental space for us to explore whatever has brought you to therapy. I'll work with you to help you understand your thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations. In this way you can develop a clearer sense of who you are and what matters to you most. We will also explore ways to be with yourself in difficult times and how you might communicate with others more effectively. I draw upon a range of therapeutic models to ensure we develop the best approach for you.
I am a BACP registered counsellor and psychotherapist based in Shoreditch, near Liverpool Street Station, with over a decade of experience in private practice and six years in NHS substance misuse services.
I draw upon a range of therapeutic models, including humanistic, Jungian, compassion focused, and mindfulness-based approaches, to ensure we develop the best approach for your unique needs. This flexibility allows us to address your concerns in a way that resonates with you personally.
I've worked with individuals facing a wide range of issues, including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, stress, family issues, bereavement, C/PTSD, trauma, anger management, loneliness, social and general anxiety, addiction and substance misuse, emotional abuse, and, rape and sexual assault. My experience allows me to support clients through various challenges and life transitions.
I have extensive experience working with clients facing trauma-related issues such as sexual assault, childhood abuse, physical and emotional abuse, and substance misuse. I have trained with leading trauma experts, including Peter Levine and Gabor Mate, enabling me to provide effective trauma-informed care.
My previous work as a complex case manager and a nurse in a high dependency unit further enhances my understanding of the needs of people facing life's challenges.
I provide a compassionate and safe space where you can express yourself freely and without fear of judgments. Together we'll explore your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations to develop a clearer sense of who you are and what matters most to you. Whatever your challenges and therapy needs we'll work at your pace, exploring your emotions and experiences, and focusing on your goals.
Our work together will focus on:
•Understanding your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours
•Exploring past experiences and how they affect your present life
•Developing coping strategies for managing stress, anger and difficult emotions
•Enhancing self-awareness and self-acceptance
•Improving relationships and communication skills
•Building resilience and fostering personal growth
Drawing on over 30 years of personal meditation practice, I integrate mindfulness into my therapeutic work. This approach fosters self-awareness, self-care, and emotional resilience, enabling you to navigate life's challenges with greater clarity and confidence. By cultivating mindfulness, you can develop a deeper connection with yourself and gain insight into your thoughts and emotions.
I welcome diversity of all kinds. I am LGBTQIA+ affirming and hold space to explore the richness, complexity and interplay of identity, race and culture. My preferred pronouns are he/him.
Life is complicated. Starting therapy needn't be...
Start with a FREE 15-minute call-
Contact me to arrange a Zoom or phone call. This is a chance for us to explore what you're looking for from therapy and address any questions you might have.
Your first full session-
If you’d like to move forward, we can book a 50-minute session — either in person or online (£85). This is a space where we can begin to explore what’s going on for you and how I might support you. It’s also a time to get a sense of how it might feel for us to work together.
Ongoing weekly support-
If it feels right to continue, we can find a regular weekly 50-minute sessions (£85) that works for both of us. These sessions will offer you a safe and regular space for you to be heard, supported and explore whatever you’re facing.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a Registered Member of the British Association For Counselling and Psychotherapy - the professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists.
My aim is to support you in finding a more authentic sense of self. This involves helping you listen to the quiet voices in you and reclaim parts of you that that have been silenced or excluded because of family, education and social expectations. We all experience pressure to fit in but those parts of us, that are uniquely ’us’, need space and to be listened to also.
My approach is trauma informed. I've have trained with Peter Levine and Babette Rothschild - two of the leading experts in the field. I have experience of working with people with a wide range of trauma related issues, such as, violent sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse (including incest) and physical violence. My previous work history also includes two years working as a 'complex case manager' and 15 years as a nurse managing a brain and spinal trauma unit in a busy London hospital. I therefore have a very good understanding of patient and relatives experiences (good and bad) and their journey through the health system.
I have been practising Buddhism and meditation for 30 years. I integrate mindfulness into our work to help you connect more fully with yourself and so develop greater awareness of who you are and what’s calling for your attention.
I have worked with people experiencing a wide range of issues including, depression, bullying, workplace conflict, low self-esteem, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, anger, substance misuse, bereavement, relationship difficulties, boundary difficulties, shame, midlife crisis and spiritual crisis.
Special areas of interest and expertise include, anxiety, depression, family issues, trauma, substance misuse, masculinity & men's issuers, midlife crisis, spirituality, sexuality, gender identity and developing resilience.
Member organisations
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£65.00 - £85.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I have a limited number of concessions for people facing genuine financial hardship. If you don't feel you can afford the above fees please contact me to discuss options.
The initial assessment (the first session) and subsequent sessions are 50 minutes.
When I work
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Shoreditch
Tuesday 9.00 - 21.00
Wednesday 12.30-21.00
Thursday 9.00 - 21.00
Zoom
Monday 19.00 - 21.00
Wednesday 9.00-11.00
Other times also available
