Ian West
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am an Accredited MBACP Registered Humanistic Integrative Counsellor & Counselling Supervisor with over 10 years of experience in working with individuals, and groups of all ages, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds. I am based in Colchester CO1 or London Liverpool Street EC2. Depending on your presenting issues/needs I will draw on cognitive, psychodynamic, attachment, and relational theories and concepts, to provide either short-term-focused counselling/therapy or longer-term in-depth psychotherapy.
Most of us, will at some point, and for various reasons, experience emotional and/or psychological challenges which can impact upon and limit the quality of our lives. Relationship difficulties or being 'stuck' in self-defeating, repeating unwanted patterns of behaviour, perhaps finding it hard to accept feelings around past/present/future life events, or maybe anxious, angry, sad or depressed about life in general. In these situations, counselling and psychotherapy can be of benefit in offering a space where you can talk openly about yourself and be listened to and understood, in a way that is perhaps difficult to find with, or ask of, family, friends and work colleagues.
I offer a confidential, safe and reliable place for you to make sense of your current difficulties, and the establishment of a trusting therapeutic relationship will help you to explore any past formative experiences and future concerns, which may be impacting your present-day choices/decisions, and in the ways that you form and maintain relationships with others, and how you see, think and feel about yourself.
If you're ready to embark on a transformative journey towards self-discovery and personal growth, I invite you to take the first step. Together, we can explore your challenges, uncover underlying patterns, and develop strategies to overcome obstacles. Through collaboration, we can work towards creating meaningful changes for a more fulfilling life.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Psychopathology and Psychodynamics (2017)
- Time-Limited Psychotherapy Training (2017)
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (2008/2013/2017)
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (2015/17/18)
- Certificate in Humanistic Integrative Counselling (2014/15)
- Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counselling (2015/16)
- Advanced Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counselling (2016/18)
- Certificate in Counselling Supervision
- Transactional Analysis training (2009/2017/18)
- Certificate in Auricular Acupuncture/Mindfulness
- Certificate in Motivational Interviewing & Skills (2009/13)
- BACP Accreditation
Some of my past work experience has been:
After qualifying as a counsellor I began working as a Counsellor based in a residential setting providing counselling to various individuals who may present with various issues such as mental health, physical health, emotionally unavailable, sexual issues, sadness, depression, anxiety and substance abuse issues
My roles include facilitating therapy groups, lectures and workshops on various topics.
As the years pass working as a clinician and my hair turns thin and then departs, I believe one of the most essential components in successful therapy is the connection between client and counsellor. This sometimes almost magical experience is not a given and doesn't always happen. When it does, generally we will both know it because we feel it and then the trust grows and our world opens up to new possibilities.
My private practice offers a confidential, safe and reliable place for you to make sense of your current difficulties, and through the establishment of a trusting therapeutic relationship will help you to explore any past formative experiences and future concerns, which may be impacting on your present-day choices/decisions, and in the ways that you form and maintain relationships with others, and how you see, think and feel about yourself.
I have been in personal psychotherapy & psychodynamic therapy and regularly meet with a more experienced practitioner for clinical supervision & attend continuing professional development (CPD) events to maintain, improve and broaden my clinical knowledge and skills.
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
- People at a crossroads in their lives
- Dissatisfaction/emptiness in relation to life
- Couples counselling and psychotherapy
- Sexual identity and sexual confusion
- Tapping into creative potential
- Loss and change
- Alienation and isolation
- Shame, self-criticism, feelings of inadequacy and underachievement in life
- Childhood neglect and related issues
- Organizational/Workplace difficulties
- Cultural identity and displacement
- People affected by suicide
- People affected by someone else's addiction/dependency
- Adults whose parents are/were addicts/alcoholics
- Addictions (drugs/alcohol, sexual, porn, shopping, addictive relationships..etc..)
- People involved in 12-Step Recovery Programs'
Therapies offered
Fees
£70.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
I offer an initial consultation appointment for £70 where we can explore the reasons why you are seeking therapy, and for us to consider what I can offer is appropriate and then based on that discussion, to work towards a plan and book in either a short-term or a more open-ended contract. It also gives us the chance to experience how comfortable we feel in working together while creating a safe space within the process.
Fees
Individuals: £70 (50 minute session)
Low cost counselling is also available by negotiation. I hold 2 appointments available per week for low income house holds I believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity to get the help they need.
Due to the nature of my work I am often not instantly available to receive incoming calls, so if you don't get me in person and are wanting to talk with me about how I work, what I can offer or to make an initial appointment, please leave/send me a clear message with your name, contact details and a good time you can be contacted and I will get back to you as soon as I can or send me an email with above information.
When I work
In case there maybe times I am not available to receive incoming calls due to work, please leave me a clear message or email with your name and details to be contacted.
Further information
I am an Accredited Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and adhere to the Ethical Frameworks as set out by the BACP
Group work
I am offering a 12-week program of weekly Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Process Groups, with sessions lasting 2 hours each. The cost is £20 per session, totaling £240, payable in advance. These groups create a supportive environment for developing skills in emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, and mindfulness. The process groups will also explore emotional responses to various life experiences, creating self-awareness and resilience through shared insights. There is an option to continue participation beyond the initial 12 weeks.