About Ian
Ian Smith offers straightforward, practical counselling for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, addiction, depression or big life changes. He works with individuals who are navigating grief, intimacy questions, parenting strains or issues connected to LGBT identity. Sessions are aimed at helping people make sense of what they are facing and find small, doable steps to feel better.
Ian brings ten years of experience in social services and mental health settings.
Background and approach
He has helped people from different backgrounds with a wide range of concerns, including trauma, ADHD, bipolar experiences and problems with sleep or eating. He also supports those coping with chronic illness, caregiving strain and career pressures. His approach starts where the person is and builds from what already helps.
He uses practical talking methods that help people notice patterns, try new responses and practise skills between meetings. Techniques come from approaches such as cognitive behavioural work, acceptance and commitment ideas, attachment-based thinking and emotion-focused and dialectical strategies. In sessions he aims to create an open, non-judgemental space where people can speak frankly about difficult feelings.
He works collaboratively, setting goals together and adjusting the plan as needs change. People find this useful when they want clear tools alongside a chance to reflect. Ian works in the United Kingdom and conducts sessions in English.
For international clients he accepts work arranged through the site's process and follows its scheduling and subscription details.
What Ian works with
Everything Ian lists, in their own terms. LGBT is the reason Ian is listed here; the rest shows what else Ian works with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Depression
- ADHD
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counselling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Ian lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centred Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each counsellor names and does not check training records.
How therapy approaches guide online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice difficult thoughts and feelings and move toward a life they value through small committed actions. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviour, and teaches practical techniques to change unhelpful patterns. Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to how past relationships shape current patterns and helps people develop safer, more supportive ways of relating.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and practical needs and then collaborate to choose or combine methods that fit. Clients and the counsellor regularly review progress and adjust the plan if something is not helping.
The original biography does not list specific online session formats, so please confirm available options before booking. In general, online work can make it easier to fit therapy around daily life, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins between longer sessions. It can also make it simpler to continue therapy when routines change, and lets people try different ways of working from their day-to-day environment.
Questions people ask about Ian
What kinds of problems does this counsellor help with?
He helps people facing stress, anxiety, addiction and depression, as well as relationship, parenting and grief-related concerns. Additional focus areas include trauma, ADHD, bipolar experiences and body image.
What is the typical counselling style?
The style is collaborative and practical, blending talking work with skills practice. The aim is to start where the person is and build from what already helps.
What experience does the counsellor have?
He has ten years' experience working in social services and mental health settings with a wide range of clients and presenting issues.
What credentials and region are listed?
Ian Smith holds BACP and works in the United Kingdom.
Which languages are supported and can international clients be seen?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are accepted through the site's process.
What session formats are offered?
The original biography does not specify session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees and payments handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with this counsellor?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.
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