About Ian
Ian Smith is a counsellor based in the United Kingdom with ten years of experience. He works with people who are anxious, stressed, or coping with life changes. He also helps those facing depression, addiction, relationship strain, grief and a wide range of other concerns.
He offers sessions in English and accepts international clients. Ian keeps sessions straightforward and practical. He begins where each person is and focuses on what is already working in their life.
Background and approach
Conversations aim to be non-judgemental and grounded, so people can talk about thoughts and feelings without pressure. His practice draws on several therapeutic approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Attachment-Based Therapy. He uses these methods to help people notice unhelpful patterns, build coping skills and make choices that match their values.
Over the past decade he has worked in social services and mental health settings. That background informs a pragmatic style that balances emotional support with practical strategies. He often helps people facing trauma, parenting pressures, chronic health concerns and issues around identity and relationships.
Sessions are available by video call, phone, live chat or text messaging. Ian asks new clients to complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule a first appointment. He follows the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy registration noted as BACP.
Therapeutic approaches and online sessions that fit your life
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without being driven by them. It focuses on clarifying personal values and taking small, meaningful steps that match what matters most. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at connections between thoughts, feelings and behaviour and teaches practical techniques to reduce anxiety and change unhelpful patterns. Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to how early relationships shape current trust and closeness, and it can help with relationship difficulties, attachment issues and trauma.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Ian will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and then suggest which methods to try. That decision is collaborative, and the plan can change as sessions uncover what helps most.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text messaging to give flexibility. Video is useful for deeper conversations and visual cues, phone calls fit shorter check-ins or low-bandwidth situations, and chat or texting can be easier for brief updates or when written reflection helps. These options aim to make therapy more accessible around work, family life and travel, while keeping the focus on practical steps and emotional support.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Traumatic brain injury
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Experience
- 10 years
- Licensed
- Languages
- English
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