Ian Smith, BACP
10 years in practice
Ian Smith is a counsellor based in the United Kingdom with ten years of experience.
License and registration
- BACP
- 386318 · expires November 2026
- Years in practice
- 10
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the registration with the body that granted it.
About Ian
Ian Smith is a counsellor based in the United Kingdom with ten years of experience. He works with adults on everyday struggles like stress, anxiety, addiction and low mood. He also helps with relationship worries, parenting strain, grief, trauma and issues around intimacy and self‑esteem.
He keeps sessions simple and direct. Conversations focus on what matters to the person in front of him. He encourages people to name their feelings and look for practical ways to cope.
Background and approach
The aim is to build on what already works in someone’s life rather than start from scratch. Ian draws on several well‑established approaches, including Emotionally‑Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. He uses these methods to help people understand emotions, notice unhelpful thinking patterns and try small changes that can reduce distress.
Clients can expect a calm, non‑judgemental space where their priorities lead the work. Sessions are collaborative - goals get set together and adjusted as things change. Ian also offers conversational coaching for people wanting short‑term, practical support.
He has experience in social services and mental health settings and has supported people from varied backgrounds with complex needs. Work often covers long‑standing patterns such as attachment or abandonment issues alongside more immediate concerns like sleep, eating or coping with illness. Sessions are offered in English and are available to people inside and outside the UK.
Ian uses a flexible approach to fit each person’s situation and preferences.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Ian lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- 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 counseling
- 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 names
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How his approaches translate to online therapy
Ian commonly uses Emotionally‑Focused Therapy to help people notice and name strong emotions and change patterns that cause distance or distress. This approach suits worries about intimacy, attachment and repeated relationship cycles.He also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that match their values. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is used to identify thinking patterns and try practical experiments to shift mood and behaviour.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Ian will discuss what feels most useful and adapt methods to your needs, goals and preferences. Decisions are made together and adjusted as you progress.
Online sessions are available by video, phone, live chat or text‑based messaging. Video calls let you work in a conversational way with visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is low or when you prefer not to be on camera. Live chat and messaging suit quick check‑ins or shorter, frequent contacts between full sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, caring duties and different time zones, while keeping the focus on practical help and emotional change.
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Questions people ask
What kinds of problems does Ian help with?
He works with issues such as stress, anxiety, addiction, depression, grief and relationship concerns. Additional focus areas include parenting, trauma, eating and sleeping problems, and coping with life changes.
What is his therapeutic style like?
Sessions are warm and collaborative. He focuses on how people feel in relationships, spotting unhelpful thoughts and trying practical steps to reduce distress.
How much experience does he have?
Ian has ten years of experience working in social services and mental health settings supporting people with a wide range of needs.
What credentials and location does he hold?
He is listed with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, shown as BACP, and works from the United Kingdom.
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Ian offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text‑based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with him?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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