Heidi Leipnik

Appointments are scheduled between 8.45am and 3pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Evening appointments from 7pm Tuesdays and Thursdays are online only.

I take three to four weeks annual leave in August, two at Christmas and two at Easter.

I hold a short-term waiting list when I have no immediate availability.

“You already have the precious mixture that will make you well. Use it.” Rumi

I am a BACP Senior Accredited Therapist working in Westerham, Kent, in person and online.

It is an enormous step entering therapy, whether it is for the first time or not. There are many different approaches, theories and models to select from, but research shows that what influences the success of therapy is not the type of therapy but the quality of the relationship between the therapist and client.

The most important thing is finding the therapist who is right for you. 

This will come down to personal preference and what feels like a comfortable connection.

It may seem a daunting task, but one usually knows pretty quickly if the therapist is the right one, even just by the initial contact.

I started practising in 2000 and have a specific interest in one’s development during early childhood and how that affects the relationship to ourselves and to others later in life.

My work in the NHS, in private practice and with EAP’s brings me a wealth of experience in areas such as loss, depression, relationship difficulties, family issues and all the related struggles many of us encounter through life.

In terms of therapeutic style, I consider myself an integrative therapist - meaning I use several approaches. Whilst my bedrock is psychodynamic theory, I have also studied psychoanalytic theory, attachment theory and psychosynthesis, giving me a rich foundation from which to work.

You can find out more about my approach, qualifications and registrations on my website www.heidileipnik.com

Marking 25 years in practice, spring 2025 saw the creation of a purpose-built therapeutic space in the garden, here in Westerham.

In this peaceful, rural setting, this Shepherd's Hut has been created solely for this work and all who come to it. 

It is private, enclosed, warm and welcoming and is a meaningful extension of my practice. I am delighted to offer this holding, safe space.

Our first session is a time for us to meet, in the format of a normal session, to give you an idea of what it will be like to work with me and for us both to determine whether or not I am the right therapist for you.

In this session I will ask you to tell me what brings you here and I will have some questions to ask which will help me build a picture of you and your needs. 

I consider this first session an assessment session, where there is a mutual assessment going on. At the end of this session we will usually know if we want to enter into further work together and it is at this point we will agree how that might be done. I usually suggest an initial 6 sessions for us to get started and so at session 5 we review and either finish at session 6 or continue on into open-ended work.