Rebecca Leakey

I am passionate about the field of therapy. My passion and enthusiasm, I feel comes from my own personal experiences and witnessing the transformative power of this work. Time I spent in Asia, learning and practicing different methods and therapeutic approaches orientated in Eastern philosophy were growth promoting and I feel inform my practice in a positive way as I have a holistic view and appreciation of each individual. I am particularly interested in how the body can inform and guide therapeutic practice. I have trained with the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute in London. I am currently undergoing level 2 of my Somatic Experience training in London and Edinburgh to further assist and deepen my knowledge and understanding of the role of the body and nervous system in understanding trauma, mental health, and recovery. I am committed to my on-going personal and professional development and am constantly looking to evolve my practice and the effectiveness of my work. I am a registered member of the BACP, ad-here to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy's Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions and attend regular individual and group supervision sessions.

I have experience working with trauma (inc. PTSD, CPTSD, DID) depression anxiety, dual diagnosis and all aspects of addictive behaviour including eating disorders, pathological gambling, sex and love addiction, co-dependency, alcohol, drugs, and other pro-cess addictions in both private practice and within inpatient and secondary treatment settings.

I have proven experience of working with clients from wide demographic and cultural back grounds. I am creative empathetic and non-judgmental, dedicated to ensuring ethical and reflective practice. I am collaborative, versatile, and conscientious, committed to meeting the unique needs of every individual.

I am a versatile therapist and work integratively to ensure I can meet the individual needs of each client. I draw on a variety of approaches in my work. These include ( though not exclusively) ; Somatic experiencing, which works by bringing awareness to the sensations in the body, thus giving access to the nervous system and the bodies natural healing powers to resolve trauma and other stress related disorders. Internal family systems therapy - which works on supporting the relationship between the "self" and the parts that make up the self- allowing us to work with defence and protective patterns which have built up over time in response to trauma. Compassion focused therapy which aims to promote healing by encouraging individuals to practice compassion towards themselves and others. Sensorimotor psychotherapy - a body-centered approach that aims to treat the somatic symptoms of unresolved trauma. Sensorimotor psychotherapy combines somatic therapies, attachment theory, cognitive applications, neuroscience, and techniques from the Hakomi method.

The core values of the person centered approach underpin all my work. I believe, whole heartedly that when provided with a safe and facilitative environment individuals are able to move in the direction of change, growth, empowerment, fulfillment and the opportunity to reach their full potential. 

In your first session we will discuss what you hope to get out of therapy, your hopes, goals and any questions or concerns you may have.