About Michael
Michael Leunig is a BACP counsellor and psychotherapist with six years of professional practice. He brings personal experience of loss, depression and anger into his work, and uses that background to connect with people who feel stuck. He speaks English and German and offers sessions to clients in the United Kingdom and internationally.
He focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety and depression. He also supports those facing trauma and abuse, addictions, grief and life changes such as divorce.
How Michael works
Practical concerns like career strain, low self-esteem and anger are part of his day-to-day work. Michael draws on client-centred principles and mindfulness to guide sessions. He also uses hypnotherapy and solution-focused techniques to help clients find short-term goals and new ways of coping.
Sessions aim to be collaborative and grounded in what the person needs now. People meet him for a calm and direct style. He listens first, then helps clients spot small steps forward.
He believes people already hold many of their own answers and that therapy can be the space to uncover them. Before independent practice he worked with the mental health charity Mind and with NHS surgeries across the North of England. He has experience supporting emergency service staff through workplace schemes and has taught mindfulness and hypnotherapy courses.
His practice has been recognised with awards for care and clinical hypnotherapy. When someone starts with him they can expect plain language, short-term practical tools, and an emphasis on building coping skills. His sessions suit people who want clear strategies and a supportive guide while they work through difficult life events.
Michael lists 4 ways of working on the entry:
What Michael works with
The areas below are the ones Michael selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Anger management
Also listed
- Addictions
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Men's issues
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
Training and background
| Register | BACP |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 6 |
| Languages | English, German |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | United Kingdom |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Practical therapeutic approaches for online work
Michael often uses client-centred therapy, which focuses on listening without judgement and helping people to find their own solutions. This approach is useful for those who need space to make sense of feelings and rebuild confidence.He also offers mindfulness therapy, teaching simple practices to manage stress and ground attention in the present moment. Mindfulness can help with anxiety, mood swings and chronic stress by providing short, repeatable techniques to use day to day.
Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. He works collaboratively, discussing goals and preferences and adjusting methods as the work progresses. Together they choose whether to emphasise listening and reflection, mindfulness practice, or short-term problem solving.
Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video is good for in-depth conversations and visual connection, phone suits shorter check-ins or if bandwidth is limited, and messaging or chat can work for brief updates or ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, family or travel commitments while keeping the focus on progress and practical steps.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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