Robert Ormiston, BACP

About me

About Me
With over 25 years of experience in mental health, I bring a compassionate, direct, and grounded approach to therapy, specializing in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). My method is rooted in humanistic principles, honoring each individual’s unique experiences and intuition. Above all, I strive to create a space where clients feel truly heard, understood, and supported.

My Approach
Therapy is about feeling fully seen and heard. I aim to foster a nonjudgmental, comfortable environment where open exploration can take place.

Honesty and Authenticity – A strong therapeutic relationship is built on trust, transparency, and genuine connection.
Self-Awareness and Growth – I support clients in cultivating self-awareness and navigating personal transformation.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS views the mind as an intricate system of parts, each with its own perspective, emotions, and behaviours. Some parts may be in harmony, while others may be in conflict. As an IFS therapist, I help clients understand and engage with these inner dynamics, fostering balance and Self-leadership.

Consider this moment from Monty Python’s Life of Brian:

Brian: "You’ve got to think for yourselves! You’re all individuals!"
Crowd (in unison): "Yes! We’re all individuals!"

This humorously illustrates how we often follow automatic patterns rather than engaging with our inner experience in a conscious, self-led way.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is a structured approach that helps process and integrate distressing memories. Using bilateral stimulation—such as eye movements, sounds, or taps—the brain’s natural healing capacities are activated, facilitating recovery from trauma, anxiety, and other emotional challenges.

Experience & Background
I have worked in diverse mental health settings, including establishing and leading clinical teams within the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). My experience includes:

Developing care planning and supervision models for clinicians and practitioners:
Integrating psychological frameworks into modern mental health services:
Serving as a former participant and associate of the International Humanities Conference management committee, where I explored the nuanced relationship between mental health and the broader human experience:

A Personalised Approach
Every person’s journey is unique, and my role is to offer care and respect throughout the process. Therapy is not about fixing—it’s about understanding your internal system, building a healthy relationship with all parts of yourself, and rediscovering the Self-energy that is always available.
My approach is grounded in empathy, patience, and a commitment to fostering lasting well-being.

Professional experience

Additional areas of focus: Addictions, Relationship issues, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Sleeping disorders, Parenting issues, Anger management, Coping with life changes, Compassion fatigue, Aging and geriatric issues, Antisocial personality, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Avoidant personality, Commitment issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with natural or human-caused disaster, Dependent personality, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), Dissociation, Divorce and separation, Fatherhood issues, First responder issues, Guilt and shame, Hoarding, Immigration issues, Infidelity, Intellectual disability, Jealousy, Life purpose, Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Paranoia, Personality disorders, Phobias, Postpartum depression, Post-traumatic stress, Prejudice and discrimination, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-harm, Sex addiction, Sexual assault and abuse, Smoking / vaping cessation, Social anxiety and phobia, Young adult issues

Clinical approaches: Client-Centered Therapy, Existential Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Jungian Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems

Credentials information

BACP Therapist - Registered Member MBACP #399059

Reviews

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