Leone Centre Reviews
Due to the nature of our services there are times when our clients would not want to attach their name to a review for personal reasons. So many of the reviews below are anonymous and have been published with their permission.
Verified Google Reviews
Gwen HanrahanWellbeing at work is now key. I’ve benefited immensely from work with Alison Wragg at the Leone Centre, in supporting our thinking about wellbeing in teams and across the organisation. Her approach to wellbeing doesn’t ignore the live context . Her relational and containing base allowed us as teams to really get in touch with what and how we can make for a healthy, successful team. Alison brought this expertise in her coaching and organisational consulting. Invaluable ! I highly recommend the Leone Centre.Isabella BI would highly recommend Leone Centre as it provides very professional support.Helen CarrExcellent - professional , ethical and educated. Cris Vrech is an experienced, bi lingual therapist with a considerable client portfolio. The Leone Centre is of especial use to those requiring cross cultural therapy - essential in a multi cultural city such as London. I endorse.David StaffThank you so much for the care and help you gave me. I had never had counselling before and being of the 'older generation' where one was supposed to 'pull yourself together' and 'get on with it', I was dubious about how you could help. Your highly skilled and kind therapist has completely changed me! I am now much more positive and have the tools, that if I do dip down again, to use to help me. Thank you! I highly recommend the Leone Centre. Don't hesitate. Contact them and experience for yourself.CarolI completed my sessions with Cristina Vrech and would highly recommend her. I felt that for the first time someone was reaching me and I was able to navigate my thoughts and understand my issues. Leone Centre was efficient and arranged my initial appointment in a timely manner, responding to all of my queries.
Anonymised Reviews
Finding Myself After a Relationship Breakdown
Months ago, I went through a hard breakup after a long relationship. My entire life was turned upside-down. It started reflecting on my job performance, and my social life fell apart.
I was under a huge amount of pressure, trying to balance my work while struggling with increasing anxiety and depression. I knew what I needed to do; I needed to rediscover myself. The trouble was, I didn’t know how.
After many long talks with my best friend (which were very helpful), she suggested getting professional help. She convinced me that therapy is normal and far from taboo. And she was right to recommend the Leone Centre.
After my first session, I started seeing progress. There was a lot of work to be done, but I knew that I’d made the right step towards mental healing. Today marks the first month of therapy for me. There are still improvements to be made, but, thinking back to the first session, I feel so much better and have made so much progress.
I think that seeing progress after only one month with the Leone Centre is really powerful, especially for those who used to be averse to therapy. Take it from me, go ahead and make an appointment.
Marriage Counselling Helping with Sex
My partner and I have been married for quite a few years, and it’s fair to say that our sex life got to a point where it wasn’t quite what it used to be. I know this is normal (to an extent), but we felt that wasn’t a good enough reason not to work on it.
We decided to focus on our intimate life together. Initially, there was some success. The light was rekindled, but there was still a lot of room for improvement. Our friend recommended marriage counselling. At first, we were dead against it, but we learned that this could help physical intimacy and our sex life.
After a few sessions with our Leone Centre marriage counsellor, we started to reconnect. It’s like she pointed out the obvious problems in our sex life. (These problems weren’t really “obvious” to us!)
Often, I think, a couple needs a helping hand – someone with understanding who guides them towards a more positive space in the relationship. This is exactly what the Leone Centre has done for us. We’ve successfully put the spark back in our romantic life and are really happy.
Online Couples Counselling from Different Countries
People used to warn me about long-distance relationships, but I didn’t care. I’ve never once regretted it. But there is no doubt about it – as much as I love my partner, him living in a different country used to be a challenge for the two of us.
Today, we live under the same roof and we’re happy, but it wasn’t always like that. Back when he was thousands of miles away for the larger part of a year, I would get unhappy, depressed, and anxious.
Thanks to modern technology, we were able to communicate daily and see each other often, but what truly maintained and strengthened our relationship were the online couples’ counselling sessions from the Leone Centre. I found it weird at first – even if we’d gone to couples’ counselling in real life, I would probably have found it strange, but my partner suggested online sessions, so I was open to giving it a try.
Without a doubt, we owe our current relationship stability to the Leone Centre. We learned how to cope with all the distance between us, and now, we’re stronger than ever.
Divorcing and Separating
When I was married to my partner, people told me marriage was hard. Then when we went through a complicated divorce, people told me divorces are hard. They were absolutely right, but that didn’t help.
The Leone Centre has taught me that emotional, financial, and personal issues are all to be expected after difficult separations. I learned that divorce is sometimes a favourable option, but I never would’ve truly realised or accepted this on my own.
Relief is the ultimate goal. Like many others, I doubted whether I’d be able to get through everything on my own. Thanks to my Leone Centre counsellor, I got out of a toxic marriage and developed an amicable relationship with my ex-partner. I learned how to overcome insecurity, anxiety, sadness, resentment, and grief.
It wasn’t easy, and I had a lot of mixed feelings in the beginning, but after successful divorce therapy sessions at the Leone Centre, we both learned that we’re better off apart.
Low Self-Esteem
As an aspiring entrepreneur, I used to think I was ready to take on the entire world. Once I started getting into start-ups, I realised that self-esteem was essential – you’re either confident by nature and develop confidence, or you give up on your dreams. I wasn’t a member of the first group of people, but I wasn’t ready to give up either.
Self-confidence was never a part of my childhood. I used to have weight issues, and other kids teased me at school. I wasn’t assertive enough to brush it off, which affected my self-esteem. As I grew up, I lost weight, and became happy about my looks, but the damage to my confidence was still there. I wasn’t going to be able to swim in the harsh seas of start-ups without help.
So, I contacted the Leone Centre. I thought, “It can’t hurt.” And it didn’t. In fact, I learned how to step up in the business world, and this has contributed massively to my success. I’m still not exactly where I want to be self-esteem-wise, but I’m definitely getting closer to my goal with each therapy session.
Issues and Relationship at Work Similar to Issues at Home
I’ve always kept my professional and personal lives separate, but the one thing that’s common in both your work and home life is you. No matter how hard we try to behave like somebody else, we always end up being the people we truly are.
I came to the Leone Centre because I was struggling at work. I used to overwork myself to the extent that I’d come home late and have little time to spend with my family. I missed my loved ones. They missed me.
As it turns out, there were common things that impacted both my personal and professional relationships. I was closed-in at home and didn’t want to talk about my emotions. In the same way, I never voiced any concerns at work. This led to work piling up, reducing the time for my family even further.
I’m a changed man now. Ever since then, I’ve been working on my relationship issues. As a result, my life at home, life at work, and overall happiness are tremendously improved. I really don’t think I could have done this by myself. Thanks to my therapist at the Leone Centre, I am a far more satisfied and focused professional and family man.
Bereavement
When I lost my father, I found myself in an endless loop of bereavement, which quickly led to depression. I thought that I was experiencing unnatural amounts of grief. The whole experience, dealing with my loss, was incredibly painful and disorientating.
The first thing I learned during my bereavement counselling sessions at the Leone Centre is that there is no such thing as “too much” grief. We all process it in different and unique ways. Some cope with it well, others struggle for quite a while.
My therapist helped me realise that grief can turn inwards if not met with proper counselling and support. I learned that it’s okay to feel blame, regret, and guilt. Through lots of exploration, a lot of talk, and after countless tears, I’ve finally learned to cope with the loss that I experienced.
We are all here on this earth on borrowed time and learning how to cope with grief is an unfortunate, but vital aspect of life. My father’s death has made me stronger, and my therapy professionals have helped me find power through the pain.
Co-Dependency
If you were to mention “co-dependency” and “relationship addiction” to me, I’d brush it off as a load of old nonsense. What I didn’t know was that the co-dependant person usually doesn’t recognise this behaviour in themselves.
Up until I decided to go to couple’s therapy with my partner, I had no idea that I was the one displaying co-dependent behaviour in my relationship. When my partner suggested I had co-dependency issues, I took the phone and scheduled a session at the Leone Centre, almost out of spite. After the first session, I learned how co-dependency can damage me, my partner, and our relationship. This is when I started taking things seriously.
During the therapy, both me and my partner were worried that co-dependency was actually what we, as a couple, were founded on.
Guided by our wonderful counsellor, we were happy to learn that there are many other positive aspects of our relationship that have turned us into a loving, caring, but boundary-respecting couple. With expert advice, and under a professional’s guidance, co-dependency can be worked on and rooted out.
My partner and I have never been happier in our relationship, and we’re delighted to say that facing co-dependency has improved our communication, sex life, and our mutual connection. We’re living proof that getting help from experts like those at the Leone Centre helps eliminate co-dependency and many other relationship issues.
Depression, Managing and Finding Out Root Causes
I got in touch with the Leone Centre because my depression started taking its toll on my daily life. I found refuge in work, but whenever my mind wasn’t active, I’d sink lower and lower, up to the point where I didn’t even care about my work – something I used to treasure so much.
It got to the stage where I couldn’t even cry anymore. This is when the dark thoughts started. During a moment of clear thought away from my depressive ones, I decided to follow my brother’s advice and make an appointment at the Leone Centre.
A few days later, I was reluctantly on my way to the appointment. A few minutes into it, I poured my heart out and cried for the first time in weeks. I needed a new person to speak to, someone who knew and understood how I felt. I needed to learn how to manage and locate the root causes behind how I was feeling. This is exactly what I got at the Leone Centre.
I owe life to my counsellor. Often, I wonder if I’d still be here if it weren’t for them.
Today I am five months into depression therapy, and I know I’m never going back to where I was before.
Online Counselling and Support During COVID and Beyond
When Covid-19 struck back in March 2020, I was weirded out, but still certain that it was going to end in a couple of months. I have to say, I initially dealt with it quite well. I didn’t see what all the fuss was about – working from home, playing video games, enjoying life.
Then November came knocking and suddenly, I wasn’t in the same place I was in the summer. As the days got shorter and I felt more closed in, I knew I needed to do something. I saw an advertisement about online counselling and support by the Leone Centre, and I just went for it.
I can’t say that I was sceptical, as this wasn’t the first time therapy had helped me, but the online aspect had me a bit worried. Saying that the counsellor delivered would be an understatement. I feel that I can finally breathe freely again.
If you’re feeling locked in, lonely, isolated, or if you’ve lost a loved one during the Covid-19 pandemic, don’t be reluctant to reach out to somebody. Contact the Leone Centre and try their online counselling. It can’t hurt and will almost definitely help.
Anxiety Counselling
In the past, people used to tell me that I’m “too extra” or that I “overthink things.” It’s baffling how difficult it is to explain anxiety to someone who’s never experienced it. I mean truly experienced it, for days and weeks on end. It’s overwhelming and exhausting.
To be honest, I used to think like that a few years back. I thought people were overreacting with the “whole anxiety thing” so whenever anxiety hit me, I’d categorise it as me being the same “old crazy me”. But when this dreadful feeling started turning into a daily part of my life, I knew I had to seek help.
My counsellor at the Leone Centre taught me that I wasn’t going insane and that chronic anxiety is very much manageable and even treatable. I learned how to pick out those nasty intrusive thoughts and see them for what they truly are – a product of my anxiety.
Now, I’m a completely different person, in charge of my life, and able to deal with anxiety. It has to be said, I wouldn’t be where I am today without my counsellor. I’m certain that everyone who suffers from anxiety can benefit greatly from the same kind of professional help that I got.
Stress Counselling
I’ve always been a workaholic. Even back in school, I’d stress over exams and then nail them every time. Still, whenever the next exam came round, I would start stressing all over again.
This translated to my work. Even though I’ve always loved my job, I’d become extra stressed-out before deadlines. I became so used to it that I thought it was a normal state of mind.
It wasn’t until I met my boyfriend that I realised that this wasn’t normal. Still, I couldn’t seem to help myself. For that reason, he recommended the Leone Centre, where he went for professional counselling a few years back.
During my counselling sessions, not only did I learn that stress doesn’t have to be my natural state of mind at work, but that excess stress is really harmful.
I love my therapy sessions at the Leone Centre. My counsellor has put so much hard work into me that I keep saying that he deserves half the credit for my professional success. He helped me find that safe space in my mind that I always go to instead of stressing out over things. I’ve learned how to respect myself as a person and as a professional. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the support I got from the Leone Centre!
Relationship Counselling (As Individual and Couple) – Finding a New Way Ahead Together
When we signed up for relationship counselling at the Leone Centre, my boyfriend and I blamed each other for our problems. Still, we loved each other and wanted our relationship to work.
What we learned during our very first counselling session was that relationship problems are rarely one-sided. We realised that we had a lot to work on (as individuals and as a couple), if we wanted our relationship to flourish.
One of our main issues is that we’re stubborn people. By default, we thought we were both right. The first step was realising that we each had personal problems. The second step was admitting it. Our Leone Centre relationship counsellor managed to help us do this, and, for that, I am eternally grateful.
We also decided to take individual relationship counselling sessions, and it’s safe to say that it all worked out wonderfully. We still go in for an occasional session, both as a couple and individually. We’ve learned new ways to build a future together, and the Leone Centre keeps making it easier for us.
Couples Counselling – Improved Communication
I used to think that happiness was the pillar of a good relationship. So, whenever my girlfriend and I encountered a problem, we’d find it devastating. Before this started eating away at our relationship, I asked my best friend for advice and he recommended the Leone Centre.
At first, I was terrified. When I mentioned couples counselling to my girlfriend, she got scared, as well. But we needed reassurance, support and advice. Sure enough, we got that here. But we also got much more than we bargained for.
Not only did our counsellor teach us that every relationship goes through turmoil at certain points, but that we were capable of surmounting every communication issue. We learned that our love is stronger than any communication barrier. More importantly, we learned how to listen each other, rather than merely hear.
We learnt that unhealthy interpersonal behaviour can harm the connection between an otherwise happy couple. Our Leone therapist has helped us communicate better. Now, after months of counselling, I can safely say that we are the couple that we always wanted to be – happy, determined, and truly attentive towards one another.
Individual Counselling – Safe and Secure Space of Reconnection and Reflection, Feeling Welcome Supported and Understood
A few years ago, I was in a toxic and abusive relationship. After a while, I decided to end things and the breakup didn’t go well, to say the least. Months later, I still found myself scared, confused, and generally unsupported. I carried a lot of emotional baggage with me. Some of it I was aware of, but most of it went under the radar.
This was reflected in my personal relationships, and also in my career. It took me a while to realise that everyone needs a secure space where they can reflect upon their life and feel safe, understood, supported, and welcome. I didn’t have that.
After a few months of individual counselling at the Leone Centre, I was finally able to find my way to self-reflection and reconnection with normal day-to-day living. Even though my toxic relationship is a distant memory now, I still find myself in need of a place of support, compassion, and understanding. I’ve found this at the Leone Centre.
I treasure my individual counselling sessions both on good and bad days. My counsellor helps me focus on the right things and gives me direction. I’m thankful that I’ve found the Leone Centre.
MBTI – Test and Appointment – Personality Test Helping with Personal and Work Relationships
I was never the kind of girl who believed in horoscopes :), maybe that’s why I never paid much attention to all those psychological tests. I thought they were just clickbait titles that classify you as a certain ‘personality type’.
I’ve been going to regular life coaching sessions at the Leone Centre for a few years now, and I’ve learned to trust my counsellor. If someone else had recommended the MBTI test to me, I would’ve turned them down without hesitation.
I took the test and found out that my profile was ISFP: The Artist. My therapist carefully explained that people aren’t “strictly” classified into 16 different MBTI categories and that things can sometimes be more fluid. Still, I started noticing certain things about my profile to be true.
Today, a year later, I am absolutely sure that I’d still be stuck at my dead-end office job without the test. I have rediscovered my passion for photography and am working towards making it my primary source of income.
Although the MBTI test isn’t the only thing that I’m grateful to the Leone Centre for, it’s certainly a tool that helped me improve my work and personal relationships.
Infidelity – Felt Like the End of the Relationship but Became a New Beginning
I used to be ashamed to admit that my wife had an affair. I thought there was no way that our relationship would ever survive. What I also used to do was blame the infidelity solely on her.
I was blind to the fact that I wasn’t a perfect husband either. Although I was aware of my shortcomings, I was still reluctant to admit them, especially in light of her cheating on me.
Despite all of this, I never stopped loving my wife and she never stopped loving me. We were prepared to fight for our marriage. In the end, my wife’s sister recommended the Leone Centre, and I’m forever in her debt.
I’ll admit, after the first few sessions, it still felt as if our relationship was on its last legs. A few months in, I was able to look into my soul and truly forgive her. I was able to see that neither of us were the trigger for the infidelity. It was our relationship that needed mending.
The crisis that seemed like the end of our relationship has turned into a new beginning. I am delighted to say that we are both very happy now.
Marriage Counselling – Reconnecting and Returning to a Shared Future Vision
My wife and I have been happily married for two decades (as of February). As a weird 20-year anniversary experiment, she suggested that we should try marriage counselling. We knew that we were still happy, in love, and cared for each other deeply, but we wanted to see if a professional would agree with us. Let’s be honest, we wanted a pat on the back.
It’s safe to say that we were left surprised after our first counselling session at the Leone Centre. Our therapist managed to find more than a few areas that needed a bit of nurturing in our relationship. We were even more surprised that we didn’t feel scared or worried by this.
Rather, we chose to focus on the areas highlighted to make our relationship even stronger. Though this was unimaginable in February, the two of us are even happier in our marriage now!
This proved to us that unhappy couples aren’t the only ones that benefit from counselling. Thanks to our therapist, we’re becoming better as a couple and as individuals. We’re already planning on bringing our kids to a family therapy session soon.
Counselling Help Reframing Conflict and Understanding Dynamics of Arguing
My boyfriend and I used to fight all the time. Either that, or we’d avoid fights altogether and bottle things up. I never gave much thought to it until the arguments started getting more frequent. The worst part about them is that the same conflicts would repeat over and over again, and we’d never resolve anything. It felt like we were merely postponing the dispute until next time.
Outside of these fights, the two of us were able to acknowledge that the problem existed, but talking about the same issues would only result in the same fights, all over again.
It wasn’t until we took up couple’s therapy at the Leone Centre that we realised that there are fruitful and unfruitful arguments. The second sort was the type we kept repeating.
Thanks to our therapist, we managed to learn how to reframe our conflicts. He taught us so much about the dynamics of those arguments. Not only has this helped us resolve our main issues, but it has improved our overall communication with people.
The two of us came in to fix our relationship problems, and we’ve finished therapy as a happy couple much better at communicating in general.
“Suzanne‘s warm energy makes her an easy Therapist to feel connected to. Insightful responses from Suzanne made me feel heard and understood. My sessions with Suzanne are now coming to an end, and I can honestly say having developed a better understanding of myself I feel equipped to deal with life’s challenges.”
“Counselling at Leone Centre not only supported me in managing my day-to-day anxiety but also gave me insights into some of the root causes of my issues…”
“…helped me to learn about the physiological and psychological manifestations of stress and anxiety and to find ways to overcome. My confidence in work and in my relationships has improved as a result.”
“…developed my self-awareness and capacity to honour my qualities and achievements; my anxiety is no longer calling the shots and I am more in control of my life.”
“… at our 3rd attempt of marriage counselling we finally got some couples therapy sessions that made a difference. Our couple therapist at Leone Centre was warm and knowledgeable…”
“…sessions became an enriching learning space. We are now in a new and positive phase in our relationship… “
“…we had our marriage counselling sessions in London at Leone Centres’ Fulham practice …we felt welcome, comfortable and non judged…”
Leone Centre was so helpful and efficient and promptly arranged our initial marriage counselling session. Our therapist was experienced and down to earth…”
Our Marriage Therapy session helped us to listen to each other
We would highly recommend the Marriage Counselling at Leone Centre. arguments had escalated to a point where we could no longer talk about anything without escalating into painful conflict. We are now able to communicate whilst remaining calm and really listen to each other, something we haven’t been able to do for a long time. I can now hold my point of view without being validated for it and am less defensive in taking in different point of views.
Overcoming Problems Counselling in our Marriage
I never thought we would need Couples Counselling but it really helped our marriage.
Cristina Vrech is an experienced therapist and guided us in a process where we were able to see each other again and learnt our different languages of love that were often lost in translation.
So we would highly recommend Leone Centre to couples that want to start a process of revisioning their relationship and reconnecting.
