Therapy for Professionals and Executives in Essex and London
Ryan Hegarty is a BABCP-accredited CBT and EMDR therapist in Essex who works primarily with professionals, executives and entrepreneurs dealing with burnout, high-functioning anxiety and work-related stress.
You are good at what you do. That does not mean everything is fine.
Most of my clients are not in crisis. They are functioning, often very well on the outside. They are hitting targets, managing teams, running businesses. And privately, they are exhausted, anxious, or running on empty in a way they cannot easily explain to the people around them.
They come to me because they want to understand what is going on and do something about it. Not talk for the sake of it. Not being told everything is fine.
That is exactly what we do.
Who I work with as a therapist for professionals
Professionals and Executives
Senior leaders, managers, and corporate professionals who are performing under sustained pressure. Often dealing with anxiety that does not look like anxiety from the outside, perfectionism that has stopped being useful, or a growing sense that the life they have built does not feel the way they expected it to.
Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
People who have built something, or are building something, and carry that weight constantly. The line between work and everything else has disappeared. The drive that got them here is now working against them.
Therapy for burnout, high-functioning anxiety and work-related stress
These are the things that come up most often with the clients I work with:
Burnout
Not tiredness. The point where motivation, drive and capacity have genuinely gone, and the standard advice, rest more, work less, is not touching it. CBT helps identify the patterns that led here. EMDR can help where burnout is tied to specific experiences that have not shifted.
High-Functioning Anxiety
You are performing well, meeting expectations, and appearing fine. Underneath, the anxiety is constant. It does not look like anxiety from the outside, which makes it harder to name and easier to dismiss. It is not fine.
Work-Related Stress
Pressure that has become chronic, spilling into sleep, relationships and physical health.
Imposter Syndrome
Persistent self-doubt that does not shift regardless of what you achieve, how long you have been doing this, or how many people tell you that you are good at it. CBT is particularly effective here because it works directly with the thought patterns that keep it going.
Perfectionism
Standards that started as an asset and became something that runs you into the ground. The difference between healthy standards and perfectionism that is harming you is something we can identify and work on.
Trauma and PTSD
Experiences that keep showing up in ways that feel disproportionate or out of your control. EMDR was developed specifically for trauma and has one of the strongest evidence bases of any psychological treatment.
Anxiety and Panic
Including presentations, high-stakes decisions, and performance situations.
Depression
Particularly where it is masked by busyness, ambition or external markers of success. Common in this group. Underdiagnosed for the same reasons.
Burnout
Not tiredness. The point where motivation, drive and capacity have genuinely gone, and the standard advice, rest more, work less, is not touching it. CBT helps identify the patterns that led here. EMDR can help where burnout is tied to specific experiences that have not shifted.
High-Functioning Anxiety
You are performing well, meeting expectations, and appearing fine. Underneath, the anxiety is constant. It does not look like anxiety from the outside, which makes it harder to name and easier to dismiss. It is not fine.
Work-Related Stress
Pressure that has become chronic, spilling into sleep, relationships and physical health.
Imposter Syndrome
Persistent self-doubt that does not shift regardless of what you achieve, how long you have been doing this, or how many people tell you that you are good at it. CBT is particularly effective here because it works directly with the thought patterns that keep it going.
Perfectionism
Standards that started as an asset and became something that runs you into the ground. The difference between healthy standards and perfectionism that is harming you is something we can identify and work on.
Trauma and PTSD
Experiences that keep showing up in ways that feel disproportionate or out of your control. EMDR was developed specifically for trauma and has one of the strongest evidence bases of any psychological treatment.
Anxiety and Panic
Including presentations, high-stakes decisions, and performance situations.
Depression
Particularly where it is masked by busyness, ambition or external markers of success. Common in this group. Underdiagnosed for the same reasons.
Online therapy and home visits for busy professionals
Online Therapy
Sessions by video, from wherever you are. Most of my clients work this way. It is flexible, discreet, and just as effective as in-person work.
Home Visits
I come to you. Available across Essex, Brentwood, Chelmsford, and London. Useful if getting to an office is difficult, or if you simply prefer it.
All sessions are 50 minutes.
Most clients start with a free 20-minute discovery call.
CBT and EMDR therapy for professionals, delivered by a BABCP-accredited therapist
I am Ryan Hegarty, a BABCP-accredited CBT and EMDR therapist. Before private practice, I worked in high-security psychiatric settings, NHS services, and as a mental health adviser at the University of Cambridge. I hold an NMC registration as a mental health nurse, and I am currently completing a master’s in psychology.
I have worked with people in senior leadership, professional sport, and public-facing roles, as well as individuals managing significant personal adversity. That range of experience matters. I am not easily surprised, and I do not need you to manage how you come across in sessions.
My approach is practical. We identify what is keeping the problem going, build a framework for understanding it, and apply evidence-based strategies to change it. CBT and EMDR are not talking therapies in the traditional sense. There is a method. It works. That is why I use them.
Every session is delivered by me directly.
Don't take my word for it
Hear from some of my clients.
Can’t recommend highly enough!!!
Ryan was an exceptional trauma-informed CBT therapist and I can’t recommend him highly enough. From the very first session, he immediately made me feel relaxed, safe, and comfortable enough to open up about what was going on. He explained things in a way that was easy to understand and always made the techniques feel relevant and personal to my situation.
My time working with Ryan was very helpful and productive. I’ve had several counsellors over the years, and elements of Ryan’s approach were quite different and very suited to me. His manner is relaxed and empathetic. Whilst the time was taken to aid my understanding of myself, he also provided real tools and tactics that enabled me to put the changes I wanted to make into practice. This has often been the gap in the past that prevented me from making meaningful change. I’m doing well now, but wouldn’t hesitate to go back to Ryan, for a top up, or to work through another issue on the future. Thank you, Ryan.
Life Changing.
Ryan has been incredible throughout. His pragmatic approach and tools have helped me overcome a number of challenges which have built up over time.
His clear communication style and clarity ensured I was able to understand everything in the first instance and the awareness I developed with his help has significantly improved my view on many things and helped me be more accepting in certain situations which would have previously snow balled and got out of control.
Without question or doubt, I’d highly recommend Ryan. Thank you Ryan.
I couldn’t recommend Ryan more.
Ryan is a highly trained therapist, who you feel at ease with after just your first meeting. He speaks to you like you’re a real person and creates an environment that you feel that you can open up in. Ryan has real life applicable techniques which are easy to integrate into your day to day life. He genuinely has changed my life and way of thinking.
I have tried NHS and a few other therapy services. Slan Therapy was the one that stuck. Ryan is patient and lets you go at your own pace whilst also making sure you are progressing. He made me feel so at ease and I looked forward to the sessions instead of dreading them (like all the ones before). My life is now brighter since working with him. 100% recommend, his Irish self won’t let you down!
Ryan is a phenomenal practitioner of pyschotherapy and CBT. I started working with him on a personal recommendation and within a few sessions he had helped me not only understand (for the first time) what was going on for me, but also started equipping me with practical work that made a real difference.
Ryan is a highly trained therapist, who you feel at ease with after just your first meeting. He speaks to you like you’re a real person and creates an environment that you feel that you can open up in. Ryan has real life applicable techniques which are easy to integrate into your day to day life. He genuinely has changed my life and way of thinking.
Read more of our trusted reviews online
Questions about therapy for professionals
Don’t see the answer you need? Get in touch.
Is therapy for professionals confidential?
Yes, completely. I work to strict ethical and legal guidelines as a BABCP-accredited psychotherapist and registered mental health nurse. Nothing discussed in sessions is shared without your explicit consent.
Exceptions apply only in rare circumstances where there is a serious risk of harm. Discretion is something my clients, particularly those in senior or public-facing roles, take seriously. So do I.
Do you only work with men?
No. My caseload is genuinely mixed. I tend to attract high-achieving professionals of both sexes and partners of people who have worked with me. If the way I work resonates with you, that is what matters.
Can therapy help with burnout?
Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons professionals come to see me. CBT helps identify the thinking patterns and behaviours that led to burnout and maintain it. EMDR can help where burnout is connected to specific experiences that have not resolved on their own.
At Slán Therapy, burnout is not treated as tiredness; it is treated as a clinical problem with identifiable causes and evidence-based solutions.
What is high-functioning anxiety?
High-functioning anxiety describes a pattern where someone is performing well by external measures: meeting deadlines, managing responsibilities, appearing confident, while experiencing persistent anxiety underneath. It is common in high achievers and often goes unaddressed because the person is still functioning.
At Slán Therapy, I work with high-functioning anxiety using CBT, which targets the thought patterns and behaviours that keep anxiety going even when life is objectively going well.
Is CBT effective for work-related stress?
Yes. CBT is one of the most extensively researched psychological treatments and has a strong evidence base for stress, anxiety and burnout. It works by identifying the specific thoughts and behaviours that are maintaining the problem, not just the symptoms.
As a BABCP-accredited therapist, Ryan Hegarty uses CBT to help professionals in Essex and London build a practical framework for managing stress that lasts beyond the end of therapy.
How many sessions will I need?
Most clients see meaningful change in six to eight sessions. Others prefer to work over a longer period. I will give you an honest view of this early on, not keep you coming back longer than is useful.
Ready to do something about it?
Book a free 20-minute discovery call. No obligation, no clinical assessment, just a conversation about what has brought you here and whether I am the right fit.