October 2024

Bernd Leygraf is the only Consultant Psychotherapist in his field.
He co-founded a number of organisations (London Men's Forum, UK Standing Conference on Sexual Abuse of Men, the Centre for Personal and Professional Development, the Whittington Hospital Psychotherapy Clinic, the Hungarian Gestalt Association, Naos-Institute, Keshet in Belgium). He authored with Judi Keshet-Orr the first MSc in Humanistic Psychotherapy as well as the first Masters programme in Psychosexual & Relationship Therapy in the UK. He also authored as well as led several masters programmes in the UK, primarily at South Bank University, Middlesex University, Westminster and the University of Surrey. He has been external examiner to various universities in the UK and was principal lecturer at Peradeniya University, Kandy (Sri Lanka).


A former Chair of the Professional Standards and Accreditation Board at the European Association for Counselling, and Ethics Committee of COSRT, Bernd works currently with trainees in over 40 countries. He is interested in working with issues of cultural difference and fascinated by the work of Mindell and more recent developments in constellation theory. His principal influences in sexological and relationship therapy are Dr David Schnarch, Dr Joseph Zinker, Ellen Bader, Judith Hemming, Joan Lachkar, Judi Keshet-Orr and, as ever, his clients. Bernd is proud to have mentored a vast number of sex and relationship therapists in shaping their own professional identities and careers - in the UK, Europe and as far as Africa and the Middle East - some of those have moved into offering specialist psychosexual clinics; others are now trainers and have published in their own right. Bernd is delighted to be (founder and) Honorary Member of the Hungarian Gestalt Association. He was awarded Fellowship of the National Council for Integrative Psychotherapists and in recognition of his contributions to the field he was also awarded Fellowship by the National Counselling Society and by the College for Sex and Relationship Therapy. Clinically speaking, Bernd focuses on working with celebrity clients and on men in leadership, both nationally and globally. In 2019 he initiated an Intense couple therapy model and teaches in Hungary, Egypt and throughout the Middle East. He was Chair of NCIP and contributor to NCPS's Professional Standards as well as serving on the Standards Board of COSRT. He is currently External Examiner at Birmingham University.

In 2023 Bernd was given the Liz McElligot Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession of Psychosexual and Relationship Therapy and for the support and guidance he has provided to the field.

From 2023, Bernd has been appointed a Fellow of the COSRT.

Bernd was accredited by a plethora of organisations, including the Institute for Individual Psychology (IIP), RIMA, BACP, COSRT, UPCA, AHPP and UKCP registered until he decided to simplify his life.

Additional information can be found on his organisational website www.naos-institute.com, and on his private practice one www.gettingbetter.org.uk.