Attachment-Based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy with Baanu Baghbani-Irvine
Baanu Baghbani-Irvine
Attachment-Based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist | Psychodynamic & Trauma Therapy
MSc, PGD, PGD, BICA
Pronouns - She/Her
Baanu brings over 20 years of therapeutic experience with adults, adolescents and children, working both individually and within family systems. Her core focus is attachment — how our earliest relationships shape the way we connect, trust, and understand ourselves throughout adult life.
She specialises in childhood trauma, attachment-related difficulties, and long-standing relationship patterns: the kinds of struggles that tend to have deep roots and respond best to the depth and continuity of psychodynamic, attachment-based work. Baanu has undertaken specialist training and is completing a UKCP-accredited qualification in Attachment-Based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy.
Alongside this, she is trauma-informed and integratively trained (CBT, RECBT, ACT, systemic thinking and mindfulness), which means she can hold both depth and practical support when it's needed. Baanu also has specialist training in infertility and adoption, supporting individuals and couples through fertility struggles, miscarriage, IVF and donor conception with a compassionate, steady approach to grief and change.
Beyond her clinical practice, Baanu has held leadership and supervisory roles within Family and Children's Services, contributed to the Leaders for London programme, and provides clinical supervision to other practitioners.
"My passion is empowering people to understand the patterns beneath their relationships and emotions — so they can feel more secure in themselves and more connected to others. Life's earliest experiences shape who we become, and I offer a safe, non-judgemental space to explore them and create meaningful, lasting change."
What Is Attachment-Based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (ABPP)?
Attachment-based psychoanalytic psychotherapy is a long-term therapeutic approach. It recognises that meaningful change often develops through ongoing exploration and a consistent therapeutic relationship.
This approach explores how your early relationships and experiences have shaped the way you understand yourself, others, and the world around you. Our earliest relationships influence how we experience closeness, trust, independence, conflict and emotional connection. When patterns formed early in life continue into adulthood, they often show up in relationships, work, self-esteem, and the way we respond to stress or uncertainty.
Attachment-based therapy offers a space to explore these patterns with curiosity and compassion. Together, we look at your experiences, emotions, thoughts and relationship patterns to develop a deeper understanding of yourself. The aim is not only to reduce distress, but to help you develop a stronger sense of identity, greater emotional awareness, and more fulfilling relationships.
What to Expect in Attachment-Based Therapy
Therapy involves building a trusting relationship where you feel able to explore difficult experiences at your own pace. Sessions focus on what brings you to therapy, while also paying attention to recurring themes and patterns in your life.
You may explore:
How past relationships influence your current experiences.
How you respond to closeness, rejection, conflict, or feelings of being misunderstood.
The beliefs you hold about yourself and your worth.
Patterns you repeat in relationships or situations where you feel under pressure.
Ways to develop a more secure and compassionate relationship with yourself.
Unlike approaches focused mainly on managing immediate symptoms, this work aims to understand the deeper roots of emotional difficulties and relationship patterns. Over time, therapy provides an opportunity to develop new ways of relating to yourself and others, creating lasting change.
The length of therapy varies depending on your needs and goals. Some people choose focused work around a particular difficulty, while others engage in longer-term therapy to explore deeper patterns and personal development.
Who Attachment-Based Therapy Can Help
Attachment-based psychoanalytic psychotherapy can be particularly effective for people who:
Have experienced early trauma, loss or neglect that continues to affect them.
Struggle with repeated cycles of relationship difficulties or fears of abandonment.
Feel stuck in patterns of low self-esteem, self-criticism or shame.
Live with anxiety or depression that hasn't shifted with short-term therapy.
Want to explore questions of identity, belonging and meaning.
Because this work is not just about reducing symptoms but about transforming how you understand and relate to yourself and others, it invites a medium- to long-term commitment. Over time, this allows for deep and lasting change — healthier relationships, a stronger sense of self, and feeling more grounded in your life.
Areas of Specialism
Anxiety
Anger
Attachment problems
Body image problems
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
Career counselling
Codependency
Childhood Trauma
Depression
Difficulties in maintaining a healthy lifestyle
Guilt
Eating disorders
Family Issues
Fears of abandonment
Generalised Anxiety (GAD)
Grief / bereavement
Health Anxiety
Jealousy or self-discipline problems (for example comfort eating)
Low self-esteem
Miscarriage
Managing stress
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Parenting Issues
Post Traumatic Distress Disorders (PTSD)
Post Natal anxiety /depression
Procrastination amongst others
Pregnancy & Birth
Relationship problems
Redundancy
Seasonal affective disorder
Sleep problems
Shame
Social Anxiety
Trauma
LGBTQI+ Inclusive :
Baanu has number of diversity and inclusion in therapy trainings. Some specific gender identity and sexual orientation training.
Workplace Training: Sexual Orientation & LGBTQ+ Inclusion
Therapeutic Expertise: Affirmative & ACT Therapy
Addressing Unconscious Bias & Systemic Microaggression
Experience in:
Assisting Parents of LGBTQ+ Children / Adolescents
Supporting LGBTQ+ Adolescents
LGBTQ+ Relationship & Couples Therapy
How Baanu Works
Baanu's primary approach is attachment-based psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapy. She is also integratively trained, and where it's helpful she draws on other evidence-based models — including CBT, RECBT, ACT, mindfulness and systemic approaches — to support the deeper attachment work.
Therapeutic Approaches & Models
Attachment-Based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
Rational Emotive Therapy (RECBT)
Trauma and Attachment
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Mindfulness
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT)
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
Integrative Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy
Schema Therapy
Solution Focused Therapy
Structural family therapy
Systemic Couples Therapy
Systemic Family therapy
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Baanu works with:
Adolescents (10 - 15 Years)
Adolescents (16 - 18 Years)
Adults (19-65 Years)
Elderly (65+ Years)
Couples and relationship Therapy
Family therapy
Individual Therapy
Baanu can offer therapy in include:
English, Finnish and Persian (Farsi)
Professional Training & Accreditations
Completing a UKCP-accredited qualification in Attachment-Based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
PGD in Psychodynamic Approach to Psychotherapy (2009–2011)
PGD in Systemic Family Therapy — Clinical Supervisor
MSc in Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy — CBT Therapist
Member of the British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA)
Client testimonials
Transform Your Life with Baanu
"I just want to say thank you. Therapy with you has changed my life and it helped me regain a sense of self. I no longer feel like everything is too heavy, I am able to manage my emotions better and I am excited at life again. I feel so much more self-aware and my whole life is improving. I am ready to focus on other areas on my life and I am more self-focused and starting to feel less guilty about it. You have a wonderful skill of listening, but also challenging my behaviour and I will always recommend you to anyone searching for a therapist." Anonymous
Rebuilding Relationships Together - Baanu so was warm, supportive and helpful
“Baanu was so warm, supportive, and helpful, and I am so thankful to have worked with her. She helped my partner and I through a difficult period in our relationship, and through therapy we learned a lot about ourselves and each other.” Laura
Experience Tailored and Impactful Therapy with Baanu. A Journey to Sustainable Change
“Baanu was a skilled and adept therapist. She took time to fully understand my difficulties and their origins building an individualised approach. She took my feedback on board as we moved through sessions on what was and wasn't and what else needed addressing. As a therapist myself I found this was invaluable but she also pushed me where needed to address uncomfortable issues and for the first time I feel I was able to address the root causes and make sustainable change. Thank you so much.” Jen (Therapist Baanu Baghabani-Irvine)
Empowering and Insightful Therapy for Deep Personal Growth
“Baanu was excellent in every way. She was really easy to talk to, always made me feel comfortable and had a really good way of empowering me to open up about topics that I have felt uncomfortable digging into in the past. She also was able to show me links to these things and my struggles with my mood that really allowed me to re-contextualise events in my childhood that contributed to issues I have experienced recently. I really enjoyed working with her and would recommend her as a therapist to anyone looking to explore therapy further.” Mark
I immediately felt at ease with Baanu.
“I immediately felt at ease with Baanu. She was very open, warm and very human in her approach. I felt she truly heard me and listened attentively. She was not afraid to challenge me on occasion. My therapy was a very positive experience.” Anonymous
Masterful Guidance to Uncover and Transform.
“Baanu was absolutely fantastic throughout. She’s very skilled at getting to the bottom of behavioural challenges - when I thought something superficial was a challenge she helped me pick apart situations to really identify the belief or behaviour, why it exists and what I can do to be more aware and in control of my own out puts. At the same time I felt like I was in a safe space and could experiment with my thoughts to identify which tools and ways of thinking would be helpful.” Annabel
Seamless Journey from Inquiry to Therapy. Exceptional, Empathic Online Sessions That Feel In-Person
“The process from inquiry to the final invoice has all been very smooth. It felt that my needs were listened to and the best possible solution was suggested. My therapist was absolutely amazing; incredibly knowledgeable, empathic, and clearly used to online forms of therapy. During the session, it seemed as if we were in the same room making me feel safe and secure.” Anonymous
Guiding You to Insightful Solutions and a New Perspective on Personal Challenges
“Baanu really did help me find answers I was looking, she listened to everything I had to say and along the way gave me guidance and tips to make me realise that all these problems I thought I had, weren’t so much problems, but stuff I was allowing myself to think were problems.” Joe
A Perfect Blend of Attentiveness, Guidance, and Emotional Safety
“The therapy sessions were great! Baanu was very astute and was great at recalling conversations and names from previous sessions. Baanu was great at guiding me and helping me release emotions whilst maintain that safe non-judgemental space.” Dylan
Transformative Therapy Experience: Unlocking a Happier, More Confident You
“The therapy I received has ultimately changed my life! I’m a happier, more confident person now than I probably ever have been. I would highly recommend it, to anyone who has any mental health issues they wish to address and resolve!” Paul
Expert Support for Emotional Healing and Confidence Post-Breakup
“Baanu is an excellent therapist. I started therapy with her after my breakup. She made me feel comfortable from the first session onwards. I could easily open up to her. I had 6 sessions with her and each session made me feel better. Her therapy methods are very effective. At the end of 6 sessions, I was feeling more confident and felt I was over the breakup. I would highly recommend Baanu. She is the best!” Annonymous (6 sessions