Ian Washington-Smith

Ian Washington-Smith

Founder and Director Mindsmith

London, England, United Kingdom
3K followers 500+ connections

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College of Cognitive Behaviour Therapies

  • Contact Ian for services

    Executive Coaching, Change Management, Diversity & Inclusion, Corporate Training, Leadership Development, Life Coaching, Training, Negotiation, HR Consulting, and Management Consulting

About

We all spend a lot of time thinking, but our education is deficient in teaching on the influences on thinking and behaviour. Where we have insight we can often confuse causes with symptoms.
If we don’t all behave in the same way, what really determines our responses?
MST© is a system we designed. A practical method of understanding belief systems, their influences and associated consequences. We use simple methods. What is essential however is a recognition that sometimes to learn, you first have to unlearn. I work as a Behavioural Expert and Executive Coach, Board Level, Public and Private Sector. I am an experienced Director and Founder of a company called Mindsmith which offers MST© Coaching and Development Programmes. A former Police Senior Manager - skilled in Operations and Intelligence Management, Corruption Prevention and Covert Investigation.
We support individuals and organisations to change, focusing on individual potential, people productivity, diversity and leadership. I have always had an interest in people.Their differences.Culture.What drives the way they behave and how they can be their best or worst version. My studies and degree gave me a grounding. My first career in the police service and the roles I had in it, became perhaps the best people apprenticeship you could have. Where else could you do things as diverse as following the career path of a Detective Inspector, becoming a Diversity Manager and a founder of a representative group like the ThamesValley Black Police Association? There was much to learn and I learnt a lot. As Founder of Mindsmith, I have combined this developing knowledge with my management and operational portfolio to add value to a very different industry.

I initially developed the approach to help people find a way of understanding themselves and the challenges they face. I wanted to do that in an empowering way, that helped them see the “conditioned mind” as the most significant limitation. The techniques we have developed have allowed me to answer many of the questions I used to ask, but have also developed innovative ways of solving problems for individuals, teams and organisations. What we do is new. Some say innovative, others say disruptive. Those who work with us at all levels of organisations say they benefit from this sometimes in ways they would not think were possible. What I now know is that, the most important journey is the journey within to experience something previously outside of your awareness, your potential.

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Activity

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Experience

  • Mindsmith Thinking Graphic

    Founder

    Mindsmith Thinking

    - Present 3 years 1 month

    Plymouth, England, United Kingdom

    Mindsmiththinking Limited trades as Mindsmith. We develop programmes and offer Consultancy for People Solutions and Executive and Management Coaching for people development. MST is a system we have developed to give a better understanding thinking and behaviour. It helps you determine how you respond to your environment and gives a practical explanation of the mind and its effects and how to overcome them. It has many applications. It was initially used reactively but more of our clients are…

    Mindsmiththinking Limited trades as Mindsmith. We develop programmes and offer Consultancy for People Solutions and Executive and Management Coaching for people development. MST is a system we have developed to give a better understanding thinking and behaviour. It helps you determine how you respond to your environment and gives a practical explanation of the mind and its effects and how to overcome them. It has many applications. It was initially used reactively but more of our clients are seeing the benefit of pro-active delivery, that empowers, individuals, teams and organisations in a practical, simple and effective way. Our methods help individuals to understand themselves and how to adapt and pursue thinking and behavioural alternatives. Mental Agility is the key attribute that MST uniquely develops, improving , mental resilience, collaboration and leadership. Much of our work has been developed within the police service where we use the approach to offer innovative people solutions. We teach clients to understand subconscious processes, enabling them to identify causes and eliminate symptoms. Our enhanced “people diagnostic”provides new solutions for common HR, OHSU and organisational people issues.
    Our Coaches have operational and management experience and are selected on the basis that they thrive on seeing clients utilise what they learn to improve performance.

  • Private Practice in Mental Health Counseling Graphic

    Rational Emotive and Cognitive Behaviour Therapist

    Private Practice in Mental Health Counseling

    - Present 9 years 7 months

    Battersea, London and Millbay, Plymouth

    Rational Emotive and Cognitive Behaviour Therapist in private practice. I work in three locations, Battersea, Slough and Millbay Plymouth. In the latter location I run a business providing a residential facility for clients who seek therapy in surroundings conducive to it. I am also a partner in the
    Cognitive Coaching Company, designing and running corporate workshops to help teams manage stress and build personal resilience.

  • Rego Graphic

    Director

    Rego

    - 9 months

    London, England, United Kingdom

  • Shinesmith Graphic

    Director

    Shinesmith

    - 1 year 5 months

    London and Plymouth

  • Smooth Events Ltd Graphic

    Director

    Smooth Events Ltd

    - 10 years 3 months

    London, United Kingdom

    Smooth is an events staffing agency providing specialist human resource support to both corporate and live events.

  • Founder

    Cognitive Coaching

    - 3 years 9 months

    London, United Kingdom and Plymouth

  • Thames Valley Police

    Thames Valley Police

    8 years 8 months

    • Thames Valley Police Graphic

      Detective Inspector -Counter Corruption Unit

      Thames Valley Police

      - 3 years 9 months

      HQ and Force

      Management of Overt and Covert Corruption Investigations and Investigators

    • Thames Valley Police Graphic

      Founder Member and Vice-Chair ThamesValley Black Police Association

      Thames Valley Police

      - 17 years 10 months

      Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom

      Organisation part of the Culture Club within Thames Valley Police.Working to actively address insititutional issues and attitudes towards difference and later became a separate organisation.
      Helping minority communities address historic attitudes towards the police service.
      Supporting force to recruit from minority communities
      Supporting new BME recruits to progress career within police service
      Addressing disproportionality in recruitment and promotion and acting as a critical…

      Organisation part of the Culture Club within Thames Valley Police.Working to actively address insititutional issues and attitudes towards difference and later became a separate organisation.
      Helping minority communities address historic attitudes towards the police service.
      Supporting force to recruit from minority communities
      Supporting new BME recruits to progress career within police service
      Addressing disproportionality in recruitment and promotion and acting as a critical friend to the service to bring that about.
      Supporting the National Black Police Association and its objectives.
      First Contact Support for officers reporting discrimination and grievance
      Advising on use of Positive Action and avoiding Positive Discrimination
      Speaking and advising senior managers on addressing issues affecting confidence of minority communities in the police.
      Offering tactical advice, on operational activity affecting minority communites.
      Community Reassurance -explaining rationale behind policing activity to minority communities.
      Buliding Links with new communities
      Force Diversity Board-Progressing Diversity Agenda.

    • Thames Valley Police Graphic

      Intelligence Manager (Detective Inspector)

      Thames Valley Police

      - 3 years 1 month

      Berkshire East

      Managing Force Intelligence Teams for Windsor and Maidenhead, Slough and Bracknell

    • Thames Valley Police Graphic

      DIVERSITY MANAGER

      Thames Valley Police

      - 2 years

      Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom

      Manager in Force Diversity Unity and Head of Community Recruitment Network. Responsible for team engaged in building links with minority communities, building trust and recruitment of BME staff.

Education

  • College of Cognitive Behaviour Therapies

    Advanced Diploma CBT and REBT, Advanced Diploma Integrative Therapy The Mind and Mental Health

    -

    5 Separate Courses (beginning 2013)
    Counselling Skills• Diploma CBT and REBT • Diploma Mindfulness and Hypnotherapy • Advanced Diploma CBT and REBT • Advanced Diploma Integrative Therapy(Completion March 2016)

  • College of Policing UK

    Management Training Covert Law Enforcement Managers Course

    -

    Management of Covert Investigations,Investigators and Tactics

  • Bishopgarth, Detective Training Centre,West Yorkshire.

    Law and Investigative Procedure

    -

  • Nottingham Trent University Graphic

    Nottingham Trent University

    BA Hons Humanities Psychology,Sociology, History

    -

  • Handsworth Grammar School

    9 O'levels 3 A'levels

    -

Licenses & Certifications

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