In the heart of South East London, a quiet revolution is unfolding. It’s not taking place in a protest-filled square or on the steps of government buildings; instead, it’s happening in the therapeutic spaces where Lea Misan, founder of Act for Change and Business Families Dynamics Ltd., is reshaping how we think about mental health, trauma, and healing. With a career spanning nearly two decades, Misan is challenging the traditional boundaries of psychotherapy, weaving together personal empowerment with systemic transformation. Her work goes far beyond alleviating symptoms—it’s about reimagining how individuals and communities confront their deepest wounds.
Her journey into psychotherapy wasn’t the result of a sudden epiphany, but rather the slow unfolding of a philosophy she was raised with. Misan recalls her father’s words: “We are all part of a menorah made of a single piece of gold.” To her, this meant not only valuing pluralism and diversity but recognizing that at our core, we are connected—something that continues to shape her work today.
“I believe through empathy and connection, we can transform the world,” Misan reflects. “But transformation requires a two-fold approach: it’s about healing within ourselves, and then reaching outward to heal our communities.” This guiding principle underpins the very ethos of her therapeutic practice.
Breaking Down Boundaries: Misan’s Dual Approach
Act for Change, founded in 2007, is a charity and commissioned service provider dedicated to supporting young people and their families who have experienced trauma, including those impacted by collective historical events. In the aftermath of working with young people around Holocaust education, Misan saw the transformative power of addressing trauma both individual and collective. Her charity’s mission—promoting a systemic approach to intervention and prevention – which has as a byproduct, reduction in discrimination, abuse and neglect. This mission is grounded in her commitment to healing the long-lasting scars left by trauma. Misan’s lifework is to disrupt harmful cycles and, in doing so, foster empathy and understanding where there was once division.
“There’s something deeply powerful about creating a space where people can connect not just to themselves, but to a shared humanity.”
While her work at Act for Change focuses on systemic change through trauma-informed therapy, Misan’s Business Families Dynamics Ltd., founded in 2017, tackles a more niche challenge. Misan works with families navigating intergenerational trauma and inherited wealth. Her work with Act for Change and Business Family Dynamics are in many ways, two sides of the same coin. Misan sees this as an opportunity to bring solidarity from one to the other. A healing whisper of hope for society. “Many people don’t realise that there’s a huge wealth shift between generations, resulting in many people who don’t recognise the weight of the resources they have inherited. Working with family can be overwhelming. Difficult dynamics can affect decision-making. As a psychotherapist for Business Family Dynamics, Misan’s role is not just to support families in managing wealth in harmony, but to also help them gain clarity and a deeper sense of self as they navigate the complex intersection of money, identity and relational health,” she explains. Her aim here is not just to support families in managing wealth, but also to help them gain clarity and a deeper sense of self as they navigate the complex intersection of money, identity, and relational health.
The Human as Whole, not Broken
Often, there is a tendency to focus on ‘fixing’ instead of fostering the agency of the individual. What sets Misan apart as a psychotherapist is her holistic approach. Holistic, being a term that is used very loosely now, for Lea, means reactivating the agency of the individual by assessing driving forces and patterns, and then re-allocating energies to make change in one’s life. In doing so, the client is truly the primary actor in their healing journey. She says, “I work to create an environment where clients aren’t just passive recipients of care. They’re co-creators of their healing process. This means giving them the tools to recognize and integrate the parts of themselves they may have disowned.”
This process-oriented approach is uniquely personal. Misan draws on her extensive training in various psychotherapeutic modalities, but at the core of her work is the understanding that no single approach will work for everyone. Lea integrates body-based therapies and trauma-informed practices and her innovative EF Methodology which bring in poetic personification and analogies to the approach. DATIS (Developmental Awareness Trauma Informed Systems) is an AFC mode of practice, used together with the EF Methodology to empower clients to recognise emotional root causes and to take action in their healing. Lea’s various services have cultivated a therapeutic style that helps individuals reclaim their story and build their resilience.
Her dedication for working with trauma comes from both personal and professional experience. Every AFC Case, every private client, every encounter with a child in need, has left an imprint of the root trauma and the need for a route towards healing that trauma. In her own life, the impact of intergenerational trauma was felt due to multiple displacements and prejudice. She understands that trauma is not just something that happens to the individual—it can be passed down, shaping responses, relationships, and behaviors for generations. By addressing trauma within both the individual and the larger family or community system, she helps her clients break these cycles.
“It’s about making clients see that their experiences aren’t their fault, but they still have the power to act differently,” Misan says. “When we acknowledge the systemic causes of trauma, we also help people see the strength they have to overcome it.”
A Safe Space for Change
“It’s about creating a space where people can confront the hard stuff—where vulnerability is welcomed, not feared. I want my clients to feel safe enough to face the most uncomfortable truths about themselves.”
Sometimes, a rupture in the harmonious therapeutic relationship occurs. Often this means that the issue the client has come to resolve, is mirrored in the therapeutic relationship. “But when they happen, I use them as opportunities to model repair, which strengthens the trust between me and my clients.” This approach not only fosters a deeper connection but also teaches clients the skills to repair their own relationships outside the therapy room.
"There’s something deeply powerful about creating a space where people can connect not just to themselves, but to a shared humanity."
Empathy: The Heart of Misan’s Practice
Empathy, for Misan, is not just about being kind; it’s about being present in the deepest sense. Her approach goes beyond listening—she seeks to feel alongside her clients, tuning into unspoken cues that reveal hidden aspects of their emotional experience. “I attune to the body, the tone, the unspoken words,” she says. “Empathy means tracking the emotional, sensory, and relational channels simultaneously. It’s about feeling with the person, not just hearing their words.”
This capacity for attunement is key to Misan’s therapeutic success. Her clients often describe their sessions as transformative, a space where they can finally be seen—not just for what they’ve suffered, but for the fullness of their experience.
“I’ve watched clients shift from paralyzed by fear to empowered to take action in their lives,” Misan shares. “The transformation happens when they recognize their power to act in the world, even as they sit with the pain of their past.”
A Vision for the Future
Misan’s work reflects a larger vision for the future of psychotherapy—a vision where the individual’s healing is seen as interconnected with the healing of society. She believes that mental health work should never be done in isolation. As we address personal trauma, we must also recognize the systems that perpetuate it.
“The challenges we face individually are connected to larger systemic issues,” she argues. “Whether it’s economic insecurity, climate anxiety, or structural inequality, mental health is deeply embedded in our social contexts. True healing means addressing these connections.”
Lea is the author of ‘The Tribe Within’ (publication due in September 2025). It is a book that explores personal and collective transformation. Through her work at both the individual and systemic levels, Misan is contributing to a broader understanding of how healing works. Her advocacy extends beyond therapy sessions into institutional settings, where she has worked with faith communities to address trauma from institutional abuse. “Power dynamics are invisible until they’re illuminated,” she says. “When we understand how power operates within structures, we can create healthier, more accountable systems.”
Creating a Lasting Legacy
Lea Misan’s legacy is one of compassion, connection, and transformation. She is not just a psychotherapist; she is a pioneer, helping to bridge the personal and the political in mental health. Her work is a call to action, urging us all to see that healing isn’t just an individual task—it’s a collective responsibility.
To those struggling with their mental health, Misan’s message is clear: “Your mental health struggle isn’t yours alone. It’s part of a larger story, one where you are not broken, but sensitive to a world in need of change.” In her vision, healing is not an isolated endeavor—it’s a revolutionary act that ripples outward, transforming not just individuals, but entire communities.
Her hope for the future? That every person who walks through her door leaves with a stronger connection to themselves, their world, and a renewed sense of agency. For Misan, that’s the true power of psychotherapy: healing that extends far beyond the therapy room, touching every corner of society.
