Gillian Smith , BACP, NCPS

Gillian Smith is a UK-credentialed counsellor with four years of professional counselling experience and more than two decades of earlier work empowering children, young people, and adults. She combines that lengthy background in supportive roles with formal training to offer thoughtful, experience-informed therapeutic care.

Her practice centers on a person-centred approach that prioritises the client’s perspective, ensuring feelings and experiences are met with empathy and without judgment. Gillian emphasises building relationships grounded in trust and respect so clients can explore thoughts and emotions freely and at their own pace. She tailors conversations and treatment plans to each individual rather than applying one-size-fits-all methods.

Gillian’s path into counselling followed personal and professional encounters with childhood trauma, workplace anxiety, overwhelm, grief, and depression, which shaped her understanding of how vital appropriate support can be. She retrained in 2019 and earned an Advanced Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling, and she holds BACP and NCPS credentials, indicating recognised professional membership and training in the UK.

She offers ethical, compassionate support for people working through stress, anxiety, grief, depression, relationship and family difficulties, trauma and abuse, anger, self-esteem concerns, ADHD, and life transitions. Gillian approaches each client with patience and a commitment to helping them find practical ways to cope and move toward a more fulfilling life.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on the client’s own experience and perspective. The therapist offers empathy, active listening, and acceptance while helping the client identify personal goals and find their own solutions. This approach is useful for issues such as low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, stress, and navigating life changes.

Psychodynamic Therapy explores how past experiences and unconscious patterns influence present feelings and behaviours. Through reflective dialogue, it helps clients gain insight into recurring relationship patterns, attachment issues, and unresolved grief or trauma that affect current functioning.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Gillian works with each client to assess needs, goals, and preferences, and she will adapt the therapeutic style and plan as understanding grows so the chosen methods suit the individual’s situation.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging - making it easier to fit counselling into busy schedules or to continue work during life transitions. Licensed professionals can use these formats to provide consistent, ongoing support while maintaining the therapeutic focus and momentum clients need.