Claire Smith, BACP
Compassionate counsellor for complex life challenges
Details
| Name | Claire Smith |
|---|---|
| Credentials | BACP |
| Based in | United Kingdom |
| Registered with | BACP |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 4 |
About Claire
Claire Smith works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression and relationship strain. She supports those coping with trauma and abuse, grief, parenting pressures, eating concerns and intimacy-related worries. She also offers help for career stress, anger, self-esteem problems and life changes.
Claire holds BACP accreditation and has four years of professional experience in the UK. Her approach is practical and conversational. She adapts sessions to each person's needs and speaks plainly about coping strategies.
Background and approach
Claire draws on Narrative ideas to look at the stories people tell about themselves, and she uses techniques from CBT and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to build new ways of relating to thoughts and feelings. Claire has worked in NHS settings including a children's crisis unit where she supported people with severe mental health needs and high-risk presentations.
That background informs how she plans safe, step-by-step support for difficult issues, including self-harm and complex trauma. She has experience supporting autistic people and those with attention-deficit hyperactivity concerns, obsessive-compulsive patterns, and co-occurring difficulties. Sessions are offered in English and designed to be respectful and flexible to sensory and communication needs.
Initial contact begins with a short questionnaire and a scheduling step. Claire uses a mix of video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging so people can choose what fits their life and energy level.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Relationship issues, Family conflicts among the things Claire works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Attachment-Based Therapy: Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT): Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Existential Therapy: Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Jungian Therapy: Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Somatic Therapy: Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Internal Family Systems: Listed by Claire among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Claire directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Claire directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
How Claire’s approaches work online
Claire uses Narrative Therapy to help people separate themselves from the stories that trouble them. This approach looks at patterns in a person’s life story and creates space to re-author difficult chapters, which can help with identity, relationships and recurring problems.She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which teaches practical ways to live with uncomfortable thoughts and feelings while moving toward chosen values. ACT is useful for anxiety, low mood and making changes that matter to you.
Attachment-Based ideas inform how she looks at relationship patterns and emotional safety. These tools help when connection, abandonment or trust issues are part of the struggle.
Choosing an approach is collaborative. Claire will work with each person to decide which methods fit their goals, preferences and pace. The plan can change as progress is made, and sessions focus on what feels most helpful for the individual.
Online therapy offers flexibility and variety in how people connect. Video calls let you see facial cues and use visual materials. Phone sessions need less bandwidth and can be easier when a quieter room is available. Live chat and text-based messaging suit short check-ins, ongoing support or days when typing feels easier than talking. These options make it simpler to fit therapy around work, family and energy levels.
Common questions about this listing
What kinds of problems does Claire support?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and relationship or family issues, plus parenting and career concerns.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Claire works conversationally and plainly. She tailors sessions and uses narrative approaches alongside CBT and acceptance-focused techniques.
What experience does she bring to sessions?
Claire has four years of professional experience and has worked in an NHS children’s crisis unit supporting high-risk presentations.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and practises in the United Kingdom.
Which languages and client regions are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients for remote work.
What session formats are available?
Claire offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How are fees and billing handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability and sessions are provided through a cancellable subscription model.
How do I start therapy with her?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, then schedule appointments according to the therapist’s availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Claire are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Claire where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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