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- Psychodynamic therapy
- Person centred methods
- Solution focused work
About Paula
UK counsellor (BACP), 10 years' experience, working with relationship and emotional wellbeing concerns including stress, anxiety and life changes. Paula Smyton draws on psychodynamic and integrative approaches to help people understand recurring patterns and manage practical difficulties. She works with adults who are facing relationship strains, parenting pressures, grief, trauma, mood shifts and the everyday stresses of work and family life.
Paula trained as a counsellor and has also worked in education and mental health settings. Her background includes around a decade of practice across counselling services and private practice, which informs a flexible way of working. She combines psychodynamic thinking with person-centred and solution-focused methods where these suit a person’s needs.
In sessions she helps people notice how past experiences influence current feelings and relationships. That can mean looking at recurring interaction patterns, responses to stress, or the emotional impact of life transitions. She also uses practical strategies drawn from cognitive and behavioural approaches when helpful.
People often come wanting help with anxiety, low mood, family and relationship strain, parenting stress, grief, trauma, problems with sleep or eating, anger, self-esteem, career decisions and coping with change. Paula also works with issues relating to LGBT identity and with mood conditions such as bipolar, where people seek support with day-to-day management.
Her way of working aims to be thoughtful and respectful. Sessions are a chance to pause, talk things through and build clarity about what might help next. To begin, a straightforward matching questionnaire is completed and a first session is scheduled through the service.
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How her approaches are used in online work
Psychodynamic therapy looks at how past relationships and early experiences continue to shape feelings and patterns today. It can help people understand why they react in certain ways and make different choices in relationships or difficult situations.Client-centred work (also called person-centred) focuses on listening and understanding a person's experience. It is useful when someone needs space to talk through emotions and find their own priorities for change.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Paula will discuss different methods and decide together which ones match a person's needs, goals and preferences. That decision is collaborative and may change over time as issues become clearer.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make fitting therapy into a busy week easier and reduce travel time. They also allow shorter check-ins when needed and offer choices about using video or audio to suit comfort and bandwidth. Registered or accredited professionals can adapt exercises and homework for remote sessions so progress continues between meetings.
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
10+ years
Listed in
United Kingdom
Languages
English
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Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship and family difficulties, parenting strain, depression, trauma and grief. Other areas include sleep and eating problems, anger, self esteem, career decisions and coping with life changes.
What is her therapeutic style?
Her style combines psychodynamic exploration with person-centred listening and solution-focused techniques. She also uses cognitive and dialectical ideas when they suit a person's needs.
How much experience does she have?
She has around ten years' experience working across counselling services, education, mental health settings and private practice.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a BACP counsellor based in the United Kingdom.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can she work with people outside the UK?
She accepts international clients; confirm any time-zone arrangements when booking.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the urgent help numbers.