Paula Smyton, BACP

Paula Smyton is a UK-based counsellor and qualified teacher who brings 10 years of experience working across counselling services, education, mental health settings and private practice. She practices from a psychodynamic and integrative perspective, combining an interest in how past experiences shape present relationships with flexible, person-centred methods that respond to each client's needs.

Many clients seek Paula's support after long periods of trying to cope alone - appearing to manage on the outside while privately struggling with anxiety, low mood, stress, relationship or family difficulties, grief, trauma, or a lingering sense that something is not quite right. She regularly works with people facing multiple pressures at once, including those exhausted by long-term responsibilities or ongoing interpersonal challenges.

Paula offers a calm, thoughtful and supportive therapeutic space where difficult feelings and recurring patterns can be explored without pressure to have everything sorted. Her psychodynamic work looks at how earlier experiences and relationship patterns continue to influence current thoughts, emotions and close connections. Alongside this she draws on integrative approaches such as person-centred and solution-focused work to tailor the process to each person.

She focuses particularly on relationships - with partners, family, friends, colleagues and the self - helping clients gain clearer understanding of emotional responses and repetitive patterns. Paula aims to create a respectful, responsive environment in which clients can begin to feel less alone and take steps towards change, even if they arrive without clear goals or the right words.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Paula integrates psychodynamic and client-centred approaches with practical cognitive techniques to support people working through relationships, anxiety, depression, trauma and life transitions. Psychodynamic therapy explores how past experiences and early relationship patterns continue to shape current feelings and interactions, helping clients understand recurring themes and emotional responses. Client-centred therapy focuses on offering a warm, non-directive space in which clients are listened to and supported to find their own insights and solutions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, used where helpful, offers practical tools to identify and adjust unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns that contribute to stress, low mood or anxiety.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and Paula works collaboratively with each person to find the best fit based on their needs, goals and preferences. She adapts methods over time so that the work remains responsive and relevant to what is most helpful for the client.

Online therapy through video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging makes it easier to access support from different locations and at times that suit your life. These options provide flexibility for scheduling, reduce travel time and can help clients remain consistent with therapy during busy or changing circumstances while working with a registered professional.