Sarah Smith, BACP

Sarah Smith is a qualified and registered counsellor with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the professional body for counselling in the UK. She brings four years of focused practice in mental health, alongside earlier roles in social care where she supported people with learning disabilities, community care needs and older adults.

Since 2018 she has worked in mental health settings, including a private trauma clinic, and she has been working within the National Health Service since 2019. This range of experience informs a practice grounded in empowerment and respect for each person as the expert on their own life.

Sarah works using a trauma-informed, person-centred counselling approach. She prioritises connection and seeks to understand the real impact of life events rather than relying on assumptions about how someone should feel. She works alongside clients to explore feelings at a comfortable pace and to develop practical, personally meaningful ways forward.

She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem and identity concerns, family issues and coping with life changes, including grief, burnout and trauma. Additional areas of focus include guilt and shame, isolation and loneliness, life purpose, mood disorders, self-love and women’s issues.

Trauma-informed and Person-centred Approaches for Online Care

Sarah works from a trauma-informed perspective, which means attention is given to how past distressing events affect current feelings, relationships and coping. This approach helps people who have experienced trauma, overwhelm or emotional reactivity to feel understood and to build safety in the therapeutic relationship.

She also uses a person-centred approach that treats the individual as the expert in their own life. This method focuses on empathic listening, acceptance and supporting clients to explore values, identity and self-worth, which can be especially helpful for issues like low self-esteem, life transitions and relationship concerns.

Deciding which approach will be most helpful is part of the therapeutic process. Sarah works collaboratively with clients to identify goals, consider different techniques and adapt sessions to suit each person’s needs and preferences.

Online therapy with Sarah is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, providing flexibility to fit therapy into busy lives. These options make it easier to access regular support from home or elsewhere, maintain continuity through life changes, and choose the mode of contact that feels most comfortable.