Lisa Smith

I currently have limited weekday evening and weekend availability.

Fees per session:

Online (Microsoft Teams) £40.00 

In-person (Chatham) £40.00

Counselling trainees: £30.00

One particular area of interest and experience for me is neurodivergence, particularly adult ADHD and autism.  I am trained and experienced in working with this client group and am aware of what makes a person neurodivergent or autistic and how this impacts the way they experience the world.  However, as neurodivergence impacts individuals differently, I always seek to build on this awareness through actively building a sense of what this is like for each client personally.  

Another specialist area for me is OCD.  I use a specific form of behaviour-targeted therapy called Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP) to bring effective manageability and outcomes for clients experiencing OCD.  ERP is widely considered to be the gold standard therapy for treatment of OCD.

Additionally, I support clients who are struggling with the impact of trauma including PTSD and CPTSD, including the impact of all types of childhood abuse.  

Whatever you bring to the therapy space, you'll take things at your own pace, so you won’t be expected to open up straight away (unless of course you want to).   I'll seek to understand what it's like to be you, listen attentively, with understanding, empathy and without judgment.  

If you decide to try counselling with me, you'll find that not every session will be filled only by you talking and me listening .  I tailor the way I work to fit the needs of each client individually, which means we may complete worksheets together, use visualisation techniques, watch and discuss short videos, or look at simple diagrams and other images.  Together we will come up with coping strategies tailored to your own needs, and explore different perspectives and ideas that can be realistically applied to your particular situation and problems.  Clients regularly report that they enjoy this approach because it not only provides variety and interest but also brings about changes in themselves and their lives which they experience during the counselling process.  

I offer open-ended work, so there is no limit to the number of sessions available to you.  How long a course of counselling takes varies greatly between individuals.  Some clients need only a few sessions to get what they need from counselling and others require a lot longer.  It's important that we work together at your pace .  

I conduct regular informal reviews to check the extent to which you feel you're making progress, so that anything which is working well can be built on, and anything which isn't, can be appropriately omitted or adjusted accordingly.  Counselling certainly is not a 'one size fits all' process, and it's vital for me (and you) to develop an understanding of what you personally need from the process in order for it to work.  

During your first session, I'll meet with you to gain a basic and broad understanding of your personal background and circumstances, what’s going on for you and what you hope to change through counselling. This helps to ensure my skills and experience suit your needs, so that we can work together effectively and safely. This initial session is also a chance for you to get a flavour of what I offer and to get a sense of whether I’m someone you’d like to work with.

I allow 75 minutes for this initial session (although it doesn't always take that long). The fee for the initial session is £40.00.