Smriti Rai

I currently have availability on Tuesdays and Wednesdays afternoon from 1pm

I am a Person-Centred counsellor, which means our sessions are led by you. I work with whatever you bring, trusting that you are the expert in your own life.

I grew up in Nepal and trained in the UK. This shapes how I work, with a culturally responsive lens that holds identity, belonging, and the 'third space' of the diasporic experience at the centre.

My foundation is Person-Centred, but I adapt to fit you. I lean towards expressive therapies when words feel difficult. My ongoing MSc Advanced Counselling and Psychotherapy training also includes: 

• Expressive therapy – creative ways to work when words feel difficult (no art skills needed)

• Compassion Focused Therapy – kindly working with self-criticism and shame
• Trauma-Responsive Mindfulness – paying attention to how stress lives in the body, working at your pace
• Bereavement and Loss – especially disenfranchised grief: the losses that aren't always socially recognised

I bring all of this together in a way that feels right for you.

I am a Nepal-born, UK-trained counsellor, offering culturally responsive therapy online. 

My practice, The Third-Space is for anyone navigating identity, belonging, and the experiences that live in the grey areas. I have particular experience supporting individuals from global majority backgrounds, young people, LGBTQIA+ clients, neurodivergent individuals, and those living with anxiety and depression.

What "Culturally Responsive" Really Means?

As Headstrong Counselling (where I completed my placement) puts it:

"True cultural competence involves recognising that it's impossible to be an expert on someone else's culture, even when sharing a similar background. Culture, like identity, is dynamic and ever-evolving."

This is exactly how I work.

Being culturally responsive means:

• I don't assume even if we share aspects of culture, I'll listen and learn from you
• You don't have to educate me. I come with curiosity and lived experience
• Your whole identity is welcome race, ethnicity, migrational grief, cultural memory all have a place

I offer a free 20-minute introductory phone or video call. This is simply a chance for you to tell me a little about what brings you to therapy, and for us both to get a sense of whether we might work well together. If it feels like a good fit, we can book your first full session. If not, I'm happy to help you think about what else might suit you.