Stephanie Smith

My office hours are usually Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays. 

Do you struggle with and of the following:

• repeating past patterns of behaviour
• unhealthy relationship patterns
• feeling stuck, overwhelmed, on edge, disconnected
• feeling not good enough or worthless
• always overreacting, feeling out of control
• feeling depressed, angry, sad, anxious, fearful
• fearful of closeness, rejection, abandonment

I am an integrative therapist specialising in childhood, attachment and developmental trauma, complex PTSD (C-PTSD), and adoption. I offer integrative counselling and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) for adults, both in person and online, as well as in-person EMDR for children and young people. I also work in person with families using Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), particularly where adoption, developmental trauma, or difficulties in relationships between parents, children or siblings are affecting family life.

My approach is tailored to your needs and may draw on EMDR, principles of attachment and neuroscience, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS)/Parts work, somatic/sensory processing and DDP. Together, we will explore current symptoms as well as the experiences and patterns beneath them, including fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses, to build emotional safety and regulation, resilience, self-understanding/acceptance, and healthier relationships.

I am adoptive parent with lived experience, so my work as an adoption therapist is particularly important to me. I am a registered Adoption Counsellor with Barnardo’s (Ofsted Registration No. 59923) and a Certified DDP Practitioner. I support adult adoptees, adoptive parents, and birth family members with issues including identity, loss, belonging, rejection, self-worth, emotional regulation, and relationships. In family work, I use DDP, PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, and empathy) and other modalities highlighted above, where appropriate, to help strengthen connection and emotional safety.

Starting counselling is a big and often scary step! So the therapy is open-ended, meaning there is no commitment beyond weekly bookings. Although it may help to commit to three sessions to start to settle into the process. 

You can expect a warm, collaborative, and non-judgmental space where your experiences are heard and taken seriously. We will work at a pace that feels manageable, and you will not be expected to discuss anything before you feel ready. Often you will not even need to discuss all the details of what happened as it can be more helpful to focus on the thoughts, feelings and sensations that you experience and how we can shift these.   

As a trauma therapist, we will likely begin with a focus on how childhood and earlier experiences are influencing present-day patterns and difficulties such as anxiety, low mood, shame, low self-esteem, relationship problems and emotional overwhelm. Once this is understood, we will work towards changing and shifting present day experiences through new perspectives and beliefs. 

Please feel free to call or email for an informal discussion. I offer a 20 minute consultation free of charge.

In your first session, I will invite you to share what is affecting you now and what you hope might change. You do not need to have everything worked out, and there is no pressure to tell your whole story at once but we will discuss relevant background information, trauma history and focus of sessions. You will also have time to ask questions about my approach, including EMDR or DDP where relevant. We will collaboratively gather ideas of how the sessions might flow, going forward. 

Please contact me to discuss my current hours and availability as this can vary depending on caseload, etc.

In our supervision, you will experience a collaborative process where you will feel supported, empowered, challenged and heard.

I aim to get to know each supervisee individually – how you work, what are your strengths and how you want to grow in your counselling practice. It is important that you feel safe to explore your challenges and vulnerabilities.

My supervision is informed by the Seven Eyed Model (Hawkins & Shohet) but I take an integrative, trauma-informed approach that will help you view your work from different theoretical perspectives and, at the same time, allow a safe and accepting space for you to practice within your own modality and explore issues particular to you and your clients.

As a counsellor, I take an Integrative approach rooted in:

- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

- Theories of attachment, trauma and neuroscience

- EMDR

- IFS

- Roger’s Core Conditions

I have found that, no matter what the client’s presenting issue, generally the overall aim is to help them cultivate an attitude of willingness…willingness to have difficult thoughts and feelings in order to lead a more meaningful, value-based life.

As a counsellor, I work with adults, young adults and families covering a range of issues including, but not limited to:

- Anxiety

- Depression

- Relationships

- Self-worth, self-esteem and confidence

- Childhood trauma

- Complex trauma (C-PTSD)

- Fostering and adoption

And I have experience in the following areas:

- Private practice

- Senior Schools

- Colleges

- Independent Fostering Agencies

- Employee Assistance Providers

- Family therapy - Qualified Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy Practitioner (DDP)

- Registered Adoption Counsellor (Ofsted Supplier number 59923)

- Qualified EMDR Therapist (this influences my supervision but I am not qualified to provide supervision for EMDR clients)

So as a supervisor, I will bring this knowledge and experience to support you in your practice.

I currently see both qualified and trainee supervisees in my independent practice in Southbourne and online via Zoom. I abide by the BACP Ethical Framework. 

I believe that the process of finding the right supervisor should be thorough and thoughtful, therefore, I offer a free consultation of up to 50 minutes to all prospective supervisees. During this time, we will discuss your wants and needs from supervision, how you work as a counsellor and how I work as supervisor to see if there’s a good fit.