Natalie Smith

Currently offering therapy sessions throughout the week during day times.

I am a fully accredited counsellor with 10 years experience, providing a humble and comfortable approach to my clients. Personally, I don’t feel therapy is just about listening and is just as much about providing clients with lifelong skills to cope with complex emotions and aid their own recovery.

I aim to utilise a positive relationship between us to help you understand and work through your current difficulties. It’s important to feel understood during counselling sessions and I have always aimed to be a compassionate therapist. Previous clients have fed back that I am down to earth and easy to talk to.

I don’t feel that one approach fits all so since my initial counselling qualification, I have trained in other areas and modalities such as EMDR, DBT skills, compassion focused therapy, solution focused therapy, cognitive analytical therapy and transactional analysis 101. This enables me to provide you with therapy approach that suits your individual needs.

We can discuss this during an initial free short call prior to meeting or we can agree your needs and goals during our first assessment. My main aim is to ensure you feel you are achieving your goals so I provide short and long term therapy depending on your needs. More recently, I have completed a qualification in neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and life coaching so using these skills during our sessions is also a possibility. 

I am able to treat common aspects of mental health such as depression, self-esteem, anxiety and relationship issues. Trauma is my main special interest but I also treat CBT for weight management, recovering from narcissistic abuse, dissociative identity disorder/dissociation and CBT/EMDR for chronic illness/fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue. I have also worked with Paralympian athletes leading up to the 2016 Olympic Games.  

I work with adolescents and adults on a one to one basis and sessions are 50 minutes. I offer weekday (and limited evening appointments) online.

Please contact me via email for an informal, no obligation discussion regarding your therapeutic needs.

Types of therapeutic interventions I provide:

Counselling:
This is my initial training where I received an MSc and I am fully accredited with the BACP. It aims to offer a non-judgmental approach where you are encouraged to set and understand your own goals. We work on the relationship between us in order to help therapy work.

EMDR: 
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy for trauma, traumatic memories and PTSD. It can also work on fears, OCD, phobias and pain management. We will use bilateral stimulations to combat the memory patterns surrounding the trauma. In this approach, traumas can be large events such as war or physical assault to smaller events such as bullying and difficult relationships.

DBT Skills: 
Whilst I am not a DBT therapist, I have trained in areas of DBT so can provide a DBT informed approach such as difficulties with emotional regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal skills. This is particularly suited to those who suffer with personality disorders.

Compassion Focused Therapy:
Those who are currently suffering with mental health problems often find they are unable to be compassionate towards themselves because they feel under threat. This therapeutic approach aims to deal with feelings such as guilt, self-criticism, anxiety and shame using compassion techniques.

Solution Focused Therapy:
Solution Focused Therapy is a goal oriented therapy where we use specific questions to work towards your goals. The approach is less problem oriented than other approaches and aims to help you understand and examine how you are able to overcome your current issues.

Cognitive Analytical Therapy:
Another CPD training. It aims to examine how complex trauma has affected your emotions, beliefs and actions meaning you can keep yourself trapped in the trauma. 

Transactional Analysis:
I have trained in TA 101. Transactional analysis examines how we express our personality through interactions and behaviours. It helps us to understand our relationships with others.

CBT:
Since qualifying, I have completed many CBT training days which enable me to integrate CBT techniques into our sessions.

I can also provide therapy for weight and obesity management, EMDR and therapy for fibromyalgia and medically unexplained symptoms such as headaches and chronic fatigue and EMDR FOR OCD.

I also work with victims of narcissistic abuse and use many of the above techniques in order to recover from this form of abuse. 

I have previously worked with clients with dissociative identity disorder and those clients with parts. 

£75 per face to face session (50 mins)
£75 per online session (50 mins)

I am covered by Alliance, Axa, Aviva, Cigna, Vitality and WPA for those clients with insurance cover. 

Group work - please contact me

Reduced rate sessions available for counselling students, students and keyworkers.

I am registered individually with insurance companies so can accept insurance funded clients. I also work for The Priory Wellbeing Centre in Birmingham where I offer much more availability so if you wish to be seen here and are self-funding or have insurance, please contact The Priory Group directly.

Unfortunately, I am unable to offer a 24 hour crisis service at any point during therapy.

If you feel this is what you may require, please contact your GP to see what services are available locally to you.

I will respond to queries as quickly as possible but if your query is regarding risk or crisis, please contact your GP, your local emergency services, attend A&E or contact Samaritans (as they offer a 24 hour contact telephone number).