Carol Ann Smithers

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Registered Member MBACP Accreditied, Registered Nurse LD
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

location_on Carlisle, Cumbria, CA4
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

I am registered and an accredited member of The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and have been a practising counsellor/psychotherapist for the past eighteen years.

Areas of Specialism

I work with all ages, children, young people and adults, couples. My areas of specialism are family issues, trauma, relationship issues, students, children, young people, learning disability, emotional distress,  anger, bereavement/loss and attachments.

Personal Approach

I am a committed, experienced and professional counsellor/psychotherapist/supervisor and trainer. I provide a safe, confidential and warm environment. During our time together we will discover the best approach and length of time for counselling, which may be short term (a few weeks) or if you decide it may become a long term therapy. Counselling will offer you the opportunity to relax, find space to explore your inner thoughts and get in touch with feelings, without being judged. This environment will provide you with time to be listened to and encouraged to find solutions to the issues that concern you.


I believe that everybody is unique and as such I provide an individualised approach of counselling, I live in The Eden Valley area of Cumbria, which is near to Penrith, Carlisle, Appleby and the surrounding areas.

As a counsellor/psychotherapist I have worked face to face privately, for the NHS (in a range of health centres), in schools, for a local organisation that provides counselling for bereavement and loss, counselled children/young people and adults in a local YMCA organisation, provided counselling support for people with special needs. Previously I volunteered for several years with a local drugs and alcohol twenty four hour crisis line, where I counselled people and listened to calls on the telephone. I also have a private practice with opportunities to offer two different venues.

As a Registered and Accredited Counsellor and Psychotherapist with the BACP I am  committed to using my experience, skills and insight to provide counselling, psychotherapy using a range of resources such as drama therapy, sand play work, dreams, story telling, mindfulness and creative play therapy, in a safe, confidential and non-judgemental environment in the surrounding areas of the Eden Valley.
I enjoy working with people of all ages.  If the conditions are appropriate for the client and myself and in house counselling psychotherapy work is required then I will consider travelling for house visits to residential services, such as schools, residential homes, and in a house where it is more appropriate to work with a person, such as elderly who may be unable to travel and a child or young person who is unable to commit to regular visits outside of their home environment. 

However, all visits will require either a parent or appropriate adult to be in a room in the house. This a safeguarding provision for the child, family and myself. I am currently being processed for an independent DBS (Disclosing and Barring Service) check and certificate. This document demonstrates that I have been police checked.

I do have facilities to work from home and  if I am working with children/young people or those who may be vulnerable and need to be supported then I have an additional room and toilet facilities where the `appropriate adult,` can wait with refreshments in sight of the room where I work.

I believe that everybody has a potential to grow and that sometimes as a child we develop patterns of thinking, behaving and emotions because we have had to adapt to life events.  Gradually as a person grows, matures and becomes an adult, life may appear a struggle and they may experience symptoms because of the way they needed to adapt to life as a child and as an adult they find that these coping strategies do not enable them to cope with life as an adult.

Some life events/symptoms that people may experience and leave them unable to cope that I have worked successfully with are

  • PTSD/trauma
  • stress/anxiety
  • relationships - unable to form or maintain a relationship
  • panic attacks
  • attachment and issues from childhood may appear
  • bereavement/loss
  • anger
  • depression
  • special needs including autism, asperger`s, ADHD
  • confidence/motivation building - lack of self-esteem
  • parenting needs
  • feeling inadequate/hopeless
  • couples counselling

If you have any questions you can phone me on my mobile 07584 257870

Alternatively I am set up to receive emails from this website to my email address,  and also my counselling.


Please feel free to contact me. It would be good to hear from you and discuss the issues or support you feel you may need.

Training, qualifications & experience

Diploma in Humanistic Counselling
Diploma in Solution Focused Counselling
Registered Nurse - Part 5 of the NMC Register (specialising in Learning Disability)
Diploma in Health and Social Care Level 6 (Leadership and Management)
City and Guilds Teacher Training Certificates Levels 3,4 &5 Qualifications in Adult and Further Education Teaching
Certificates in counselling Children and Young People
Certificate Counselling Bereavement and Loss
Certificates in Supervision
Certificate in Creative and Sand Therapy

Diploma: Inner Child Healing - 2020

Professional Qualifications/Experience

  • I am Accredited by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy
  • I am Registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
  • I am Registered with The Institute for Learning
  • Certificate in Health Promotion
  • I specialise working with children and young people
  • I provide supervision for counsellors, foster carers and care workers
  • I work with counsellors and provide training for those working towards accreditation
  • I have been a tutor for a local college, teaching counselling and psychology
  • I have been through training and assessment and been approved as a foster carer
  • I have tutored children and young people

I am committed to on-going personal and professional development. Part of being a professional therapist is about working ethically, maintaining standards and being committed to increase knowledge and expertise. Apart from my professional qualifications I have continuing professional development certificates in:

  • bereavement and loss
  • anxiety
  • stress
  • depression
  • PTSD
  • SEND including children/young people and adults on the ASD specrum
  • understanding and managing anger
  • counselling children and young people
  • trauma
  • addictions - Drug and Alcohol
  • self Harm
  • eating disorders
  • using CBT
  • CBT - Discovering Resilience: Young People
  • creative therapies
  • sand tray work
  • workshops in understanding and becoming a foster carer
  • visualisation/Dreams
  • fostering and looked after children
  • pillars of parenting - Looks at the effects of trauma to the development of the child and the potential effects on adults later in life

Member organisations

school Registered / Accredited

Registered / Accredited

Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred).

Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision.

Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training.

All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.

Accredited register membership

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Areas of counselling I deal with

Other areas of counselling I deal with

I am offering training for all students working on learning blocks, panic attacks and stress related to learning.

I am currently offering supervision for counsellors/psychotherapists.

I specialise in supervising counsellors/psychotherapists working with children/young people, student/trainee counsellors and those working towards accreditation.

I am offering counselling for people who are going through the process of grieving after losing a pet.

Fees

Concessions offered for

  • check_circle OAPs
  • check_circle Students
  • check_circle Trainee counsellors
  • check_circle Unemployed

Additional information

I charge £ 45.00 for one hour of counselling and psychotherapy.

If working with children or those who require only a half and hour because of individualised needs I charge £25.00.

I have recently started to offer bereavement counselling to those who have lost a pet.  For these sessions my charge is £45.00

For couples I charge £ 50.00 per hour

For people on a low income and students I look on each person as an individual and will discuss fees with them at the first session we meet.

When I work

Current Availability: Monday and Wednesday, Thursday all day, Saturday 9.30 - 2.30

Further information


The aim of my work is to offer emotional contact to my clients, to be present with them how ever they are feeling; to build a strong supportive relationship together. Probably the ways we have been most hurt in our lives is by other people. The relationship that develops between myself and my clients can be used to study and explore the other relationship in a clients life.

During our time together I will offer and provide the most appropriate approach and resources that will meet an individual`s needs. I believe that all clients have ways of being and learning and as such recognise that some clients will `grow` if they are offered creative use of counselling, other clients may understand a more cognitive approach.

Whatever approach I offer with the client I always base the work we do on valuing the person, not judging, openness and honesty.

I am committed to working within the Ethical Framework of the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Carlisle, Cumbria, CA4

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Children (0-12)
Young people (13-17)
Adults (25-64)
Older Adults (65+)
Couples
Families
Groups
Organisations
Employee Assistance Programme

Key details

Wheelchair user access info
Wheelchair user access

Wheelchair-accessible premises should have step-free access for wheelchair users and individuals who are unable to climb stairs. If a Counsellor's premises aren't step-free, they may offer alternative services such as telephone/web-based appointments, home visits, or meeting clients in different location, so you can choose the option that suits you best.

You can contact the Counsellor to discuss the options available.

Under the Equality Act 2010 service providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that individuals with disabilities can access their service. You can read more about reasonable adjustments to help you to access services on the CAB website.

I have a waiting room for parents/carers to use. I have toilet facilities.

Supervision

In person
Online
Phone

I qualified as a counsellor in 1999/2000 and gained my accreditation with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy in 2008.

View supervision profile

Carol Ann Smithers
Carol Ann Smithers