Carol Ann Smithers

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.

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.

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.

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.