Chris Smith
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Welcome to the site. I am an experienced BACP registered integrative counsellor, supporting clients in Lewisham, Greenwich and southeast London. I am currently offering face to face sessions.
I help people of all ages and backgrounds identify, process, and overcome painful emotions, worries and uncertainties which detract from enjoying the contented life we are all looking for.
I would like to reach out to anyone who feels counselling might be an overwhelming process exposing painful memories and vulnerabilities. Everyone can feel vulnerable and can benefit from support at one time or another. Please be assured that after an initial session with me you will probably feel more at ease, supported and relatively comfortable talking about difficult things, maybe for the first time. My counselling style is down to earth and compassionate, with your care and wellbeing the primary focus.
If you are experiencing anxiety, debilitating emotions, relationship problems or issues connected to work, health or self image, we will explore these feelings, finding where they originate, and work out ways forward. Often we do not always see our own 'bigger picture', so with the counsellor's extra perspective, we can get a clearer view of where things may have been going wrong and what we can do to bring about positive change. This might mean finding a specific solution, changing our thinking, or gaining helpful insight.
The counselling space is a quiet private room in a beautiful Georgian building by Manor House gardens where you can feel safe and comfortable. I am also happy to work online or a combination of both. Outdoor sessions are also offered and if required I may be able to come to you. Of course, everything discussed in sessions will be treated with total confidentiality.
Our work together will begin with your story and a discussion about what you would like to achieve or gain in our sessions going forward. Currently I am working with clients with some of the following issues.
- Managing coercive control and abuse in relationships...home family and work.
- Problems with intimacy, trust and fear of abandonment.
- Managing anxieties, low mood and stuck or negative thinking.
- I compare my self to others and I worry what others think of me.
- Understanding and managing addictive coping strategies.
- Anger, frustration and conflict.....where does it come from?
- Understanding the impact of trauma on our mental and physical health.
- Feelings of loss bereavement and loneliness.
- The ageing process and coping with change.
- The new difficulties presented by social media.
- Can I be a better parent?
Working integratively, we will be drawing from the most appropriate therapeutic models and methods which have been developed over the last hundred years and in particular referencing recent developments around trauma and neuroscience. Together we will look for ways to overcome your difficulties so you can start living a life more in line with what you may have expected or feel you deserve.
Meaningful change takes time and this will vary, of course, depending upon each individual. I will work open-endedly for as long as you wish however, some clients can expect helpful progress within shorter periods, maybe 10 sessions or sometimes less. I aim to be flexible and will work, as far as possible, to accommodate your needs and circumstances, which includes offering sessions weekdays and evenings.
Working within the BACP ethical framework, my principal concern is for your safety and wellbeing and to ensure you receive the most appropriate help and support, (which may mean we discuss alternative, more appropriate treatments).
I charge a flat rate of £60 per hour. Sessions last a full hour rather than the usual 50 mins. I also welcome enquires from educational establishments and employers.
As a first step, may I suggest you contact me and we can then arrange a time to meet for a first session, when you are most welcome to ask any other questions about me or the process.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a qualified integrative therapeutic counsellor (CPCAB diploma) and registered member of BACP. I attend regular continued professional development sessions and have certification in solution focused therapy, couples therapy, attachment disorders and working with children and young people. I have been seeing clients privately and in schools since 2012. I have also been working with young people and staff at the BRIT (performing arts) School in Croydon.
Before this I spent 30 years working as a teacher/counsellor and personal development coach in a number of London schools, often with children and young people affected by emotional and behavioural problems.
I have extensive experience relating to: self image, examination pressure, worries about the future, bullying, self harm, drugs and alcohol abuse, sex and relationships including gender and sexual orientation.
If you are possibly interested in exploring counselling as a way forward but are not sure, please feel free call me, with no obligation, and I will answer any questions you may have. There are a number of convenient bus stops within 2 mins walk. Hither Green and Lee mainline stations are 10 mins walk and there is easy car parking close by.
Member organisations
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
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Support during and after coronavirus pandemic lockdown
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Additional information
My fees are £60 per session (for a full hour).
When I work
I will do my best to see you as soon as possible and at a mutually convenient time, which includes evenings and weekends if necessary.