Deborah Smith

Hi, my name is Debbie. I've spent the last 10 years being passionate about the importance of professional counselling providing lasting change and offering a service devoted to your needs. As a counsellor I embrace difference, honesty and integrity. I am not the expert here and I am not here to give you all the answers because you are the expert on yourself.

I offer a place to listen to you so that you feel heard and can find your own path. I strongly feel everyone can be empowered to find their own answers. From my experience I am able to sit with people when they are in their darkest place giving them the time and space to find a way forward.

Counselling falls under the umbrella term of ‘talking therapies’ and allows people to discuss their problems and any difficult feelings they encounter in a safe, confidential environment.

I offer a warm, confidential and non-judgemental safe space to allow sharing your distress and looking afresh at your problems. I have worked with a wide range of clients from all backgrounds to support them in overcoming a number of personal difficulties including: anxiety, stress, depression, addictions, childhood abuse, bereavements and other negative emotions that they may be experiencing.

In addition to working with private clients, I have provided counselling in a range of settings including a doctor’s surgery, prisons, and family support centres. Currently, I support clients in High Security prisons in the County of Kent as well as at my own private practice.

Within my practice I work with adults and teenagers for either short-term or long-term counselling, helping with a wide range of psychological issues including anxiety, depression, trauma and post-traumatic stress, bereavement, relationship issues etc.

I am a fully qualified experienced integrative counsellor with mental health experience. This enables me to draw on various therapeutic modalities (psychodynamic, person-centred, CBT, transpersonal, Transactional Analysis etc.) in order to meet the individual needs of each client.

How do you work with clients?

I aim to provide a safe place where you are able to explore your feelings and past experiences to gain a deeper understanding of yourself. We work at your pace to help you re-discover a sense of meaning and purpose for your life. This will allow you to reach your potential and resolve your issues.

The question is not is wrong with you but what have you been through.

“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become” – Carl Gustav Jung.

I feel the most important part of therapy is the strength of the relationship. It is a unique experience to be really heard and this is something few of us experience. I would like to invite you to a safe place to be really heard and understood to allow you the space to develop and grow.

“When a person realizes he has been deeply heard, his eyes moisten. I think in some real sense he is weeping for joy. It is as though he were saying, "Thank God, somebody heard me. Someone knows what it's like to be me” ― Carl R. Rogers

• Working with ex offenders

I charge £50 per session (50 min); concessions are available for trainee counsellors studying on BACP approved courses.

I offer a free telephone consultation in advance of counselling to address any questions or queries you may have about my practice.

I am a registered member of BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) and a graduate member of BPS (British Psychological Society) and comply with their ethical rules and regulations.

I continuously update and develop myself by attending various CPD (continuous professional development) trainings and workshops in order to offer the best and latest therapeutic developments to meet the needs of all Clients.