About me
Anxiety • Depression • Low Self-Esteem • Family Difficulties • Relationship Challenges • Loss & Bereavement • Workplace Stress
Online counselling for adults seeking greater understanding, emotional wellbeing and healthier relationships.
You may be feeling anxious, emotionally exhausted, caught in difficult relationship patterns, struggling with low self-esteem, or facing challenges within your family or working life. Perhaps you are finding it difficult to cope with a recent change, loss, or uncertainty. Or maybe you simply want a space to reflect, gain clarity, and better understand yourself.
Whatever brings you to counselling, I offer a calm, supportive and confidential space where you can talk openly without judgement. Together, we can explore your experiences, make sense of difficult emotions, and work towards greater self-understanding, emotional wellbeing, and healthier relationships.
I am Paula Smyton, a psychodynamic counsellor and qualified teacher. I work integratively, tailoring therapy to your individual needs and circumstances. This allows us to explore both the challenges you are facing in the present and the deeper patterns that may be influencing your thoughts, feelings, and relationships.
I have experience supporting adults with:
• Anxiety and stress
• Depression and low mood
• Relationship difficulties
• Family challenges
• Low self-esteem and confidence
• Workplace stress
• Life transitions and change
• Loss and bereavement
• Emotional wellbeing and personal growth
I also have experience supporting people experiencing both short- and long-term emotional and mental health challenges.
The relationship between counsellor and client is central to the therapeutic process. I aim to provide a safe, respectful and collaborative environment where you feel heard, understood, and supported at your own pace.
Ready to take the next step?
Please contact me to arrange a free 20-minute meet-and-greet consultation. This is an opportunity for us to discuss what brings you to counselling, answer any questions you may have, and see whether working together feels right for you.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Life Coach & NLP CPD Certificate
- CPD - Trauma, Identity, ADHD, Bereavement
- Professional Indemnity Insurance
- Time Limited Counselling Certificate
- Psychodynamic Counselling Diploma
- Counselling Skills Diploma
- BACP Certificate Counselling Skills
- BACP Certificate of Proficiency
- BACP Certificate of Registration
- Remote and Online Counselling Certificate
- Counselling Assessment Certificate
- B.Ed (Hons)/Commended by Ofsted
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£65.00 per session
Additional information
Fees
My standard fee is £65 per session.
Extended or one-off sessions are available on request, where appropriate.
A limited number of reduced-fee spaces may be available for those experiencing financial difficulty or changes in personal circumstances. These are offered on a discretionary basis and will vary depending on availability.
Sessions are offered online, by telephone, or via text-based support, and are payable in advance.
A counselling and confidentiality agreement is provided at the outset of therapy, which sets out how we will work together and how your information is held securely in line with professional and ethical requirements.
Contact and availability
If you are considering counselling, you are very welcome to get in touch to arrange a free initial 20-minute consultation. This offers an opportunity to briefly connect, ask any questions, and explore whether working together feels right for you.
I aim to respond to all enquiries within 24–48 hours during working days.
Where appropriate, I will always try to offer the earliest available appointment.
Please note that counselling with me is not a crisis service. If you are in immediate distress or feel unable to keep yourself safe, I would encourage you to seek urgent support from your GP, NHS 111, or Samaritans on 116 123.
Further information
At the heart of my work is the belief that having a space where thoughts, feelings and experiences can be explored openly, without judgement, can in itself be deeply valuable. Many people come to counselling after spending long periods managing difficult emotions on their own, often feeling uncertain about why certain patterns, reactions or emotional experiences continue to show up in their lives.
Therapy offers a gentle opportunity to slow things down and reflect more deeply on what may be happening beneath the surface. This can include exploring how past experiences, relationships and expectations may continue to shape present emotional responses, self-esteem, decision-making and the ways we relate to others in both subtle and significant ways.
While psychodynamic counselling provides the foundation for my work, I also draw from a range of therapeutic approaches so that the work can remain flexible and responsive to each person. Rather than applying a fixed way of working, I aim to meet people where they are, at a pace that feels manageable, collaborative and respectful of their individual experience.
For some people, counselling is a space to explore anxiety, stress or emotional overwhelm. For others, it may involve low confidence, relationship difficulties, workplace pressures, life transitions, long-term health challenges, or a general sense of feeling stuck, disconnected or uncertain about direction. Often, it is not one single issue, but a combination of experiences that gradually begin to feel heavier over time.
Emotional challenges do not always begin as clearly defined mental health concerns. They can build quietly through stress, anxiety, social discomfort, disrupted sleep, changes in eating patterns, emotional exhaustion or ongoing difficulties in relationships and everyday life. Having space to gently reflect on these experiences can sometimes make it easier to understand them and may help prevent them from becoming more overwhelming or difficult to manage alone.
In our work together, there is space to develop greater emotional awareness and self-understanding, to notice repeating patterns, and to begin making sense of emotional responses and life experiences in a way that feels contained and supported. Over time, this can support greater confidence, clearer boundaries and the possibility of meaningful change, if and when that feels right for you.
I work at a pace that feels safe and manageable for each person, recognising that beginning counselling can sometimes feel uncertain or unfamiliar. There is no expectation or pressure to proceed beyond what feels right for you. My aim is to offer a calm, reflective and supportive therapeutic relationship where insight and understanding can develop over time.
