GS Portrait of Gillian Smith

Gillian Smith, BACP, NCPS

Calm, practical support for anxiety and stress

4 years in practice · based in United Kingdom · sessions in English · online sessions

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About Gillian

Gillian Smith is a counsellor based in the United Kingdom who focuses on helping people manage anxiety and other common life stresses. She writes simply and directly with people who feel overwhelmed, anxious or stuck in mind. Gillian aims to make the first step easier and to offer steady, non-judgemental support.

Gillian uses a person-centred approach that puts the client's experience at the heart of sessions. That means she listens closely, reflects what she hears, and works to build trust so people can speak freely about what matters most to them.

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Background and approach

She also draws on psychodynamic ideas to look at patterns from the past that affect how someone feels today. Her counselling journey followed many years working in other professional roles supporting wellbeing. She retrained in 2019 and holds an Advanced Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling.

Gillian also holds the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy credential, BACP, and is listed with NCPS as supplied. Sessions are tailored to each person. Gillian helps people talk through anxiety, stress, grief, low self-esteem, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, anger, career questions, ADHD challenges, and the strain of life changes.

She pays attention to attachment, abandonment worries, communication problems, guilt, shame and building self-love. Her style is warm and straightforward. Conversations aim to clarify what matters, identify patterns that hold someone back, and find practical ways to move forward.

People who want a calm, patient listener and a clear plan may find her approach helpful.

How Gillian adapts therapeutic approaches online

Gillian uses person-centred counselling to put the client's experience first, listening closely and reflecting back to help someone feel heard and understood. This approach is useful for people managing anxiety, stress, low self-worth and life transitions because it aims to make the client feel safe to speak openly.

She also draws on psychodynamic therapy, which looks at patterns and relationships from the past that can shape current feelings and reactions. This can help when recurring themes such as attachment, abandonment or long-standing guilt and shame are part of what someone wants to address.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Gillian collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit their needs and goals, and she adapts plans as therapy progresses. That way the focus stays practical and relevant to the person's everyday life.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging. Video calls support face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone sessions can be an easier option when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits shorter check-ins, and messaging allows for flexible, asynchronous contact. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, home life and other commitments while keeping the same therapeutic aims.
Book with Gillian Now Review online therapy options and next steps.

Questions people ask

What concerns does Gillian help with?
Gillian works with people facing stress, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem and depression. She also helps with relationship and family matters, trauma and abuse, anger, career questions, ADHD and coping with life changes.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is person-centred and empathetic, focusing on listening and building trust. She also uses psychodynamic ideas to explore past patterns that influence current feelings.
What is her professional background?
Gillian retrained in 2019 and holds an Advanced Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling. She has four years of professional counselling experience and earlier professional work supporting wellbeing.
Which credentials and location are on record?
She is listed with BACP, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, and with NCPS as supplied. Her practice is based in the United Kingdom.
In what languages are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
She works online through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How are sessions paid for and what does it cost?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription that can be cancelled at any time. Exact pricing is shown during the sign-up process.
How do I start working with her?
To begin, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

What this therapist works with

Experience
4 years
Licensed
Languages
English

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