Aaren Smith

Aaren Smith is a qualified Person Centred Therapist accredited by the National Counselling Psychotherapy Society, trained to build a professional relationship with each client that rests on trust, compassion, empathy, genuineness and acceptance - and a well-timed laugh when appropriate.

He aims to create sessions where people can be their genuine, authentic selves in a judgement-free space, confident that their emotions and opinions will be accepted. Aaren works collaboratively, treating the client as the expert of their own life while helping to make sense of thoughts, feelings and experiences and to consider the choices available.

He avoids a one-size-fits-all approach and will not ask “how does that make you feel” after every comment, because each person has distinct needs when accessing therapy. Rather than sitting and merely nodding or offering only open-ended statements, Aaren engages in a way that recognises when a situation is difficult - after all, if it were not, a person would not be seeking counselling.

If someone feels as though life is passing them by, is struggling to understand or manage emotions, is finding things difficult, or simply needs someone to talk to about day-to-day life, Aaren emphasises that there is no right or wrong reason to seek therapy. He understands this is a personal step and, when someone is ready to reach out, he will guide them through the process while keeping the emphasis on the client remaining in the driver’s seat and feeling empowered.