Paula Smyton

Paula Smyton is a UK-based counsellor with BACP membership and around 10 years of experience supporting people across counselling services, education, mental health settings, and private practice. She is a psychodynamic counsellor, an integrative practitioner, and a qualified teacher, offering a steady, thoughtful space for people who may look like they are coping outwardly while feeling overwhelmed inside.

Many clients come to Paula after spending a long time trying to manage alone, whether they are dealing with anxiety, low mood, stress, relationship strain, family challenges, loss, life transitions, or a persistent sense that something is not quite right. Some arrive carrying several difficulties at once, while others feel emotionally worn down from holding responsibilities, worries, or unresolved tensions over time. Paula recognises that reaching out can be a significant step, especially when there is a gap between knowing change is needed and feeling ready to ask for support.

Her work offers room to pause, reflect, and begin making sense of what has been happening, without judgement and without pressure to have everything clearly defined at the start. Paula aims to provide a warm, supportive environment where difficult feelings can be explored, self-understanding can deepen, and clients can feel less alone with what they are carrying.

Paula’s approach is grounded in psychodynamic therapy, exploring how earlier experiences and relationship patterns can shape present-day thoughts, emotions, and ways of relating. She also works integratively, drawing on person-centred and solution-focused ideas so therapy can be tailored to the individual. A key focus of her work is relationships - with partners, family, friends, and colleagues, as well as the relationship a person has with themselves - helping clients explore recurring patterns, understand emotional responses, and develop greater clarity about the challenges they are facing.