Rachel Smitheman
Person-centred counsellor offering calm support
About Rachel
Rachel Smitheman is a person-centred counsellor who qualified in the United Kingdom in 2020 and holds BACP membership. She has five years of professional experience and uses a warm, respectful style in sessions. Her pronouns are she/her and she aims to make the first step into therapy as straightforward as possible.
Rachel focuses on common pressures such as stress, anxiety and low mood. She also helps people facing relationship difficulties, low self-esteem and big life changes.
Background and approach
Sessions are geared to each person, so conversations follow what matters most to the client in the moment. Her practice puts emphasis on listening without judgement. That means allowing people to talk at their own pace and naming the feelings or patterns that get in the way.
Practical ideas and small, manageable steps are introduced when those feel helpful to the client. Rachel has additional experience with issues like abandonment, attachment concerns, body image and caregiver strain. She also supports people dealing with chronic illness or chronic pain and those coping with separation, guilt or impulsivity.
Sessions are offered in English and can be arranged for clients in the United Kingdom and internationally. The working style is collaborative: clients set the pace and Rachel adapts her responses to suit each person's needs and goals.
What Rachel works with
How Rachel works
Listed by Rachel among the ways they work.
Sessions & fees
Person-centred approaches and online working
Client-Centred Therapy places the person at the heart of the work. The counsellor listens closely and reflects back what they hear so clients can better understand their feelings and choices. This approach suits people dealing with anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues and relationship challenges because it values a client's own experience and pace.Finding the right approach is part of the process. Rachel works collaboratively to identify which ways of working feel most helpful. Together they review what is useful and adjust the focus as goals and needs change.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to give flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when that matters. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or for shorter check-ins. Live chat and messaging suit people who prefer typed communication or need more frequent, brief contact. These options make it simpler to fit counselling around work, family or mobility constraints and to keep momentum between appointments.
| Session length | Typically 50 minutes |
|---|---|
| Client ages | Adults, 18 and over |
| Fees | Subscription via BetterHelp, cancel anytime |
| Insurance | Not billed directly |
Questions people ask
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Areas of focus
What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 5 years
- Registered with
- BACP
- Languages
- English
