Hayley Smith

I have a limited number of weekday spaces for face-to-face sessions and online (Zoom) sessions. Please contact me to ask about my current availability.

Unfortunately I am unable to offer sessions on weekends or evenings and I do not offer telephone or email therapy. 

I am a fully qualified and experienced Psychodynamic Counsellor and Psychotherapist in Leamington Spa (Warwickshire). I work with individual adults (18+) offering either short-term or more in-depth mid to long-term therapy. Sessions take place either in person or online via Zoom. My approach is non-directive and non-judgmental and I have experience of working with a diverse range of issues.

I have a MSc (distinction) in Psychodynamic Counselling & Psychotherapy. I am a Registered Member of the BACP and a Registrant with the BPC (British Psychoanalytic Council).

Alongside my private practice I am a Psychological Therapist at the University of Warwick. Because of this I am presently unable to offer private therapy to current students of the University.

I am registered as a Data Controller with the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) and my Data Protection & Data Privacy Policy can be found on my website. I hold an Enhanced DBS certificate.

As a psychodynamic practitioner I’m interested in exploring patterns of behaviour and considering how past relationships and experiences connect with and shape how we relate to ourselves and others in the present. I will work with you to help you gain new perspectives - to change how we do things we need to try and understand why we do them. Gaining an insight into how our past may have shaped us helps us better understand the deep-seated patterns by which we – often unconsciously – live our lives.

When we begin to reframe our experiences there is hope for greater self-awareness and emotionally healthier ways of thinking and relating.

Some of the issues I work with include: depression, anxiety, transitions, family, relationships, low self-esteem, 'stuckness', bereavement, trauma, issues around identity, infertility/childlessness and loss.

I offer a free 15-minute telephone or online consultation before meeting for the first time. This gives you an opportunity to briefly outline your current circumstances and reasons for contacting me, and enables me to tell you more about how I work.

If we then decide to meet we will arrange an initial session which will last about one hour. During this session I will ask questions to begin to build a picture about your past, your present and your expectations; which may include hopes and fears about entering therapy. The initial session is slightly longer than ongoing therapy sessions and is a two-way process for both you and I to consider if a psychodynamic approach might work for you and to help us both think about what you might need and what might help. We will then decide next steps, which might include moving forward into therapy sessions or maybe considering other options available to you.