Hayley Smith MSc

Psychodynamic Counsellor and Psychotherapist
Camden (London), Warwickshire and online

MBACP & BPC Registrant

I am a trauma-informed Psychodynamic Psychotherapist working in North London and online with experience in private practice, the NHS and student counselling. I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and a Registrant with the British Psychoanalytic Council.

People enter therapy for many different reasons and, for some, taking those first steps towards finding a therapist can feel like a daunting prospect. It may be confusing knowing where to start - particularly at a time when you might be struggling to make sense of difficult thoughts that have left you unsure what you need and wondering if therapy will make a difference.

These feelings are a natural and understandable element of embarking upon the unknown and perhaps what you might expect at the beginning of any new relationship. So, it’s important you take time to find a therapist who feels right for you and with whom you can hope to build a relationship of trust; within a safe and confidential environment.

What Is Psychodynamic Therapy?

As a psychodynamic therapist I am 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.

WHO I WORK WITH

I work with individual adults and have experience of working with a wide range of issues. Some of the issues I can help you with include:

  • Anxiety 

  • Depression

  • Low self-esteem/low self-worth

  • Relationship/attachment issues

  • Early childhood trauma

  • Complex trauma

  • Bereavement/loss

  • Unhealthy behavioural patterns

What happens next?

If you feel the psychodynamic approach might suit you, I invite you to make contact via my ‘Get in Touch’ page. I can then advise you about my current availability and - if I do have available spaces - the next step would be to arrange a brief conversation by phone or online. This conversation will give you an opportunity to briefly outline your reasons for contacting me and gives me an opportunity to tell you how I work. We may then either arrange a first session, or I might offer other suggestions to you.

First session

Your first session will take the form of an initial consultation and will last one hour.

During this session I will ask you some questions to better understand some key points from your past and your present. We will also consider any hopes or fears you may have of entering therapy. The consultation session is a two-way process to consider what you might need and whether the psychodynamic approach might be right for you. We can then decide next steps together, which might include moving forward into therapy or considering other options available to you. Sometimes, it might feel appropriate to extend the consultation period to 2 or 3 sessions (with any further sessions lasting 50 minutes).

Ongoing sessions

Ongoing therapy sessions last 50 minutes and take place on a weekly basis - on the same day and at the same time. It is important when starting therapy to consider if you feel ready and able to commit to regular therapy. You may not know how much therapy you need or what you want to explore which is very typical. In such circumstances ongoing/open-ended therapy may feel more suitable for you, and we will work together until it feels like the right time to stop. Or, if you are seeking something that feels more affordable and also manageable in terms of time commitment, we can consider time-limited therapy which would typically be between 10 to 12 sessions. In time-limited therapy we will focus on a specific issue or goal.