I am Claudia Smith, a UKCP-registered psychotherapist with over fifteen years’ experience working across psychotherapy, yoga, and creative practice.
I trained at the Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education (CCPE) in London and have been a registered member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy since 2017. My clinical work is governed by the UKCP Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
Clinical Orientation
The psychotherapy I offer sits within Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy (HIPC). This approach allows me to draw on a range of therapeutic frameworks while remaining responsive to the individual in front of me.
I hold a Research Masters in Transpersonal Psychotherapy, which explored the psychological and relational impact of diagnostic labelling, shame, and systemic measures of “ability”, alongside the role of regulation in the therapeutic relationship.
My ongoing clinical development is informed by:
- trauma-informed practice
- polyvagal-informed understandings of the nervous system
- attachment-based thinking
- relational and embodied approaches
Working Beyond Diagnosis
While diagnostic frameworks can offer a shared professional language, they often do not reflect the complexity of lived experience.
My work does not lead with diagnosis. Instead, I attend to:
- how your nervous system responds to stress and threat
- the meanings your symptoms may carry
- relational patterns shaped by early and later experience
- your capacity for reflection, agency, and self-regulation
From this perspective, many psychological difficulties can be understood as adaptive responses rather than pathology.
Body, Creativity & Expression
Alongside psychotherapy training, I have extensive experience as a yoga teacher and hold a degree in Fine Art.
These modalities inform my sensitivity to non-verbal experience. Where appropriate, therapy may include attention to:
- bodily sensation and breath
- movement or grounding
- imagery, symbolism, or creative expression
This is guided by clinical judgement and client consent.
A Transpersonal Dimension
My work includes a transpersonal orientation, attending to questions of meaning, symbolism, and transformation that often arise in periods of difficulty.
This may involve exploration of:
- dreams and unconscious material
- creativity and imagination
- spiritual or existential questions
Such work is grounded in psychological containment and ethical clinical practice.
Experience
Alongside private practice, I have worked within:
- NHS neuropsychiatry and mental health services
- community and low-cost psychotherapy settings
- psychotherapy training and facilitation
- NHS and charitable wellbeing contexts
`An up-to-date list of qualifications and CPD details are available on request.
Considering Therapy
Beginning therapy is a significant decision.
I offer a brief, free initial conversation to explore whether working together feels appropriate and to consider practicalities. The assessment process is collaborative and allows space for reflection on whether this work is right for you.