Kate Oliver-Smith

Kate Oliver-Smith is a psychotherapeutic counsellor with 13 years' experience supporting people through life's difficult moments. She trained in psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and person-centred therapy, and brings those skills into straightforward, goal-focused work. Kate is warm and down to earth and aims to make sessions easy to follow. She holds an NCPS credential.

Her career began in Human Resources, where she helped individuals and groups with mediation, coaching and counselling. That background shaped her practical approach and comfort with workplace and personal issues. Clients often come with stress, anxiety, low mood or problems with self-esteem and relationships.

Kate uses a mix of talking therapies to suit each person's needs. She listens without judgement and helps people set realistic steps forward. Sessions may cover ways to manage anxiety, cope with grief, address addictive behaviours or improve communication and boundaries.

She also works with issues around trauma and abuse, attachment and abandonment, body image and complex life changes. Practical tools from cognitive behavioural therapy sit alongside deeper exploration from psychodynamic and existential ideas, depending on what a person needs.

Her style is collaborative and straight-talking. Kate aims to turn overwhelming problems into manageable tasks and clearer choices. People who prefer a calm, empathetic counsellor who also offers practical techniques may find her approach helpful.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Kate draws on client-centred therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy to help people make changes. Client-centred therapy focuses on listening, acceptance and building a trusting therapeutic relationship, which helps when someone needs space to talk things through. Cognitive behavioural therapy looks at patterns of thinking and behaviour and offers simple tools to reduce anxiety, lift mood and tackle unhelpful habits.

Finding the right approach is a shared process. Kate will work with each person to decide which methods suit their aims and preferences, adjusting techniques as progress is made. This collaborative way helps keep sessions focused on realistic, achievable steps.

Practical online benefits can make it easier to fit therapy into everyday life. Confirm the therapist's current session options before booking, as formats are not specified in the biography. Many people find remote appointments helpful for fitting sessions around work, reducing travel time and using short check-ins when a full in-person visit is difficult. Online work can still use cognitive tools and client-focused conversation to address anxiety, stress, relationship concerns and coping with change.