Philip Smyth, BACP

Philip Smyth trained after a career in business and moved into counselling following personal experience with therapy. He now offers conversations that aim to make things feel more manageable. Philip is known for being steady and straightforward in sessions, helping people name what is hard and decide what to try next.

Philip draws on four years of client work in both face-to-face and online settings across the United Kingdom. He uses practical talking approaches alongside reflective work to address everyday problems. Topics he routinely helps people with include anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, depression and grief.

Relationship and intimacy issues are also a focus. Philip guides people through communication problems, rebuilding trust and managing affairs like separation or infidelity. He also supports those facing family conflict, parenting strain, and caregiver stress.

His approach mixes client-centred listening with structured techniques from cognitive behavioural work and relationship methods such as the Gottman Method and Imago Relationship Therapy. He will also draw on psychodynamic ideas when exploring recurring life patterns and attachments.

Philip aims to keep sessions practical. He helps people set small, clear goals and notices what changes between meetings. He is comfortable using video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging when that suits a person’s life.

People who value a direct, empathetic counsellor and a blend of talking and practical tools may find his style helpful. Philip accepts international clients and works in English.

How Philip's approaches work online

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and understanding. The counsellor follows the person’s lead, reflects feelings and helps them find their own solutions. This approach suits people who want space to make sense of what they are feeling.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and actions affect mood. It uses practical exercises and small experiments to change unhelpful patterns. CBT can help with anxiety, low mood and stress by giving clear steps to try between sessions.

Philip treats finding the right approach as a joint process. He talks through goals and preferences with each person and adjusts methods as the work progresses. Clients and the therapist agree what to try next so the plan fits real life.

Online sessions give practical flexibility. Video calls let people meet face to face when visual contact matters. Phone sessions need less bandwidth and can be easier when a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat or text-based messaging work well for brief reflections, notes between sessions or when writing feels more comfortable. These options help therapy fit around work, family and travel without losing the focus of the work.