- Years in practice
- 13
- Registration
- NCPS
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Relationship issues
- Focus
- Grief
About Kate
Kate Oliver-Smith is a psychotherapeutic counsellor with 13 years of experience. She draws on a background in human resources and practical counselling to help people set and reach realistic goals. Kate is warm, down to earth and approachable, and she aims to make conversations feel straightforward and useful.
She holds NCPS as a professional credential. Her early work in human resources involved coaching, mediation and one-to-one support. That experience shaped how she listens for practical problems and helps people find steps forward.
Background and approach
Over time she trained in psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural techniques and person-centred ways of working, and she blends those ideas in sessions. In practice she focuses on common life pressures such as stress, anxiety, low mood and relationship or intimacy concerns. She also helps people facing grief, addiction, sleep problems and parenting-related strain.
Additional areas she addresses include issues around attachment, adoption and foster care, chronic illness and carer stress. Sessions are conversational and goal-focused. Kate aims to understand what matters most to the person and then work out simple, achievable steps.
She uses reflective listening, practical exercises and short-term strategies when they fit the client’s needs. People often come for help with communication difficulties, confidence and coping with major life changes. Kate also offers support around career stress, body image and managing anger.
Her style is non-judgemental and collaborative, with attention to real-life solutions.
What Kate works with
Everything Kate lists, in their own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Kate helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Intimacy-related issues
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counselling
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Kate lists
- Client-Centred Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each counsellor names and does not check training records.
How these approaches work online and what to expect
Kate uses client-centred therapy to focus the conversation on the person’s own priorities. That approach means she listens closely, reflects back what she hears and helps clients clarify their goals. Cognitive behavioural therapy is used to identify unhelpful thinking and try practical experiments. CBT can be helpful for anxiety, low mood and sleep problems because it targets patterns that keep difficulties going. Finding the right approach is part of the work. Kate will discuss different ways of working and agree a plan with the client. This is a collaborative process that draws on the client’s goals, preferences and what feels helpful in early sessions. Online sessions offer a range of practical options. Video calls are useful for a more personal face-to-face conversation, while phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging suit people who prefer writing or who need flexibility around work and childcare. These formats make it easier to fit regular support into a busy life and can be combined as needs change.Questions people ask about Kate
What concerns does she help with?
Kate works with stress, anxiety, depression and relationship or intimacy concerns. She also supports people with grief, addictions, sleep problems and parenting-related strain.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is warm, down to earth and collaborative. Sessions are conversational and aim to identify practical steps the client can try between meetings.
What kind of background does she bring to therapy?
She spent early career years in human resources doing coaching, mediation and counselling, then trained in psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural methods and person-centred approaches.
Where is she based and what credential does she hold?
She is based in the United Kingdom and holds NCPS as a professional credential.
Can I have sessions in other countries or languages?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are accepted.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to suit different preferences and schedules.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin if I want to work with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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