Alison Joanne Smith

I believe the client should feel like an equal in the partnership we create. This may not be surprising, given the well-known need for fairness that often drives autistic people. Although I have gained a lot of knowledge during my training and since I began working in 2020, I do not impose a point of view, analysis or interpretation and do not assume I know you better than you know yourself. I trained in the person-centred approach, which emphasises an empathic, non-judgemental and authentic counselling relationship that helps the client gain in feelings of control. I am transparent about how I work, with a sense of humour where appropriate. I am confident enough to believe in what I do but humble enough to stand corrected and also learn from my clients as I hope you will benefit from talking to me. I now refer to myself as a 'relational integrative' therapist, which means I have devised my own way of working based on my initial training and elements of other theories such as attachment theory, CBT, transactional analysis and more. I offer open-ended therapy but can also offer time-limited careers-focused counselling with a coaching style to anyone who does not need or want the in-depth process of longer-term therapy but would like help to make decisions about their working lives. This short-term therapy would not be suitable for anyone who wishes to explore traumatic experiences.