Hi, I’m Hannah.

Hannah, a Counsellor with long brown hair smiling, sitting in a welcoming cozy therapy room. In the background, there's green plants and pictures and a wooden shelf with decorative items.

I’m a Bristol based Counsellor, offering a safe, supportive space to explore what’s going on for you, adapting my approach to fit with your needs.

Get in Touch!
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    8+ Years of Experience

    Counselling people in private practice

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    BACP Registered

    The largest professional membership body

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    15+ Years of Experience

    Working across a range of mental health settings

My Approach

Deeper Understanding

I’m an integrative counsellor, trained in Gestalt, Person Centred and Psychodynamic approaches. I don’t believe that there is a single approach that will work for all individuals in all situations. I therefore tailor how I work to your individual needs rather than following one fixed approach.

In our work, we may explore:

  • How your past experiences and relationships might have shaped you

  • How you’ve adapted to cope with your experiences

  • Current relationship patterns and attachment issues

  • How you sit with and experience uncomfortable emotions

  • How you might approach situations differently

  • How you feel about your current issues and weekly challenges

  • Beliefs about yourself and others

At the heart of my work is a simple belief: that you already hold something important within you, even if it doesn’t feel that way right now. Therapy can be a space to reconnect with that, through increasing self-awareness and deeper understanding.

A colourful Illustration of an open doorway through a vignette of someone's head surrounded by potted plants, a mugs and decorative items, welcoming the viewer to go deeper inside.
A colourful Illustration of an open doorway through a vignette of someone's head surrounded by potted plants, a mugs and decorative items, welcoming the viewer to go deeper inside.

Building Therapeutic Connection

Many clients come to me unsure about putting their trust in a counsellor. You might feel worried about being judged, or wonder whether your problems are “big enough” for therapy. You may even question whether anyone could truly understand or help.

I work gently and transparently to build a relationship where you can feel safe, respected, and heard. This develops through consistent, honest interactions over time, allowing trust to grow at a pace that feels right for you; and helping you feel more at ease being yourself.

This may include being open about my thinking, acknowledging mistakes, and welcoming your feedback if something doesn’t feel right. I see these moments as an important part of therapy; offering a different experience of relationships that we can explore together.

Therapy is a collaborative process. Your voice matters, and we’ll regularly check in about what feels helpful, whether to focus more on the present or the past, and what you want from our work together. I may also share my thoughts or offer different perspectives, so we can decide together how best to move forward.

A colourful Illustration of two stylised women sitting at a wooden table with a potted plant growing between them as they feel more connected. In front there is a teacup and other decorative items.

Practical Support and Psychoeducation

Alongside therapeutic exploration, I also offer practical support and psychoeducation where it feels helpful.

This might include:

  • Understanding anxiety and stress responses

  • Grounding and emotional regulation tools

  • Building healthier boundaries

  • Exploring addiction patterns and triggers

  • Making sense of trauma responses

  • Looking at relationship dynamics and recurring patterns

  • Exploring neurodiversity or tools for managing ADHD and autism

I aim to make psychological ideas accessible and relevant, so you can better understand what’s happening to you, not just in sessions, but in your everyday life.

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What I work with.

  • Anxiety

    Exploring any causes of ongoing worry, panic, and feeling overwhelmed to find ways to help you feel more settled.

  • Trauma

    Working at your pace to process experiences, understand their impact, and build a greater sense of stability.

  • Self-esteem

    Understanding where these feelings come from and developing a more compassionate relationship with yourself.

  • Relationships

    Exploring patterns, communication, and how to build deeper and more meaningful connections.

  • Grief and loss

    Supporting you through different forms of loss, and helping you find your own way through it.

  • Stress and burnout

    Looking at sources of pressure and finding ways to respond differently, including setting boundaries.

  • Family issues

    Making sense of difficult family dynamics, past experiences, and how to move forward.

  • Young people (15+)

    Supporting young people navigating school, identity, relationships and family life.

  • Loneliness and connection

    Exploring feelings of disconnection and building confidence in relating to others.

Get in Touch!

If you have any questions or wish to book an initial appointment you can use the contact form or email me at hannahsmartcounselling@gmail.com

I will always try to respond to any form of contact within 24 hours.