Richard Gordon-Smith , NCPS

Richard Gordon-Smith is a counsellor who turned a longstanding curiosity about human experience into a professional pathway. He studied psychology at degree level and went on to complete an Advanced Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling with the University of Manchester. Since that training he has worked in mental health settings and built a practice informed by a broad interest in emotion, personality and wellbeing.

Richard holds NCPS accreditation and describes his work as integrative, drawing on a range of therapeutic methods to suit the needs of each person. He offers person-centred work alongside emotion-focused approaches, cognitive behavioural techniques and psychodynamic ideas, and also uses solution-focused strategies when appropriate. This flexibility lets him tailor sessions to address issues such as low self-esteem, male mental health concerns, depression and anxiety.

Richard seeks to provide a calm, non-judgmental space where people can talk through past and present struggles and begin to understand their thoughts and feelings more clearly. He frames therapy as a collaborative process that helps people explore their inner life, develop coping skills and make practical changes that support healthier relationships and daily functioning.

Approach-focused online therapy for relationship and emotional work

Richard uses Attachment-Based Therapy to help people understand how early bonds and patterns influence current relationships and emotional responses; this approach can be useful for those struggling with trust, intimacy or fears of abandonment. He also works from a Client-Centered perspective, which emphasises an empathetic, non-directive stance so a person can explore their own values, choices and sense of self at their own pace. In addition he employs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a practical approach that identifies unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns and introduces tools to change them, often helpful for anxiety, low mood and stress.

Finding the right combination of approaches is part of the therapeutic process. Richard collaborates with each person to determine what fits best with their needs, goals and preferences, adapting methods over time as progress and priorities change.

Online therapy with Richard is available by video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, offering flexibility for different schedules and circumstances. These options make it easier to access registered professionals from different locations, balance therapy with work or family commitments, and continue support when in-person sessions are not feasible.