Ilona Smith
Compassionate therapist for stress and trauma
About Ilona
Ilona Smith helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and intimacy-related worries. She introduces herself in a calm, respectful way and aims to make the first steps into therapy feel manageable for someone under strain. Ilona works in a person-focused manner.
Conversations are shaped around what matters to the individual. She listens for patterns like attachment difficulties, feelings of abandonment, or problems with trust and commitment, then helps people find clearer ways forward.
Background and approach
Practical tools are used alongside reflective discussion. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, mindfulness practices and solution-focused techniques are available depending on the issue. Ilona also draws on existential ideas to help people consider meaning, values and life direction.
Her experience includes supporting people through trauma, dissociation and the aftermath of domestic violence. She also offers help with guilt, shame, loneliness, family tensions and midlife questions. Sessions aim to balance emotion-focused work with steps you can try between meetings.
Ilona is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and has worked as a therapist for 16 years. She practises from the United Kingdom and offers sessions in English. The approach is collaborative and adaptive to each person's needs.
What Ilona works with
How Ilona works
Listed by Ilona among the ways they work.
Listed by Ilona among the ways they work.
Listed by Ilona among the ways they work.
Listed by Ilona among the ways they work.
Listed by Ilona among the ways they work.
Listed by Ilona among the ways they work.
Sessions & fees
Therapeutic approaches and online therapy options
Client-Centred Therapy focuses on the person's own perspective. It involves open listening and reflecting back what matters most, helping people feel understood and more able to make their own choices. This approach is useful for anxiety, depression and struggles with self-worth.Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, helps identify unhelpful thoughts and behaviours and then tests small changes. It is practical and problem-focused, often used for stress, panic, low mood and anxiety. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention practices to reduce overwhelm and ground people when emotions feel intense.
Finding the best approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with the person about their goals and preferences, then blend methods that fit their needs. This collaborative process can change over time as priorities shift.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits. Video calls let the therapist and client use face-to-face dialogue while saving travel time. Phone sessions suit those who prefer not to be on camera or have lower bandwidth. Live chat and text messaging are useful for brief check-ins, immediate reflection or when written communication feels easier. These options make it simpler to keep therapy consistent around busy lives and changing schedules.
| Session length | Typically 50 minutes |
|---|---|
| Client ages | Adults, 18 and over |
| Fees | Subscription via BetterHelp, cancel anytime |
| Insurance | Not billed directly |
Questions people ask
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Areas of focus
What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 16 years
- Registered with
- BACP
- Languages
- English
