Agoraphobia
Alcohol misuse
Anorexia nervosa (AN) - purging subtype
Anorexia nervosa (AN) - restrictive subtype
Anxiety
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
Bipolar spectrum disorders
Bulimia nervosa (BN)
Complex PTSD
Confidence
Depression
Emotional dysregulation
Emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD)
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
Neglect
Other addiction
Other eating disorder
Other mental health concern
Other substance use disorder
Panic disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Psychosis
Self-esteem
Social phobia
Stress management
Trauma (general)
Dr
Laura McKenzie-Smith
 
(
She/Her
)
Clinical Psychologist
BSc (Hons), DClinPsy, MSc

Laura is a compassionate Psychologist, skilled at working with complex mental health difficulties, integrating evidence-based approaches including CBT, CFT and EMDR.

Book a session

Insurers

Axa
BUPA Global
Aviva
Vitality
WPA
Cigna
Zurich
Healix
Aetna
Travelers
Case Managers

Languages

English

About me

Laura places the therapeutic relationship at the heart of her practice; aiming to create a safe, containing environment through warmth, compassion and care. Laura uses an integrative approach, drawing on evidence based interventions using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Narrative Therapy, in order to tailor her care to the person’s needs. Laura is a Practitioner Psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Laura completed her doctorate at Canterbury Christ Church University and has gained experience of working across the lifespan in community and inpatient settings, working with a range of complex mental health difficulties in individual and group settings. Laura also has experience in working with co-morbid presentations, in which people present with more than one mental health condition. Laura has worked in the NHS within forensic mental health inpatient services, working with people who experienced severe, complex and chronic mental health difficulties such as psychosis, complex trauma and personality difficulties. She has experience of providing reflective practice, consultation, supervision, training and support to multidisciplinary teams to provide a psychologically informed understanding. In addition to working with HelloSelf, Laura also holds an NHS role working as a Specialist Clinical Psychologist within a Specialist Trauma Service. In this role she provides specialist assessment, formulation and treatment to people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD. Laura has a specialist interest in working with people who have experienced trauma, whether this manifests as PTSD/Complex PTSD or other mental health difficulties (such as depression, anxiety, psychosis or low self-esteem), and uses a trauma informed approach in her work.

Area I can help with

Agoraphobia
Alcohol misuse
Anorexia nervosa (AN) - purging subtype
Anorexia nervosa (AN) - restrictive subtype
Anxiety
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
Bipolar spectrum disorders
Bulimia nervosa (BN)
Complex PTSD
Confidence
Depression
Emotional dysregulation
Emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD)
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
Neglect
Other addiction
Other eating disorder
Other mental health concern
Other substance use disorder
Panic disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Psychosis
Self-esteem
Social phobia
Stress management
Trauma (general)

Types of therapy I offer

Narrative Therapy
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Mindfulness Based Interventions
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT)
Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET)
Full Psychological Assessments (60-90 minute)

Qualifications

Health & Care Professions Council
Membership
-
2019 - present
-
-

Work experience

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Specialist Clinical Psychologist
-
2020 - present
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
Clinical Psychologist
-
2019 - 2021
-

Education

Canterbury Christ Church University
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
-
2016 - 2019
-
-