“we’re all navigating something, and it’s through that shared navigation that we find real connection, growth, and healing.”

Chance or change?

My journey into psychotherapy was shaped by a series of unexpected changes and opportunities. After earning my first degree in design and art direction, I spent two decades in the design and marketing world. But chance led me down a different path. Motivated by a desire to blend mind and body approaches, I started my change with retraining as a massage therapist and creating a corporate stress awareness program. This shift in direction ultimately inspired me to pursue an MA in Core Process Psychotherapy. I then explored Sleep Medicine and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at the University of Oxford. Along the way, I wrote my first book – and my second will be published in February 2025.

What began as a pivot has turned into a fulfilling, ongoing transformation.

It has not been straightforward

Retraining as a psychotherapist has been anything but straightforward. My path has twisted through personal and professional challenges that, at times, have felt overwhelming. Living with health issues and chronic pain, navigating late diagnoses of ADD and dyslexia, and balancing the demands of a full personal life have made the journey uniquely complex. There have been moments when I’ve questioned whether I could manage it all – whether I could hold space for others when I was grappling with my own struggles.

Trust the process

It’s precisely these challenges that have deepened my empathy and resilience. They’ve taught me to work with uncertainty, to be patient with the slower pace that some of us move at, and to accept that imperfection is part of the process – both in life and in therapy. Like many of my clients, I’ve faced setbacks, self-doubt, and the pressure to keep it all together. And like them, I’ve learned to embrace the messiness of it all. This shared vulnerability has not weakened my practice; it has strengthened it, making the therapeutic space one where both of us – therapist and client – can be fully human.

Change is rarely something we can, or should, undertake alone. Letting go of a way of being, even one that no longer serves you, can feel like a profound loss, a kind of death.

It’s here, in this vulnerable space, that the therapeutic relationship becomes crucial. Together, we can confront what must be surrendered and face the uncertainty of what comes next.

In the presence of another, destruction becomes more bearable, and out of it, new possibilities for growth can emerge.

UKCP Registered, Accredited & insured

As a UKCP Registered and Accredited Psychotherapist, my qualifications and practice are upheld to rigorous professional standards.

My registration means that:

I have completed six years of training through a professionally recognised and accredited postgraduate academic and clinical program.
I have been assessed as working to a high professional standard.
I participate in a minimum of 20 hours of professional supervision and ongoing training each year to maintain and enhance my skills.
I actively engage with and integrate the latest psychotherapy research into my work.
I adhere strictly to the UKCP code of ethical practice, ensuring integrity and professionalism.
I am fully insured, ensuring peace of mind for my clients.

In addition to my professional training, I have also undertaken extensive therapy myself. This personal experience deepens my understanding of the therapeutic process, allowing me to empathise more fully with my clients and support their journeys with greater insight and compassion.

I take a collaborative approach to therapy, focusing on a partnership where we walk the path together, rather than adhering to a rigid ‘treatment’ framework. Like new growth, change often emerges naturally when we create the right conditions.

Heather Darwall-Smith

Chance or change?

It has not been straightforward

Trust the process