Claire Smith, Psychosocial Counsellor

About Me

Purple flowers in a Swiss mountain valley outside a psychosocial counsellor office in Lutry.
Switzerland lake near psychosocial counsellor office in Lutry.

Hi, I’m Claire! 

I create space for you to embrace your strengths and grow.

I’m an English-speaking counsellor offering therapy for adults, teens, and parents across Switzerland (Vevey, Geneva, Fribourg, and Vaud), the UK, and Europe. I work with people navigating change, identity, and mental health challenges, often while living abroad.

I support individuals who feel disconnected, burnt out, anxious, depressed, or unsure of who they are anymore. Whether you're a teenager needing support, a parent caring for your adolescent, or an adult seeking deeper connection and healing, you don’t have to figure it all out alone.

I offer a warm, nonjudgmental space to explore your concerns and the challenges you’re facing. Together, we’ll make space for your story, your emotions, and the parts of you that need care and understanding.

As someone who immigrated to Switzerland myself, I know how isolating it can feel to be in a new country, missing your friends and family and your routines, unsure of where to turn for support. Therapy in English can be a huge relief and a bridge back to yourself as you build a new life abroad.

Claire Smith, psychosocial counsellor, sitting in Lausanne, Switzerland office by a window.

What it’s Like to Work Together

I’ll help you reconnect to your inner wisdom and feel more like yourself again.

I bring a down-to-earth, intuitive, and collaborative approach to therapy. We’ll explore what’s happening in your mind and body with curiosity, not judgment. You can expect to meet with someone who listens deeply and helps you feel more connected to who you really are. I offer tools and structure when helpful, and space for reflection when you need to slow down.

My clients often tell me they feel comfortable being themselves with me, and that I’m a calm and steady presence in their lives.

Rowers in a Switzerland lake near mountains.

My Approach

I offer integrative, trauma-informed counselling that adapts to your needs. I'm especially drawn to approaches that honour your strengths and centre your voice:

  • We all have different “parts” within us, like the perfectionist, the anxious part, or the inner critic. IFS helps you understand these parts with curiosity and care, rather than judgment. By building a more compassionate relationship with each part of yourself, you can find more balance, self-trust, and inner harmony.

  • You are not your problems or past. Together, we’ll explore the stories that shape how you see yourself, and gently rewrite the ones that no longer serve you.

  • This approach creates space to explore life’s deeper questions about meaning, identity, purpose, freedom, and connection. It helps you reflect on what truly matters to you and navigate life’s uncertainties with greater clarity and self-awareness.

  • CBT offers tools to notice and shift unhelpful thoughts, reduce overwhelm, and feel more empowered in daily life.

  • Our bodies carry our histories. I integrate a gentle, body-aware lens to help regulate your nervous system and reconnect with your physical self.

Forest path through Switzerland outside of Lausanne therapy office.

My Values

These are the values I return to again and again—both in my life and in the way I work.

Family

Family is my foundation, where I give and receive love, feel grounded, and remember what matters most. My deep commitment to working with young people comes from this place. To me, family doesn’t have to mean blood relatives. Especially as an expat, your family might be made up of friends, mentors, and chosen people who feel like home.

Respect

I meet you where you are, believe that you are the expert in your own life. My job isn’t to fix you; it’s to walk beside you, support you in making sense of your experiences, and help you build the life you want.

Kindness

Beginning therapy can make you feel vulnerable, and I also know how healing it can be to sit with someone who sees you with kindness and care. You’ll find empathy, warmth, and gentle honesty in our sessions.

Authenticity

I relate with openness, warmth, and curiosity. In our work, I aim to be attuned and real — not as an expert on your life, but as a steady companion who trusts in your system’s innate wisdom and capacity to heal.

More About Me

I’m a parent of two grown children, a partner, and an expat who made Switzerland my home over 20 years ago — a journey that led to becoming a Swiss citizen.

Outside the therapy room, I’m someone who loves connecting with others, being in nature, and finding beauty in the everyday — especially in the Swiss countryside. I’m a fan of fantasy novels, Pilates, gardening, and learning new things. I’m fluent in French, but I’m always working to improve it further, and I’m currently learning to row. I have a soft spot for chocolate (which makes Switzerland the perfect place to live!) and find joy in long walks and dips in my local lake — even in winter. Swimming in the lake year-round has become a grounding ritual, and a reminder of the strength, presence, and calm I aim to bring into both my life and my work.

Discovering Internal Family Systems (IFS) shifted how I relate to myself and others, and continues to shape the way I work in therapy. It reminds me that we’re all made up of many parts, all of which make sense when we take the time to understand them and approach them with care and curiosity.

Above all, I believe that being a psychosocial counsellor isn’t about having it all figured out. It’s about being present, authentic, and willing to walk alongside others as they figure out what wholeness and healing look like for them.

Psychosocial counsellor at their desk with a book, journal, and pen in their Lutry therapy office.

Neurodiversity-Affirming Support

I’m trained and experienced in working with neurodivergent individuals—including those who are diagnosed, self-identifying, or exploring diagnosis. I work from a neurodiversity-affirming, inclusive, and strengths-based lens. Whether you’re navigating ADHD, autism, sensory sensitivity, or identity questions, I offer space to be yourself and explore in a way that honors your experience.

Who I Work With

I specialize in working with teens, adults, and parents or caregivers. My practice is especially attuned to the unique challenges faced by international clients, immigrants, and expats. As a psychosocial counsellor with personal experience living abroad, I understand how disorienting and isolating it can feel to navigate major life transitions far from home. I offer a culturally sensitive, nonjudgmental space to explore identity, belonging, and what it means to feel at home within yourself.

Row boats along Switzerland lake and mountains.

Credentials

Let’s Connect

I offer in-person counselling in Lausanne and Lutry, and online counselling throughout Switzerland, the UK, and Europe — including Vevey, Geneva, Fribourg, and Vaud. If you're looking for a calm, kind space to feel more like yourself again, I’d love to chat with you.