We now offer Couples/Family Therapy from our offices in Salisbury.

Andrew Lewis-Smith

Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read this mini-bio. More of my professional details are at the end of this bio’.

These are the client groups who I generally work with. However, it’s always worth asking if I would consider working with you if you happen to not fall into these categories.

  • Children and young people from the ages of 12 to 18. For this age group, I work with anxiety, mood, trauma and eating problems and disorders. NB I do not work with underweight young people, e.g. less than a BMI of 18.5, those who are losing weight rapidly and ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) diagnoses.
  • Students in Higher Education. Online appointments offer the facility to both face-to-face meetings in the holidays and continue with the work via Zoom when they are at University.
  • Adults with anxiety issues, including conditions such as IBS.
  • Eating disorders. This is one of my key specialisms and covers various intervention types. I offer expertise for people with long-standing eating disorders and associated issues such as poor body image, shame, guilt and low self-esteem. I also provide specialist input for those in the early stages of recovery.

My working style

I provide robust and proven psychological therapies in a warm, supportive, professional and approachable manner. Any specific psychological treatment we use is chosen with you, and I will give you my recommendations. We may integrate elements from different treatment approaches to best serve your needs.

For those under 18, the initial appointment is generally with a parent/carer, as a family view of the situation is really important. Subsequent appointments are usually with the young person alone (unless they prefer to have a parent present), with feedback that does not break the young person’s confidentiality (aside from risk issues) given to parents.

Psychological Therapies, which I use

I use several approaches (humans are very complicated, and different approaches are helpful for various mental health difficulties), the core being Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT). This may vary in how we use it as there are specific adaptations for problems such as eating disorders.

I regularly use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and ideas and techniques from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).

I am also trained as a Family and systemic psychotherapist and bring the skills from that approach into my work, especially in working with younger people with eating disorders. However, I recently allowed my professional registration to lapse, so I no longer offer formal Family Therapy.

Additionally, I can offer techniques from Mind Body Medicine (see https://cmbm.org/) used to treat trauma and to which I am trained to an advanced level.

As someone who follows a Buddhist path in life, the rich depth and proven worth of Buddhist Psychology and a diverse range of practices can be helpful for those who are interested.

I am BABCP Accredited.

My Professional background.

I have been working at the Salisbury Practice for 7 years. I have also worked in the NHS, local government, and charity sectors.

I studied Geography as an undergraduate, but a chance encounter with the University community services officer shaped a long-term path to my current work. Seeking a professional qualification, I completed a postgraduate degree in Social Work. At the same time, I gained an MA with a distinction grade, focusing on linguistics and communication, for which I studied in the linguistics department.

I was fortunate to have an extended work placement in the Netherlands as part of this training. I subsequently developed my clinical and therapeutic skills training at the Tavistock Clinic in London, undertaking long-term Psychoanalytic and attachment theory training. Much of the latter part of my social work career was working with a small caseload of highly complex cases. I provided therapeutic input to children and was regularly involved in the court system at various levels, including the High Court at the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand in London. In parallel, I studied Family and Systemic Psychotherapy, gaining another Master’s degree.

At that time, I also co-ran the London Mennonite Centre’s part-time mediation and conflict resolution service with a Canadian colleague. Peace-building and reconciliation across divisions were at the heart of its work.

My training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was at the Institute of Psychiatry (The Maudsley Hospital) in London. CBT has been at the heart of my work ever since. It is a beneficial and widely applicable psychological therapy. As part of my ongoing professional and personal development, I have continued training in various treatment approaches to augment and enrich my CBT practice.

Interests

I enjoy reading, cinema and keeping fit, particularly yoga, strength training and cycling. I love cooking, bread-making and language learning. I have a long-standing and daily meditation practice. I am also involved in environmental activities and do voluntary work for Refugee organisations in the UK and Europe.

 

Insurance / Fees

Registered with Health Insurance Providers; AXA HEALTH / AVIVA / WPA / CIGNA. Please note I do not accept BUPA

For children and adolescents  my self funding fees are currently £130 per session.