Co-Founder | Clinical Psychologist | Team Lead of The Trauma Team
Dr Emily Alteirac (nee Smyth) is a Co-Founder of The Fitzrovia Psychology Clinic and Team Lead of our specialist Trauma Team. As a highly experienced Clinical Psychologist, Dialectical Behaviour Therapist, Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, and Integrative Psychotherapist, she brings over a decade of clinical expertise spanning private, public, and charitable sectors.
Dr Alteirac holds a Master’s degree in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Integrative Psychotherapy, a Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and a Postdoctoral Certificate in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). She was also awarded her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Royal Holloway, University of London, where she specialised in treating Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) with refugees and survivors of torture. Her doctoral research was innovative in examining the relationship between trauma and psychosis in refugees.
Building on her clinical and research expertise, Dr Alteirac went on to work as a Trial Psychologist on the Study of Trauma and Recovery (STAR): an NIHR-funded multi-site Randomised Controlled Trial led by internationally-renowned experts at The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London and University of Oxford. This pioneering trial was the first of its kind to deliver trauma-focused therapy to individuals with psychosis, challenging long-held clinical assumptions and paving the way for integrated trauma treatment in this population.
Dr Alteirac’s commitment to advancing the field of psychology is further reflected in her research contributions. They include published work in neuropsychology examining multisensory detection tasks for screening cognitive impairment, a systematic review on the prevalence of psychosis in refugees, and an empirical study exploring the relationship between complex victimisation trauma and psychosis in refugees compared to non-refugees.
Alongside her trauma specialism, Dr Alteirac has extensive experience in the treatment of complex and enduring mental health difficulties stemming from her work across Personality Disorder services. Since 2012, she has delivered specialist DBT, supporting populations who present with severe emotion dysregulation and high risk presentations. At The Fitzrovia Psychology Clinic, Dr Alteirac thus also sits within our specialist DBT team, providing individual DBT therapy, running DBT Skills Groups, and facilitating DBT Consultation meetings.
Central to Dr Alteirac’s approach is the creation of a safe, trustworthy, and authentic therapeutic relationship. Her testimonials speak to her genuine care, commitment, warmth, approachability and non-judgmental nature – qualities that form the foundation of her work. She believes deeply in the power of kindness, empathy, and validation, and maintains an unwavering belief in people’s capacity for change and growth, regardless of complexity. Dr Alteirac focuses on recognising each person’s unique strengths and in creating a collaborative process at all times that is approached as a partnership. She advocates that while therapy often involves tackling emotionally heavy and challenging subjects, it can coexist alongside the use of humour, positive experiences, and celebrations of therapeutic progress.
Dr Alteirac is highly experienced in delivering integrative, formulation-driven and evidence-based treatment that is tailored to each person’s individual needs. She also provides specialist clinical supervision and consultation to multidisciplinary professionals, career and educational consultation services, and has training resources showcased by the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies. She works with a broad range of difficulties, including:
- Adjustment Disorder
- Agoraphobia
- Behaviours that Challenge (BtC)
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Grief and Bereavement
- Health Anxiety
- Hoarding
- Low Self-Esteem
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Panic Disorder
- Personality Disorders
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD & C-PTSD)
- Psychosis
- Self-Harm
- Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
- Specific Phobias
- Suicidality
Dr Alteirac draws on a range of therapeutic models including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based therapies, Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and numerous trauma-specific interventions including Imagery Rescripting (ImRes). She is also trained in delivering relational, person-centered psychotherapy, offering a reflective and exploratory approach where more suitable. This breadth enables her to create highly personalised treatment plans.
Dr Alteirac offers both short- and long-term interventions and is experienced in working across cultures and languages with interpreters. Her practice is grounded in theory, informed by the latest research, and delivered in line with NICE guidelines to ensure the highest standards of psychological care.
