Qualifications & training
Helen is a registered member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy and Processwork UK, working as a counsellor and psychotherapist with individuals and couples.
1993
Training in Person Centred Counselling Skills, followed by extensive help line experience
2003
Advanced Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
2006
Traumatic Incident Reduction Training with the Traumatic Incident Reduction Association
2007
Post Graduate Certificate in Education
2010
Workshop with Margaret Warner, Working with difficult, fragile and psychotic process
2011
Diploma in Person Centred Supervision with Irene Fairhurst (who worked with Carl Rogers)
2023
Masters level Diploma in Process Oriented Psychotherapy (Processwork) and Facilitation with Individuals, Relationships and Groups
2025
Masters in Humanistic Counselling
Helen worked at Leeds Mind and at Solace, a charity for survivors of persecution and exile, as a volunteer counsellor. She ran groups offering Mindfulness and Dialectical Behaviour Techniques for the para-suicidal, and groups for men with anger issues, and incorporates parts work informed by Janina Fisher’s work on healing fragmented selves of trauma survivors.
Additional continued professional development
Bridging worlds — working with extreme states, living with HIV, heterosexism and homophobia, gender dysphoria, White Aware Antiracist Network and other work to develop awareness of my whiteness and unspoken whiteness norms, so I see the world more accurately.
Experience
Helen has experience working with people experiencing:
- Abortion
- abuse
- addiction
- adoption
- affairs and betrayals
- agoraphobia
- anger management difficulties
- anxiety
- Asperger's syndrome and the autism spectrum
- bereavement
- bipolar disorder / manic depression
- bullying
- cancer
- couples counselling
- dementia
- depression
- diagnosis of HIV/AIDS
- dissociation
- domestic violence
- eating disorders
- exploring their sexuality
- emotional abuse
- family issues
- feeling they are disappearing or wearing a mask
- finding their purpose in life
- gender dysphoria
- grief
- infertility
- loneliness
- low self confidence
- low self esteem
- miscarriage
- obsessive thought loops
- panic
- personality disorder
- physical abuse
- post-traumatic stress disorder
- postnatal depression
- pregnancy and birth
- psychosis
- redundancy
- relationship issues
- schizophrenia
- seeking more joy
- self harm
- separation and divorce
- sexual abuse
- sexuality
- spirituality
- stress
- suicidal thoughts
- trans issues
- trauma
- unhappiness
- work related stress and worrying
When we have missed out on stability and caring in our childhood, or when we have experienced neglect or trauma, the atmosphere of care and empathy in sessions is part of what supports us to recognise the parts of us that helped us survive, and the parts of us who can change the future.
Some of us aren’t quite sure why we are coming at first, but we just know we need someone to talk to. Whatever it is you are coming to talk about, Helen will welcome you. We can feel that our issues are too big or too small, or that we won’t be able to find the words to speak about things, and yet when we have someone who wants to listen to us, someone who accepts us for who we are, then somehow the words just come.
Many people meet prejudice in society, subtle signals that they aren’t welcome, and counselling can be a respite from the storm of discrimination — a place where you can simply be you.