Helen Robertson

Welcome to my Counselling Directory page.

I am a Humanistic Counsellor and I offer a warm, inclusive and non-judgemental space in which to explore your life in a way that suits you, safely and confidentially.

I work relationally, which means that I will pay attention to how you and I are interacting together - our relationship - as part of the therapy. Humanistic therapy focuses on self-development and growth and is a holistic approach: we will think about the whole of your life experience including your thoughts, feelings and past experiences. I believe in clients' abilities to grow, and your ability to recognise your strengths, creativity and choice.

My training comprised of Person-Centred, Transactional Analysis and Gestalt Counselling, and I draw on these and other approaches in the work that I do.

You can read more about the Humanistic approach here: http://www.thecounsellorsguide.co.uk/humanistic-approach-counselling.html

Primarily though, my focus is on the relationship between me as a therapist and you as a client, as I believe that this is the greatest facilitator for change.

I am interested in the principles of mindfulness and sometimes integrate this into my counselling practice if this is something that you might be interested in.

Our first session

We can think of our first session together as an informal assessment for both you and me - to work out if we might be a right fit to work together, and if so what our focus might be, as well as for how long we would be working together.

I will ask some questions about what you are hoping for from Counselling and what has brought you to this point. There will also be some space for you to ask any questions you might have about Counselling in general, as well as my approach. 

All sessions last 50 minutes, including this first meeting.

Contact me by phone, email or through this listing or my website directly and we'll arrange a brief, free of charge phone conversation so that we can work out a time that suits you to come and have your first session.

Professional registration and ethics

I am a Registered Member of BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy), and I subscribe to their Ethical Framework.

I am in regular supervision with an accredited supervisor who oversees my clinical work.

I work with individuals (over 18) and have an enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) certificate.

Insurance
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I hold full professional liability insurance.

Where is my practice?
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I work from a comfortable, private therapy space which is located in my garden office room at my home in South East London. I also offer sessions online via Zoom.

I am around five minutes' walk from either Penge East or Penge West train stations. I am also accessible from Sydenham train station (fifteen minutes' walk) or Kent House station (twenty minutes' walk). There is parking available outside my house.

To arrange an initial meeting, please contact me through this page, through my website, or by phone.

If I do not answer the phone, please leave a message or send me a text and I can call you back when I am available.

Some information about counselling

Counselling is a talking therapy, where, during sessions, the counsellor's full attention is on you, the client.

It is a confidential and safe space in which you can explore whatever issues are bothering you, and work together with your counsellor to reach further understanding or to make decisions about your life.

Counselling offers you a neutral space - sometimes talking to friends and family doesn't feel quite right, or quite enough perhaps. Talking to a trained, impartial professional who is trained to listen empathetically and non-judgmentally can feel different, and may offer you more freedom to really explore how you feel.

Quite often you may find that some of the difficulties that you are facing outside of therapy may arise in the counselling room with your therapist, and this can provide a useful opportunity to explore them further 'in the moment'.

Counselling is not about giving advice or opinions, and you will find that your counsellor may not often share information about themselves. This is to keep the focus on you and your capacity to develop and change.

Sessions last for a fixed amount of time and mostly take place at the same time each week on a weekly basis.

For more information about different kinds of therapy and approaches, you might find this a helpful webpage: http://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counselling.html

I charge £65 per 50 minute session. Our first introductory session is £45. I accept payment by cash or by debit or credit card.

I do have some concessionary rates available, for people training in counselling, or for those on low incomes. Please ask me for more information about this.