Helein Treuhaft

Life isn't always easy to make sense of. Sometimes a particular event leaves us feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes we notice the same patterns repeating in our relationships, our work or the way we relate to ourselves. At other times, it's simply a growing sense that something no longer feels quite right.

Therapy offers a space to pause, think and begin to understand what lies beneath those experiences.

I offer warm, curious and collaborative psychotherapy for adults from a broad range of backgrounds and life experiences. Together, we'll explore what's happening for you now, while gently making sense of the experiences, relationships and patterns that have shaped your life. My aim isn't to offer quick fixes or tell you who you should be, but to help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself so that meaningful and lasting change becomes possible.

As a UKCP and BACP registered psychotherapist, my work is grounded in Transactional Analysis, a relational approach that pays attention to how our early experiences influence the way we think, feel, relate to others and experience ourselves today. While this informs my practice, therapy is always shaped around you, your goals and what feels most helpful at your pace.

Many of the people I work with come to therapy because they are experiencing:

• Anxiety, stress or depression
• Low self-esteem or self-criticism
• Relationship difficulties
• Grief, loss and life transitions
• A sense of feeling stuck or disconnected
• The emotional impact of childhood experiences

I have a particular interest and specialist experience in supporting:

• Adoption and adoption-related issues. As a Barnardo's-trained Adoption Support Counsellor, I work with adopted adults, adoptive parents, birth parents and others affected by the lifelong emotional impact of adoption.
• Addiction and recovery, including understanding the emotional drivers beneath compulsive behaviours.
• Late diagnosis of ADHD and neurodivergence, including identity, masking and making sense of life through a new lens.

Alongside my private practice, I teach on counselling and psychotherapy programmes and have a longstanding interest in supporting personal and professional development.

Locations

I offer weekly psychotherapy sessions in Hove and online.

Next Steps

Finding the right therapist matters. If you're considering therapy and would like to see whether we might be a good fit, I offer a free 20-minute consultation via Zoom. You're welcome to get in touch by email, and I aim to respond within 48 hours.

All enquiries are treated in confidence.

Adoption

Adoption doesn't end in childhood. It can continue to shape our sense of identity, belonging and relationships throughout life.

As a Barnardo's-trained Adoption Support Counsellor, I offer specialist psychotherapy for adopted adults, adoptive parents, birth parents, special guardians and extended family members affected by adoption.

Many adoptees describe carrying conflicting feelings - love alongside loss, gratitude alongside grief, belonging alongside uncertainty. There can also be an unspoken expectation to "be grateful", making it difficult to acknowledge what has been lost or to speak openly about anger, sadness or confusion.

Therapy offers a space where every part of your experience is welcome. Whether you're exploring your identity, navigating reunion, making sense of family relationships or wondering how adoption has shaped your life, we can think about it together at your pace.

Addiction

Addiction is rarely just about the substance or behaviour itself. Whether it's alcohol, drugs, food, gambling, shopping, relationships or another coping strategy, addictive patterns often develop as a way of managing emotional pain, overwhelming feelings or difficult life experiences.

Rather than focusing solely on stopping the behaviour, therapy offers an opportunity to understand what the addiction has come to represent in your life, what it may be protecting you from and what needs it has been trying to meet.

I also work with partners, family members and loved ones affected by someone else's addiction. Living alongside addiction can feel exhausting, confusing and isolating. Therapy provides a space where your experiences matter too.

ADHD & Neurodivergence

Receiving an ADHD diagnosis later in life can be both validating and unsettling. Many people describe relief at finally understanding themselves, alongside grief for years spent wondering why life seemed harder than it appeared to be for other people.

As someone with lived experience of ADHD and dyslexia, I understand something of the emotional impact that can accompany a neurodivergent identity. Therapy isn't about changing who you are. It's about making sense of your experiences, understanding the impact of masking, self-criticism and difference, and recognising your strengths alongside your struggles.

Together, we can explore what it means to build a life that feels more authentic and compassionate towards yourself.

Relationships

The way we relate to others is often shaped by our earliest experiences. We may find ourselves repeating familiar patterns - putting others' needs before our own, fearing rejection, avoiding closeness or feeling responsible for everyone else's wellbeing.

These patterns often made sense at one time, even if they no longer serve us today.

Therapy offers an opportunity to become curious about how these ways of relating developed and whether they still reflect who you are today. Greater awareness creates the possibility for different choices, healthier boundaries and more fulfilling relationships.

Grief & Loss

Grief is not limited to bereavement.

It can follow the end of a relationship, the loss of health, infertility, menopause, retirement, a late ADHD diagnosis, adoption, or simply recognising that life has unfolded differently from how you once imagined.

Grief doesn't follow a timetable, and there is no right or wrong way to experience it.

Therapy provides a space where loss can be acknowledged without pressure to "move on". Together we can make room for your grief, understand its impact and help you reconnect with what continues to give your life meaning.

Free 20-minute Zoom consultation
Individual Psychotherapy: £70 per 50-minute session
Clinical Supervision: £70 per 50-minute session
Personal Development Group: £30 per session (10-week commitment)
Reflective Practice for Organisations: please contact me to discuss your requirements

My work is grounded in Transactional Analysis, a relational approach that helps people make sense of themselves, their relationships and the patterns that have shaped their lives.

While Transactional Analysis provides the foundation for my work, I don't believe therapy should follow a fixed formula. Every person brings a unique story, and I tailor therapy to your individual needs, goals and pace.

Above all, I aim to offer a warm, curious and collaborative therapeutic relationship where you feel safe enough to explore difficult experiences, develop a deeper understanding of yourself and create meaningful, lasting change.