Helen Cross

Welcome!

I am a fully accredited psychotherapist and counsellor with many years' experience.  I warmly welcome people who are facing a wide range of issues - recognising that everyone's situation is unique.  My aim is to help each person feel safe, so that difficulties can be explored in an atmosphere of acceptance. I have a particular interest in helping people with depression, low self esteem and the impact of past trauma.  I also support those facing anxiety and distress, which are so prevalent in these times of uncertainty and turbulence.


How do you choose...?

Counselling and psychotherapy are most helpful when you feel comfortable enough with the therapist to risk revealing thoughts, feelings or experiences that may have caused you to feel shame or self-doubt.  That in itself can be a great relief.  Then it becomes possible to explore difficult experiences and feelings, get a better understanding of the situation and experiment with new ways of being or behaving.

It can be daunting to think about asking a stranger for help - and reading all these profiles can be quite overwhelming.  The important thing is to find someone you feel you can trust and who is a good 'fit' for you.

You may not be able to tell what feels right until you meet someone face to face, so it can sometimes be helpful to contact or meet more than one person before you decide. 


Practical Arrangements

Counselling may be short term (6-10 weeks)

Psychotherapy usually involves working in more depth and it can take time to build the necessary sense of safety and trust. This is likely to need a longer commitment, 6 months at least - but this is always open to negotiation.

My practice is usually based in calm, comfortable rooms in Dartington and Bovey Tracey.  I can also sometimes arrange sessions in Chudleigh or Exeter if required.  During the pandemic I am working from home, offering sessions online and by phone.  I look forward to the time when we can meet freely and safely in person.

To start with, I offer a free introductory meeting in which we can discuss the work and how it might be  helpful.  If we agree that we would like  to work together, then we can arrange a trial period of six sessions.  After that,  we will review our work and decide whether to continue for a further time-limited period, or to work on an open-ended basis.

There is no clear-cut distinction between how I work with counselling and psychotherapy.  Counselling may be more focused on a particular current difficulty.  Psychotherapy is usually longer term as it involves developing a trusting relationship to enable underlying issues and patterns to unfold.   In my experience, therapy is most effective if we can meet every week, at least initially.

Confidentiality and safety  are paramount.  Core Process  Psychotherapists are bound by the Codes of Ethics and Professional Standards of  the UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy) and the ACPP (Association of Core Process Psychotherapists)  My work is fully supervised and insured.

I also offer Clinical Supervision for counsellors, psychotherapists and other professionals.