Helen Drake, BSc, PGrad Dip
About me
Wanting Support? Help is at hand …
You may be reading this because you want help and support in dealing with emotional difficulties such as depression, anxiety or a feeling of aloneness or emptiness. Perhaps you have reached an important turning point in your life or feel stuck in recurring destructive patterns that prevent you from feeling fulfilled. Or you may want help because you are in the midst of a crisis, for example the break-up of a relationship, bereavement or divorce. Maybe you are experiencing a loss of direction or meaning in your life?
Who am I?
Hello. I'm Helen, I'm an experienced, UKCP Registered Counsellor & Psychotherapist. Since 1998, I have been working in private practice in Chiswick, West London and see clients on an open-ended or time-limited basis, depending on what you want help with.
In addition, I have a lot of experience as a trainer and consultant and regularly lead groups for those interested in personal development. For more information about my training programmes, click here.
Prior to becoming a Counsellor and Psychotherapist, I have a successful background of 20 years experience in corporate senior management roles in the UK and internationally.
I specialise in working with trauma and in helping clients experiencing difficulties with:
Addiction
Anxiety
Depression
Low Self Esteem
Panic
Stress
Relationships and
Uncomfortable feelings
What I offer
With all my clients, I offer a supportive, face-to-face, non judgmental space to help you explore what bought you to therapy and to help you work towards greater wholeness and integration. Indeed, as a psychotherapist and counsellor, my work is deeply rooted in and influenced by my yearning for aliveness, wholeness, connection and integration.
My Approach
My approach is primarily humanistic though I am trained in a number of different modalities. This enables me to draw from the therapeutic approaches best suited to address your problems and to tailor counseling and psychotherapy to your particular needs. This means, I may use a reflective talking therapy approach including deep listening, open exploration, inter-active engagement and respectful challenge in order to help you understand how painful feelings in the present may have their roots in the past. In order to help you change your feelings, I may then use a more process, goal oriented approach, switching to pro-active techniques including possibly CBT, hypnotherapy & NLP amongst others, if appropriate.
I also work with and through the body and are respectful of how the body can have a language of it’s own, often expressed in tensions, bodily symptoms and sensations and how, when listened to with the right kind of attention, stories of loss, pain and disconnection can gently reveal themselves.
No matter what painful struggles, problems and difficulties you may be experiencing, my job as a therapist is to help awaken, foster, nourish and support the goodness and gifts that lie within each of my clients and to find ways to connect with what it means to live a truly worthwhile, meaningful, wholesome life. In summary, to help you to remember who you really are and why you’re here.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have been working successfully with clients in my private practice for over 15 years. I am a registered member of the United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapy (UKCP) and abide by their Code of Ethics. My work is informed by my training which includes embodied, relational, humanistic, psychodynamic and attachment approaches. I specialise in working with trauma and have a lot of additional training in generative trance and third generation applied methodologies including ethical, process oriented NLP.
Workshops & Training
In addition to my private practice, I am an experienced trainer and regularly run reputable personal development trainings and workshops in the UK and internationally. For many years, I was a regular guest trainer and Assessor for a well respected training company in Ireland and this year have been invited to co-train final year students training to become Psychotherapists in Denmark. Recent 2-3 day workshop topics have included “Dancing with our Identity,” “The Art of Generative Trance” and “Working with Archetypes.” Longer and more advanced personal development trainings begin in February and September and run over 5 or 6 months. For more details, click here.
Other Training and Qualifications
Along with a Post Graduate Diploma in Psychotherapy, I have a BSc and Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing.
I have also studied various coaching and mentoring approaches and have experience in successfully designing and implementing programmes within multi-disciplinary service-based environments.
Member organisations
Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
UK Council for Psychotherapy
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership
Accredited Register Scheme
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£75-£85 per session
Further information
Availability
I am available to work with individual adults in my private practice and offer both short and long term therapy.
Location
My practice is in Chiswick, within easy walking distance of Gunnersbury Tube, Kew Bridge Overground, Kew Gardens and close to the M4, A4 & M3
Supervision
As part of my practice, I have regular ongoing supervision with an experienced UKCP Registered Psychotherapy Supervisor and also commit to my own continual professional development by regularly attending seminars and workshops with pioneers in the field.
