Helen Forbes

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she/her/hers
MSc UKCP MBACP
Rugby, Warwickshire, CV22

About me

Whatever has led to you seeking support at the moment, therapy helps you by expressing and understanding your reactions to what has happened, supporting you in living an onward life that is in keeping with your true self.  

I have experience of working with a range of issues including difficulty with family relationships, bereavement, divorce/separation, social anxiety; as well as explorations of identity, and changes in life stage such as pregnancy, post-natal experiences, or retirement...and more besides.  Our reactions to life's challenges are formed of a lifetime of experience, so whatever your reason for seeking counselling, you may find yourself exploring a wide variety of life experiences that have gone before to help us make sense of your reactions and emotional outcomes.  I offer a supportive and non-judgemental space in which we can work together to understand these experiences and their individual meaning to you. 

I have undertaken specialist training with the Foundation for Infant Loss Training, around pregnancy and infant loss.  I also have a special interest in Autism, ADHD and neurodiversity more broadly.  Psychotherapy and counselling are non-diagnostic services, but we can explore and understand your unique experience of the world and your identity.  I work to create an environment where it feels safe to express your true self.  

I look forward to every new therapy journey, but it is also my job to make myself redundant in that process, so we agree at the start what your goals for therapy are and will review these regularly to ensure you are getting what you need from the sessions.  As an Integrative therapist I use a combination of theories and frameworks to help me understand and work with each client, tailoring my approach to the individual, and adapting as needed through the work. Over time, being in this unique relationship, enables you to better understand yourself and find your way forward. 

Training, qualifications & experience

  • MSc Psychotherapy & Counselling, University of Warwick
  • Accredited Psychotherapist with UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy) - regulated by the Professional Standards Authority
  • Registered Member of BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) - regulated by the Professional Standards Authority
  • Full DBS  
  • Pregnancy and Infant Loss Practitioner Training, by the Foundation for Infant Loss

Member organisations

Registered / Accredited

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.

UKCP
UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

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.

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.

UPCA
Universities Psychotherapy & Counselling Association (UPCA)

Universities Psychotherapy & Counselling Association

Accredited register membership

UK Council for Psychotherapy
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.

UK Council for Psychotherapy
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
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.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Areas of counselling I deal with

Fees

£40.00 - £60.00

Concessions offered for

  • Trainee counsellors
  • Refugees

Additional information

My current fee is £60 per session. I offer a percentage of my sessions as lower cost appointments to those for whom attending therapy would necessitate financial hardship, rather than financial sacrifice. We can talk about your individual circumstances at the initial consultation. 

I offer a free initial consultation (either face to face or online) so that we can explore what it might be like for us to work together.

Further information

Contact me for a free initial session, either face to face or online, so that we can discuss whether my approach may work for you, and whether we both feel that we are a good fit to work together. Attending an introductory session doesn't commit you to further work, and if I don't think my approach is a good fit for you I will endeavour to signpost you to other potential suitable practitioners or services.

I offer therapy on either an open-ended basis, or in pre-agreed shorter episodes of focussed counselling between 6-12 sessions.  Therapy is usually weekly, although I do have some fortnightly availability, and all our sessions would be at the same time and day of the week. In our first session we would agree goals and approach for the issues you bring and will review these regularly, adapting as needed.

My practice is in a cosy private self-contained building, set away from the road. There is ample parking. Regrettably the building isn't currently wheelchair accessible.

Rugby, Warwickshire, CV22

Type of session

In person
Online

Types of client

Young adults (18-24)
Adults (25-64)
Older Adults (65+)

Key details

DBS check

In England and Wales, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly known as CRB) carry out criminal records checks for individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children. To find out more, visit gov.uk , or contact this professional directly

Online platforms

Google Meet
Helen Forbes
Helen Forbes