Helen Garvey
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am a BACP registered, trauma-informed Humanistic Integrative counsellor offering short or long-term counselling/therapy from my therapy room at home, online or from rooms in South Bristol. My approach is primarily Person-Centred and relational, with the focus being on how your world is feeling for you. We are unique beings but sometimes our uniqueness is not seen or appreciated. My priority is to value your uniqueness and help you find meaning and a way forward for whatever is challenging for you. I firmly believe we all have the capacity to overcome adversity and evolve to live a meaningful life, no matter how old we are, whatever our situation and how hopeless it may feel.
Personal and professional integrity are very important to me and it is this I offer you, together with my wealth of experience and rigorous training in therapeutic approaches. I have worked for over thirty years in the helping professions of nursing, teaching adults Skills for Life and supporting people with their mental health. On a daily basis, I have helped people understand their thoughts, feelings and behaviours. If you are feeling confused, lost, hopeless, heartbroken, angry, anxious or bereft I will hear you and offer you compassion, confidentiality, warmth and understanding to help you find some clarity on what is happening for you, in a way that is right for you. Together we can get you on a path that feels better for you.
Training, qualifications & experience
- MA (Distinction) in Integrative Counselling & Psychotherapy (Level 7) University of the West of England (UWE)
- Certificate in Counselling Skills (Level 4) UWE
- Certificate for Adult Literacy Subject Specialists (Level 4)
- Registered General Nurse (RGN)
- Mental Health First Aid Certificate
I have worked in wellbeing roles for large organisations and small charities in NHS hospitals, schools, prisons, community centres, colleges and people's homes.
I am a trustee with a small mental health charitable organisation located in an area of high deprivation in Bristol. I offer my time one day a week to provide free counselling for clients in the area, as I have a strong belief that all sectors of society should be able to access counselling.
Member organisations
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.
Accredited register membership
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
I have a keen interest in exploring how our parts of our brain/mind can work quite separately from other parts of our mind, resulting in conflicting and contrasting behaviour patterns that leave us confused and searching for answers.
I have experience in using creative approaches to access harder to reach 'parts' and feelings.
I have a passion for creative writing and how it supports mental health. Together we can explore and develop your personal writing if this is an area of interest to you.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£50.00 per session
Additional information
Sessions are for 50 minutes.
When I work
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Further information
I offer an initial free 30 minute zoom meeting or telephone call to see if we would be a good fit for each other. It will give you the opportunity to see if I am the type of counsellor you would be comfortable with and give me an understanding of whether I would be the best counsellor to help you explore your situation.
As a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), I'm committed to practicing within their ethical framework for the counselling professions. In addition to this I have regular supervision to discuss my client work, thus ensuring I am offering the best possible service I can to my clients. I am committed to keeping up-to-date and developing my own skills and expertise by attending regular Continual Professional Development both in-person and online.
