About me
Are you feeling anxious, low, overwhelmed, or disconnected from yourself or the people around you?
Perhaps you find yourself stuck in familiar relationship patterns, struggling to cope, or unsure of who you are and what you want. When life starts to feel heavy or confusing, therapy can offer a place to slow down, breathe, and find your footing again.
Hello, I’m Helen Gilbert, an existential analytic psychotherapist. I offer therapy in Hastings and online, working with individuals, couples, non-monogamous relationships, and other family relationships. You don’t have to face this alone, we’ll work through it together, at your pace.
Therapy can help you make sense of what’s happening now by gently exploring how your past relationships, upbringing, and ways of thinking may be influencing your present life. Together, we’ll look at repeating patterns, process difficult experiences, and work towards living with greater freedom, clarity, and self-understanding.
I don’t come into therapy with a fixed agenda or a one-size-fits-all approach. Each therapeutic relationship is unique and shaped by your experiences, needs, and what you bring into the room.
Our work is led by what feels most alive or important for you in each session. I see therapy as an ongoing, thoughtful conversation, one that deepens over time and creates space to explore whatever you’re experiencing, at a pace that feels right for you.
How can therapy help?
My existential analytic approach focuses on looking beneath the surface, helping you understand the why behind your feelings, thoughts, and behaviours. Rather than trying to “fix” symptoms, we’ll work together to make sense of them.
We’ll begin where you are now and gradually explore how you might live with more freedom, meaning, and confidence. Together, we’ll find a way forward that feels true to you.
Areas I work with:
§ Depression
§ Anxiety
§ Loss
§ Stress
§ Improving relationship dynamics
§ Surviving abuse
§ Living with family estrangement
§ Considering re-engaging with estranged family
§ Parenting issues
§ Moving into parenthood
§ Regaining identity as children grow
§ Parenting without parents
§ Deconstructing from religion
What happens in relationship therapy?
In relationship therapy, I support couples and relationships of all types in improving communication, navigating conflicts, and building deeper connections. If you want to improve your relationship with a partner(s), family member, colleague or friend, relationship counselling can offer you the time and space to work on how you relate and communicate.
In our first session together, I will carry out an assessment with you both about your needs and desires for our work. After this we will agree how often and when to meet and go on from here.
Clinical Supervision
Alongside my therapy practice, I am also a clinical supervisor working online and in Hastings. I supervise both trainees and experienced practitioners, individually and in groups.
As a supervisor, I aim to create a reflective, supportive space where we can think together about your clinical work. I welcome different ideas and approaches, with a focus on helping you gain clarity around what’s happening between you and your clients.
I particularly enjoy working with practitioners who integrate multiple approaches or who are drawn to a phenomenological perspective. With my background in existential analysis, I offer supervision that attends to relational dynamics, unconscious processes, and the existential and psychoanalytic dimensions of therapeutic work.
Training, qualifications & experience
MSc Counselling and Psychotherapy (University of Roehampton)
MA Creative Writing and Personal Development (Sussex University)
Accredited Member: Universities Psychotherapy and Counselling Association (UPCA school of UKCP)
Certificate in Couples and Relationships therapy.
Some of the distress and difficulties experienced by people I have worked with include:
*Depression and anxiety
*Stress and burnout
*Drug & alcohol addiction
*Family estrangement
*Loss of direction and confidence
*Relationship problems
*Creative blocks
Member organisations
school 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.
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
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
Family estrangement
Loss of faith
Creative blocks
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£75.00 - £85.00
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
I charge £75 per session for individuals and £85 for relationship therapy.
Some lower fee sessions are available for students and people with no income. Please ask if you think this applies to you.
When I work
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Further information
I am also able to offer creative writing as a therapeutic tool which can form a part of my individual therapy practice. I also offer reflective writing groups as a series of workshops. This can offer a different approach to exploring self and relationships.
Skype sessions can be arranged as an alternative to face to face therapy if required.
