Helen Hans
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello. For so many of us, asking for help goes against the grain, so this probably feels like a big step for you. Well done for taking it! Friends and family are great at offering support but sometimes it's just easier to talk to a therapist like me because I don't know any of the people involved, and that helps me stay unbiased whatever the situation.
If you decide to work with me, you and I will explore the links between your past experiences and current difficulties, with a particular focus on your early relationships, childhood and upbringing. These are instrumental in shaping our behaviour and thought patterns so reflecting on them can bring new understanding and insights to current problems. This is often new for people as we don't often pay much attention to the way we think or behave - they're just what we do, aren't they?
Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, depression or low self-esteem, we'll explore the cause of these together and work on improving your mental health, self-confidence and your relationships with the people around you. In therapy you will have the time and space to talk about whatever you want or need to - without judgement. You will find I challenge you gently and compassionately to bring about the changes you’re seeking whilst always offering you empathy and understanding .
You might only need a few sessions to feel the benefits of working with me, but you can continue for as long you wish. Talking therapy usually feels best in person, but we can hold sessions by phone or video call if you would prefer that. Sometimes getting out of the house feels like too much and speaking from home may be all you can manage. If you have mobility issues or a young baby to care for, phone calls or video calls may make therapy feel much more accessible. Please ask for what you need and I'll try my best to accommodate your preferences.
However we do it, you will always have a regular, confidential space to think through your difficulties and begin to make sense of what’s behind them. Each 50 minute session will be focused entirely on you and there will be no other distraction or interruption.
We'll meet in my comfortable, quiet therapy room on Nelson Street in Southend’s conservation area (SS1). The private and tranquil setting creates a calming atmosphere conducive to opening up and exploring difficult thoughts and emotions. There is on street parking immediately outside and Southend Central is only 2 minutes’ walk away. It is also on the number 17 bus route.
I work one to one with adults, teenagers and school aged children. However, I also provide couples counselling and therapy for family and parenting issues.
When working with primary school aged children, I like to see the parent/s and child/ren together, but the make up of the sessions varies depending on the family's needs. The older the child, the less adult input there tends to be.
When working with adult children and their family, the people attending each week will vary again.
Needless to say, when I work with parents and their babies and/or pre-school aged children, the parent/s will also be present at sessions.
Depending on the age of the client, I draw on different techniques including mindfulness and play therapy, using toys, drawing and games.
Training, qualifications & experience
I trained as a psychotherapist at the Tavistock and Portman in London and provide therapy services with psychodynamic principles at heart. This means that I place a strong focus on figuring out where your thought patterns and behaviours come from. These are deeply rooted in our earliest experiences - so deeply rooted, in fact, that we may not even have considered them but taken them as read. As children, we develop ways of thinking and behaving within our family and particularly in our relationship with our parents. These thought and behaviour patterns serve us well when we're children, but may not help us so much as adults. Reflecting on these and teasing out which ones are no longer helpful to us can help us to learn new ways of relating - ways that bring us more join and happiness.
I have many years' experience of providing therapy face to face on a one to one basis with adults, young people and adolescents. During the Covid pandemic, I supported many people over the phone and through video calls, and am confident that this way of working brings positive results, too.
I have provided therapy services in both primary and secondary schools, and work with school aged children, teenagers and their families. Holding sessions after school is extremely beneficial to the work as parents are able to take part in sessions. Working together in this way results in more rapid improvement in the parent-child relationship, and I aim to include parent in the work wherever possible.
I have worked with couples for over 25 years, particularly around pregnancy and parenthood and the issues that can arise at that time of transition. However, I work with couples at all stages of their relationship, whether it's a new relationship, or they've been together for many years.
In 2024, I completed a training in Birth Trauma. Sometimes the person who has given birth needs therapy to give space to their experiences, and sometimes it's the birth partner who supported them on the day. I have listened to thousands of birth stories and have an excellent understanding of the birth process, recovery and the effects of a difficult birth on mental health.
In addition to my psychotherapy qualification, I have a Masters degree in Infant Mental Health (now renamed Early Relational Health) from the Tavistock and Portman in London. Having worked extensively with new parents and their under fives, I am convinced that it is never too early to seek help if you are experiencing difficulties in your relationship with your baby, toddler or pre-school aged child. In fact, the younger the child, the sooner we see positive changes between you . As you might expect, in these cases I always see the parent and baby/toddler/preschooler together. My consulting room is large and so I can accommodate several people at once!
With my degree in educational studies, I trained perinatal practitioners for more than a decade to work with people in the transition to, and in the early months of parenthood. I have lectured on baby brain development from conception to age 3 and on Attachment Theory.
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
Parent-Infant relationships
Parent and baby/toddler relationships
Therapies offered
Fees
£55.00 per session
Free initial telephone or online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Therapists work in different ways and it’s important to find one who suits you, your child, teenager or family. For this reason, I offer a complimentary first telephone or online session where we can explore your needs and you can get a sense of whether you think we would work well together.
My fee is for a 50 minute session is £55.
Reduced rates are available for student counsellors and those on a low income.
Please note that in work with primary school aged children, I have at least two sessions with the parent/carer to get a full history before meeting the child. In my work with teenagers, a single session with the parent/carer prior to meeting them would usually be adequate. There would be a fee for these preliminary sessions.
When I work
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I am flexible in the way I work to make therapy sessions as accessible for you as possible. Please discuss your needs with me and I will try my best to accommodate them.
Further information
Clients I work with:
- Adults of all ages;
- Families;
- Young adults;
- Teenagers and children at primary school;
- Expectant and new parents;
- Parents with their baby, toddler and/or pre-school aged child/ren.
How I deliver therapy:
I would prefer to work with you on the same day and at the same time each week, but meeting fortnightly might make therapy more accessible for you, so please ask about this. I am more than happy to arrange sessions to fit around your patterns of working or other commitments.
Most of my work is face to face in my comfortable therapy room in central Southend. However, I want to make therapy as easy as possible and am happy to hold sessions with you via phone or video call to make that happen. Sometimes a mixture of in person and video or phone calls might suit you best, so please feel free to ask so that we can find the best approach for you.
When providing therapy for a parent and their baby, toddler or child under the age of five, both attend sessions together, as you would expect. My therapy room is equipped with toys and playmats to keep your baby or child comfortable and entertained during our sessions.
Types of therapy I offer:
- Brief therapy
- Family therapy
- Long-term therapy
- Psychoanalytic
- Psychodynamic
- Systemic
