About me
I'm Helen Lyon, an experienced counsellor supporting adults who feel overwhelmed, stuck or not good enough. You might seem fine on the outside, but inside you're full of self-criticism, nagging thoughts and exhaustion. If you're starting to wonder whether life has to feel this way or whether there's another way to live, then you're in the right place.
I work with people who might look like they’re ok, the dependable one, the thoughtful one, but that doesn’t feel like the real them. The real them feels overwhelmed, struggling to keep up; they keep saying yes when they want to say ‘not right now’, but they can’t say it for fear of being seen as not nice or a failure.
I support people whose thoughts continually criticise them, who replay old conversations wishing they’d done something differently, and whose anxiety keeps holding them back. Exhausted people.
Maybe something has happened in your life, and that’s what’s brought you here. Perhaps you’re feeling rejected, burnt out or confused, maybe something hasn’t worked out the way you hoped it would. Counselling can be a place for you to check in with yourself and explore what's going on and what needs to change.
I understand how overwhelming and confusing it can be to realise that the life you’ve built (or maybe your life feels built for you) isn’t working, and you’re wondering how you got here. Maybe you’ve reached a point where your coping strategies don’t work anymore, you’ve noticed how much you people please or rely on other people's opinions of you to feel okay. Maybe you feel like the breaking point is close. This might feel like a scary place to be, but it could also be an opportunity to take a moment and do things differently.
I have worked with adults who are experiencing:
- Anxiety and feeling like they can’t turn their thoughts off or down.
- Depression, feeling stuck and hopeless.
- Self-criticism, self-doubt and overthinking.
- Stress, overwhelm and burnout.
- Feeling unseen, like no one knows them, the real them.
- Low self-esteem, you've noticed that you value other people's opinions of yourself more than your own opinion.
How I work:
As an experienced integrative counsellor, the therapy I offer draws from a number of different approaches to suit your needs best. I am mainly influenced by:
- Person-centred theory is about you, you know you the best, this approach explores how you see yourself and how you see the world around you.
- Relational Theory looks at the here and now, using our relationship as a place where you can be yourself.
- Psychodynamic theory to gently explore your past and see how it might be affecting your present.
- Transactional Analysis to notice any patterns in your communication or relationships. Reflection gives you the power to make different choices.
Counselling with me is about being open and honest. I won’t hide behind long words or use psychobabble. I show up ready to meet you where you are, to really hear you, ready to explore your experience with warmth, compassion and curiosity. Counselling with me isn’t about advice or fixing you, it’s about getting to know you, reflecting and revealing things that may have been invisible to you, to help you find your way.
After working with me, clients often feel more confident, like they have more direction, and their minds feel calmer and quieter. They feel able to make decisions from a place built on their needs and values.
We’ll review our work together regularly to ensure you’re finding it beneficial and the therapy is moving at a pace that’s comfortable for you.
I offer online and telephone counselling as well as in-person counselling. If you would like, we can also take the counselling sessions outside.
Sessions can be weekly or fortnightly, whatever works best for you.
If you would like to find out more about how I can help you, please take a look around my website or message me to have a 15-minute chat to see if we click.
About Me:
My own counselling story began in my late twenties when I experienced depression and needed to explore where my life had been and what direction I was heading in. I know how hard it can be to begin, but I also know the relief that counselling can bring.
I qualified 7 years ago and have been working in Private Practice since then. I undertake regular supervision and training to ensure that I am working ethically and supporting my clients to the best of my ability.
Training, qualifications & experience
Qualifications & training
- FdSc in Counselling (2018 University of Gloucestershire)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Relational Therapy
- Certificate in Counselling
- Foundation course in Online and Telephone Counselling
- Certificate in Transactional Analysis 101
- Introduction to Couple Work
- Pregnancy and Infant Loss Practitioner Training
- Walk and Talk Therapy
Experience
- 7 years in private practice
- Worked as a counsellor in a busy GP practice
Additional Information
- Accredited Registrant of the NCPS
- DBS checked
- Undergo regular CPD
- Fully Insured
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 National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society This Not For Profit association of counsellors and psychotherapists aim to support the counselling profession, members and training organisations. In 2013 the NCS register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under the Accredited Voluntary Register Scheme. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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.
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
£55.00 per session
Additional information
The cost of each session is £55 and is 50 minutes long. I offer a free 15-minute telephone or video consultation. This gives us the opportunity to see if we click and to answer any of your questions. There is no obligation to book a session.
I offer some concessionary online sessions. Please contact me for more details.
I offer weekly and fortnightly sessions. I understand that some clients need more flexibility due to finances or shift patterns, and this can be discussed at our initial appointment.
I offer telephone, video and in-person sessions. We can also take the sessions outside. Please see my website for more information about outdoor counselling. Outdoor sessions are £60 and last for up to 60 minutes.
In-person sessions are held in Combwich TA5 2QZ.
I look forward to hearing from you.
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early morning | |||||||
| Morning | |||||||
| Early afternoon | |||||||
| Late afternoon | |||||||
| Evening |
