Helen Madden, Registered MBACP
About me
I offer counselling in a traditional setting with adults and children and 'Walk and Talk' therapy in the High Peak and Cheshire countryside.
I offer a warm, confidential, safe space in which you are free to explore your thoughts and feelings.
Being able to talk in confidence to someone who will not judge you and who will help you to find your way forward can enable you to unravel emotions that may have become overwhelming.
Counselling is designed to support people who want to make changes in their lives. People access counselling for a wide range of reasons. My aim is to support you in understanding and resolving those past or present difficulties where they are impacting negatively on your day to day living. Counselling offers a physical and psychological space to reflect on circumstances and develop the ability to move on by making more effective choices.
I am an integrative counsellor but use a person centred approach which means establishing a relationship with you, my client, building trust, and supporting you in your journey to finding your own solutions that you can take away with you.
Our first session together is offered at a reduced rate. This session gives us an opportunity to explore how we might work together and whether I am the right counsellor for you.
I am a Member of BACP and work to their ethics, meaning that my practise is responsible and accountable.
I work from Riverside Wellbeing, a therapeutic collective in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire. There is free parking nearby and the office is 5 minutes walk from Whaley Bridge train station. The office is accessible for those with limited mobility.
I offer online counselling via Zoom.
I also offer counselling via telephone.
Walk and Talk - Counselling sessions in High Peak, Derbyshire and Cheshire
Some people find the thought of face to face counselling indoors, in a relatively confined space, a daunting or overwhelming prospect. Others may have tried counselling in conventional environments but found it uncomfortable or wished for a less intensive approach. If this resonates with you then Walk and Talk sessions may be a helpful alternative.
The natural environment can provide a space to allow you to think more freely, to engage your senses and to explore your feelings. Many people find that the tranquility of the countryside can induce a meditative/reflective mood which supports emotional awareness. Exercise can also help people become "unstuck" when confronting difficult issues and it can spur creative, deeper ways of thinking.
I offer a choice of easy, moderate or more strenuous walks. The easy and moderate walks are on flat or undulating terrain. All walks offer a mix of public footpaths, bridleways, open countryside and quiet country lanes as well as walks suitable for times when the weather conditions are less favourable. You will not need to be 'super fit' or even very outdoors orientated to benefit from this setting for your counselling.
Sessions will run in most weather conditions but if too severe the session will take place indoors in Whaley Bridge, SK23.
Our initial consultation together will take place in a counselling room or via Zoom or telephone so we can discuss the differences of working outdoors, considering together things like where we meet, how we manage the time, the weather and the pace etc.
Walk and Talk can be conducted in a socially distanced manner so can be an effective way of safely working together. Please don't hesitate to give me a call if you want to discuss how it could work for you.
Walk and Talk sessions take place in High Peak and Cheshire.
Counselling with Children
I can offer a calm, safe environment. Through talking, creative work and play I aim to provide children with the opportunity to be heard and to express their feelings.
Most importantly a therapeutic relationship is built up and I build this by engaging with children through the medium of play.
I am currently working as school counsellor in two primary schools and here my aim is to establish a strong relationship with the child so that they feel secure enough to share worries and concerns when they are ready to do so.
Once trust is established I seek to build the emotional resilience of the child.
Fundamentally, in my work with children, my therapeutic approach is informed by attachment theory which emphasises the crucial developmental significance of the relationships and experiences of early childhood.
Training, qualifications & experience
I qualified with a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling in 2013 and since qualification have been working in three areas;
As school counsellor in two local primary schools
For the charity AgeUK working with clients in their 50s and over (currently counselling over the phone only)
In my own private practice.
I receive professional supervision and attend training courses to enhance and support my practice.
I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and Counselling and Psycotherapy Outdoors (CAPO).
Training courses:
Safeguarding in work with Children (Place2Be) September 2013
Working with Children's Difference and Diversity (Place2Be) October 2013
Helping children tell their stories (Place2Be) November 2013
Working with Children using Metaphor (Place2Be) January 2014
Children's Emotional Wellbeing (Place2Be) March 2014
Mindfulness Practice and Research Symposium Salford University July 2016
The ageing process. An exploration of the Ageing Self Manchester Gestalt Centre October 2016
Working with addiction: underlying causes BACP January 2017
Working with bereaved clients BACP March 2017
Working with female prisoners (Women MATTA) March 2017
MSBR Course Mindfulness for Living Jan-March 2017
Working with sex and pornography addiction BACP March 2017
Working with identity and self esteem in young people with eating disorders BACP April 2017
Working with young people in the LGBT community - BACP April 2017
Working with young people who self harm - BACP May 2017
Working with Body Dysmorphic Disorder - Counselling NW September 2017
Awareness of Domestic Violence and Abuse Manchester Safeguarding Boards October 2017
Suicide Awareness and Prevention - NHS November 2017
A Disorder for Everyone: Exploring the culture of psychiatric diagnosis, creating change. December 2017
Loss: What does life mean for me now? BACP October 2018
Mindfulness in Recovery from alcohol/drug addiction - Counselling NW - June 2019
Culture and Identity in Counselling: Working as a Cross-Cultural Counsellor - Counselling NW November 2019
A Dive into Mindfulness - Riverside Wellbeing - November 2019
Mind or Body - what's in charge? - BACP December 2019
Dealing with Distress: Working with Suicide and Self-harm - Carolyn Spring Training - January 2020
Compassion Focussed Therapy - How to Develop a Compassionate Self - Counselling NW - January 2020
Making connections with an Autistic Brain - BACP February 2020
Mental Health and the body. Treating Trauma - Carolyn Spring April 2020
Member organisations

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
BACP is one of the UK’s largest professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. Therapists registered with the Association fall into a number of different membership categories such as Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP and Registered Member MBACP (Accred), each standing for different levels of training and experience. MBACP (Accred) and MBACP (Snr Accred) members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association.
Registered members can be found on the BACP Register, which was the first register to achieve Accredited Voluntary Register status issued by the Professional Standards Authority. Individual Members will have completed an appropriate counselling and/or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but will not appear on the BACP Register until they've progressed to Registered Member MBACP status.
All members are bound by a Code of Ethics & Practice and a Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership

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.

Areas of counselling I deal with
Fees
My fees are £40 per hour.
A first appointment is offered at a reduced rate and is an opportunity for us to explore, with no obligation, how it would be to work together.
Walk and Talk sessions are £40 per hour.
Online and telephone sessions are £40 per hour.
I can offer a concessionary rate for counselling students in training and for those in receipt of benefits.
Further information
I am fully insured and have been checked and cleared by the Disclosure and Barring Service ( DBS )