Helen Zacharias

I am a registered Family & Systemic Psychotherapist with over 15 years of experience working with individuals, families and kinship networks. 

Reaching out for therapy can feel really hard and people can feel quite apprehensive, particularly for the first time. The thought of speaking out loud our difficulties can feel overwhelming. But through collaborative conversations we might begin to hope to find ways to live more comfortable and and fulfilling lives.

I offer individual, couple, partnership and family therapy on an open ended or for an agreed period depending on what your needs are and what works for you. 

Systemic Psychotherapy is suitable for a wide range of individual difficulties and relationship problems. It helps people understand themselves in the context of their close relationships, communities and social worlds. 

Like all UKCP registered therapists I am experienced in working with a variety of difficulties. I work with children and adults individually as well as with couples/partnerships, families or specific relationships.  

I work with relationship challenges such as family conflict, parental stress, couple/partnership distress and change, becoming a parent or carer, friendship breakdowns and destructive relationship patterns.

Distressing events and experiences such as loss, bereavement, separation, infertility, trauma, living with pain or coping with a diagnosis.

Intense and overwhelming feelings such as anger, depression, sadness, anxiety, guilt and shame which may or may not lead to painful ways of coping such as self-harm, addictions or problematic relationships with food.

Our cultural and social background can play an enormous part in how we feel about ourselves and how others see and position us. I work also with people who might be negotiating aspects of identity such as gender, sexual orientation or where aspects of identity have led to adverse experiences.  

I provide a space to pause and reflect on the problems we face as individuals or within specific relationships. A space to develop awareness of the broader context of relationships and ideas which can influence how we make sense of ourselves and each other, the meanings we give to events and their influences on our choice of action or behaviour.

My experience in therapeutic environments and with adults and children with complex social, emotional, behavioural and relational difficulties spans some 15 years.

I am an experienced NHS clinician working with children and families with a variety of complex mental health needs.

My experience also includes working with children and adults who have experienced adversity in childhood, children in the care system/care leavers and supporting families therapeutically where they have been affected by adoption (adults and children), couple work as well as work with queer and gender questioning populations. 

£85-£105 per 50 mins for individuals

£95-125 per 50 mins for couples and families

£120-150 per assessment (if required). 

What happens in the first session?

Initially, we would have an introductory session that will give you an idea of what it is like to sit in conversation with me as a therapist. It carries no obligation to commit; deciding the best therapy for you will require some thought and the first meeting will help us with that.

I may suggest an extended initial session of up to 90 mins but I will make this clear during our initial 15 minute phone call. 

Ongoing sessions last for 50-60 minutes and, depending on what you wish to work on, can be weekly or fortnightly. 

Get in touch

Please call me on or email me.

We can then arrange a mutually convenient time for an initial session, where we can talk about what has brought you to seek therapy. If I am unable to take your call please leave a message and provide a number or email address you feel comfortable for me to contact you on. 

*If you send me an email, please check your spam folder if you do not see my reply in your inbox.