Helen Allen, BACP, NCPS

Helen Allen helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship strain, grief, eating and body image concerns, and other life changes. She works with issues such as trauma and abuse, parenting pressures, sleep problems, anger, low self-esteem, career worries and compassion fatigue. Helen also supports people dealing with ADHD, intimacy difficulties and family problems. She is named at the start so people know who they will be reading about. Helen describes her style as adaptable and down-to-earth. She uses person-centred values to create a calm, non-judgemental space. Sessions aim to be practical and straightforward, with space to talk and to try small changes between meetings. Her practice draws on several approaches. Attachment-based ideas help look at how past relationships shape current patterns. Cognitive behavioural therapy - CBT - provides tools to spot and change thought and behaviour cycles. Mindfulness techniques support managing anxiety and being present. Helen brings six years of professional experience and holds BACP and NCPS credentials. She has worked with an eating disorders charity and volunteered with a bereavement organisation, which informs her understanding of grief and eating-related problems. People can expect therapy focused on their goals. Helen tailors the way she works to each person’s situation, combining listening, practical exercises and reflection. The aim is to help people feel more able to cope and to build clearer ways forward.

How Helen’s approaches translate to online therapy

Attachment-based work focuses on how early relationship patterns shape current connections and feelings. Online sessions can help people notice those patterns, name them and try new ways of relating in everyday life. Cognitive behavioural therapy - CBT - looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and actions and offers practical exercises to change unhelpful cycles. It often uses simple tasks between sessions that suit phone or messaging formats. Mindfulness practice teaches grounding and present-moment attention to reduce stress and rumination and can be guided effectively in video or audio contact.

Finding the right approach is part of the process and will be decided together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and what feels most useful, then adapt methods to fit the person's needs. That collaborative process helps match technique to each issue rather than sticking to a single method.

Online therapy offers flexibility for people juggling busy lives. Video calls give face-to-face interaction when conversations benefit from seeing expressions. Phone sessions or audio work well when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging make it easier to fit brief updates or reflective notes into the day. These options make it simpler to attend consistently and to use therapy in different rhythms of life.