Helen Willoughby, BACP, NCPS

Helen Willoughby trained as a nurse before moving into therapeutic work and has practised as a counsellor since 2003. She holds BACP and NCPS credentials and brings 22 years of experience to her practice in the United Kingdom. Helen meets people with warmth and straightforward care. Helen helps people coping with stress and anxiety, addictions, grief, low self-esteem and depression. She also supports those facing relationship and family tensions, sexuality and LGBT questions, trauma and abuse, eating concerns and sleep difficulties. Other areas of focus include anger, parenting strain, career worries, ADHD and compassion fatigue. In sessions she works with the person in front of her rather than a one-size-fits-all plan. Helen draws on client-centred work, cognitive behavioural techniques, Jungian ideas, mindfulness and motivational interviewing to fit each person’s needs. She explains things simply and answers questions at the start so people know what to expect. Therapy with Helen is practical and humane. Conversations aim to help people find clearer ways to cope, notice patterns that cause distress and build small steps towards change. She treats people kindly and respects their pace. Her background as a nurse informs a calm and attentive style. That clinical experience alongside many years of counselling means she is used to helping people through difficult life events and long-term struggles. Helen accepts clients from the UK and internationally and works in English. To begin clients use an online matching process and then schedule sessions that fit their needs and availability.

How Helen’s approaches work online

Client-centred work puts the person’s experience at the centre of sessions. It means the counsellor listens closely, follows what matters to the individual and helps them find their own solutions. This approach is useful for building trust and exploring issues such as low self-esteem, relationship concerns or life transitions.

Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings and actions. It uses straightforward exercises and practical tools to change unhelpful habits and reduce anxiety or depressive symptoms. CBT can be useful for managing stress, sleep problems, and patterns that keep people stuck.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Helen will discuss different methods and tailor them to the person’s needs, goals and preferences. The choice of techniques is collaborative and can change as progress is made.

Online sessions give flexibility to fit therapy into busy lives. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when a full session is helpful. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or during a short break. Live chat and text-based messaging suit brief check-ins, reflective notes or when written communication feels more comfortable. These options help people access counselling around other commitments and at times that suit them.