Helen Fenton
Registered Member, BACP
Integrative Counsellor
My Specialities
Counselling for adults, children and young people
My Story
My journey in counselling & psychotherapy started in 2002, when I first sought counselling help during a personal crisis, and found that I valued the space and time to understand myself more deeply. I started my formal counselling training in 2013, with a strong intuition that my own experience as a client would inform my work as a counsellor.
Prior to training as a counsellor, I worked for 15 years in business (technology consulting and project management) so I’m familiar with the demands and stresses of a corporate working environment, and the challenges of balancing a demanding career with a home life. In the earlier part of my career I worked in environmental and human rights campaigning groups, on a telephone helpline, and for a Citizens Advice Bureau.
I aim to help my clients find a path through their current difficulties, and to build resilience and skills for the future.
You may be finding it difficult to cope, and feel alone and stuck with anxiety or depression? You may be struggling after a bereavement, separation, redundancy, or with ill-health? Or maybe feel that your life is lacking purpose and meaning?
At times like these, counselling offers a space for you to talk openly and honestly about your thoughts and feelings, to someone who will strive to understand without judgement. Speaking to someone independent can help us make sense of our feelings, and help us find clarity, or make decisions.
My counselling approach is “integrative”; this means that I have trained in both of the main theoretical approaches (humanistic/person-centred, and psychodynamic); and that I draw flexibly on a range of techniques to meet the unique needs of each individual client.
I offer all my clients Empathy (I strive to “walk in your shoes”), Congruence (being real and honest) and Unconditional Positive Regard (non-judgemental acceptance). These values have been shown to be key in any effective counselling relationship.
I trained as a Counsellor at the City of Bristol College, to work with adults from all kinds of backgrounds, and with a range of difficulties such as stress, low confidence and self-esteem, relationship problems, & life crises such as divorce, and more. I also completed Place2Be’s specialist Certificate in Counselling Children, where I learnt how to work safely with children using play, creative approaches, story-telling and metaphor.
I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP), and work within their Ethical Framework and Supervision Requirements. In addition to my private practice, I also work with children in a primary school in conjunction with a children's mental health charity (Place To Be), and with adults through a local agency (Cotswold Counselling).
If you would like to find out more, please visit the following websites:
My Qualifications
2016 British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy: Registered Member, BACP (Certificate number: 199377)
2014-16 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling - City of Bristol College
2015 Certificate in Counselling Children (CPCAB Level 4), Place2Be, Cardiff
2014-15 Foundation Certificate in Counselling Skills & Attitudes - Wessex Counselling Service, Frome
2013-14 Certificate in Counselling Skills (CPCAB Level 2) Gloucestershire College
My Hours & Pricing
I am available for appointments at the Nailsworth Natural Health Centre on Thursdays from 2pm-8pm.
My prices are as follows:
50-minute sessions: £42
If you would like to book an appointment, please get in touch.