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Helen Willoughby

Counsellor profile

Helen Willoughby, BACP, NCPS

United Kingdom

Counsellor - family and relationship concerns

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About

  • Client-Centred Therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
  • Mindfulness

About Helen

Helen Willoughby is a BACP and NCPS registered counsellor with 22 years' experience. She worked as a nurse before moving into counselling in 2003 and now runs a private practice in the United Kingdom. Helen works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship and family issues, grief, parenting and sexual identity matters.

She meets each person as an individual and adapts methods to suit what they bring. Sessions are straightforward and conversational. Helen aims to answer questions at the start so people know what to expect.

Her background in healthcare informs a practical approach to emotional and life problems. She draws on Client-Centred Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help people spot patterns and try small changes. She also uses Jungian ideas and mindfulness techniques when they fit the issue at hand.

Common problems she supports include low self-esteem, coping with life changes, sleep difficulties, eating concerns and work stress. She also works with trauma and abuse, intimacy-related difficulties, anger and compassion fatigue. Helen notes additional focus areas such as abandonment, chronic illness, communication problems and separation.

Sessions tend to involve talking through what matters now, noticing unhelpful thoughts or behaviours, and trying practical steps between meetings. She offers coaching-style support where people want clearer goals and actions. Helen aims for steady, manageable progress rather than rapid fixes.

How sessions work

How Helen uses therapy approaches online

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and treating the person as an individual. It helps when someone needs space to talk through feelings and build greater self-understanding.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It is useful for stress, anxiety, sleep problems and unhelpful coping habits by encouraging small behavioural experiments and thought checks.

Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity. It can support people dealing with rumination, chronic stress or sleep disruption.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Helen will discuss options and decide together which methods suit the client's goals and situation. That choice can shift as therapy progresses and practical steps are agreed collaboratively.

The biography does not list specific online formats, so confirm current session options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling into a busy life, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. Registered or accredited professionals can use different formats to suit practical needs, and Helen aims to match session length and style to everyday commitments.

Areas of focus

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyAddictionsLGBTTrauma and abuseEating disorders

Also works with

Relationship issuesFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderDepressionCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeAvoidant personalityBody imageCancerChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFertility issuesForgivenessGender dysphoriaGuilt and shameHIV / AIDSHoardingHospice and end-of-life counselingInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyMen's issuesMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesMood disordersNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPersonality disordersPhobiasPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaVisually impairedWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Jungian TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingSolution-Focused Therapy

Experience

22+ years

Listed in

United Kingdom

Languages

English

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What issues does she work with?

She works with stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship and family concerns, grief, parenting and sexual identity matters, among other topics.

How would she describe her therapeutic style?

Her style is conversational and person-focused. She uses a mix of approaches and will explain how they might help.

How much experience does she have?

She has 22 years of experience and began counselling after a prior career in nursing.

What are her credentials and where is she based?

She is registered with BACP and NCPS and practises in the United Kingdom.

Can I work with her if I live outside the UK?

She accepts international clients and conducts sessions in English.

What session formats are offered?

The original biography does not list specific session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.

How much do sessions cost?

Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.

How do I begin with her?

Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.

Details come from information the counsellor supplied to BetterHelp. A registration can be checked with the body that issued it.

Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.

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Helen Willoughby

Continue with Helen