Helen May

**Currently seeing clients face to face and online**

My practice hours are

Mondays 3pm-8pm
Tuesdays 11am-8pm
Wednesdays 11am- 7pm
Thursdays 11am-6.30pm

One of the principal theories of humanistic counselling is that if you can show the hidden parts of yourself to someone who will accept and respect you, you will in turn learn to accept and respect yourself. This doesn’t mean I will never challenge you, or experiment with looking at a situation in a different way; but it does mean that I will aim to create a space in which you feel heard and understood, and where your agency and autonomy are held in high regard.

Something that is hugely integral to the way I work is a stance of non-judgemental, open curiosity. I want to learn about how you see the world, and what it is like for you to inhabit; I am not here to 'fix' you (for a start, you are not broken!), pathologize you, or reduce you to a label or a set of symptoms. We are all unique individuals, who have developed 'creative adjustments'; survival strategies for navigating our environment. Sometimes, it is useful for us to examine these stategies to see if they are still serving us.

If you are having difficult emotions, are struggling with a decision, or have experienced an event that is causing you distress or confusion, having someone to talk to who is external to the situation can be invaluable. Because I don't have a pre-existing relationship with you, such as a friend or family member might have, I can listen to you without having my own prior opinions on you or your situation.

I am a fully qualified, integrative counsellor, who works relationally, with an emphasis on humanistic, pyschodynamic & gestalt perpectives. Being integrative means that I draw from a few different schools of psychotherapeutic thought, in order to tailor the experience of therapy to fit the individual needs of each client.​

Whatever it is that has brought you to therapy at this time, we will work together at a safe pace, forming a collaborative relationship of trust, honesty and respect, with you at the helm.

As a registered member of the BACP, I adhere to their ethical framework, and I hold the values of integrity, accountability and client autonomy highly in my work. I have a strong commitment to the client and to my own continued professional development, learning, and challenging myself. I hold professional indemnity and personal liability insurance, am registered with the ICO, and attend regular monthly supervision.​

As a member of Psychotherapists and Counsellors for Social Responsibility, I have a commitment to recognising the impact of the political dimension on the client-therapist relationship, and to identifying and challenging adverse discrimination at all levels, both within the profession of counselling and the wider world. What this means in practice is that I will seek to locate your issues not just in the personal sphere but in their wider social, political ecological and economic context.

I have a special interest in working with individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, and neurodivergent individuals. I am currently undertaking a certificate in Gender, Sexuality, Relationship & Erotic differences, and am a poly-affirming and kink-aware practitioner.

I know how daunting the act of coming to counselling can be. If this is your first experience of therapy, you may not know what to expect, or feel overwhelmed by the volume of counsellors and various jargons a search on this site has brought you; if you are a returning client, you may feel exhausted at the idea of telling your story all over again. For this reason, I offer a discounted first session that can be taken at your pace. During this session you will have the chance to ask any questions you might have about me and how I work, and we will get the chance to get to know each other a little. Finding the right counsellor shares a similarity with all relationships; not everyone is right for everyone, and finding the person who 'gets you' is imperative. If, at the end of our first session, you decide I am not the right fit for you, I will be happy to offer any help I can in finding someone who is.