Helen Cain

Hello and a warm welcome,

Thank you for considering me as your therapist. I know reaching out can feel like a big step, and I want to acknowledge the strength it takes to explore support.

I work both online and in person and offer you a free 25-minute conversation where you can share what brings you here. Together, we can explore whether this feels like a supportive space that may bring relief, clarity, and hope for change.

I have extensive experience in private practice and in the education sector. I’ve worked in a range of therapeutic settings and, before that, spent many years in human resources supporting people through stress, conflict, change, and uncertainty. 

My approach is grounded in compassion, creating a warm, accepting space where you can feel safe, heard, and supported. 

How I can help

I believe our experience of the world is shaped by the interplay of thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. From early attachments, we learn whether it is safe to notice and trust these inner signals. Sometimes we hide parts of ourselves to feel love, safety, or belonging. These adaptations may help us survive but can create unease in adulthood, leaving us feeling disconnected from our authentic selves and relying on coping strategies just to manage.

In our work together, my aim is to build a relationship rooted in trust and acceptance. I want you to feel free to bring your whole self - your hopes, fears, strengths, and the parts that have long been silenced. We’ll explore who you are beneath protective patterns and support you in developing the confidence and courage to live in alignment with your values.

Talking therapy is central to my practice, and I also draw on somatic and creative approaches - such as grounding, visualisation, and mindfulness-based focusing - especially when words are hard to find or when the body holds what the mind cannot yet express.

Online counselling

During the Covid-19 pandemic, I adapted my practice to offer a meaningful alternative to in-person work, and I continue to value the depth and effectiveness of online therapy. Over time, I’ve seen how this can create a safe, flexible, and comfortable space for reflection and growth.

Online counselling allows you to access support from a place that feels right for you and at a time that fits your life. For many, this brings greater freedom - making it easier to seek help while balancing work, family, caring responsibilities, or other commitments. Whether you're at home, at work on a break, or in a quiet, grounding space, online therapy offers consistent and accessible support.

Practice room – in-person therapy

I also offer in-person counselling from a quiet practice room in a peaceful Suffolk village, around 15 minutes from Bury St Edmunds. Whether working online or in person, both options provide a safe, confidential space to explore personal concerns or painful experiences.

Integrating the Human Toolbox

Alongside counselling, I am a trained Human Toolbox practitioner. This psycho-educational framework helps us understand why we respond as we do when faced with challenge. It highlights the innate “tools” we all carry - resources that, when recognised and consciously used, support healthier choices as we navigate life’s shifting circumstances.

Anxiety, low mood, and overwhelm are normal responses to stress, yet the coping strategies we develop can sometimes amplify distress. The Human Toolbox brings clarity to these patterns and offers practical ways to gently interrupt them.

I integrate this understanding into therapy whenever it feels helpful, combining it with creative interventions, breathwork, and mindful somatic awareness. My intention is to help you reconnect with your own internal resources - cultivating greater compassion, confidence, vitality, and a renewed sense of possibility.

I am also a member of Creative Counsellors.

We’ll begin by taking time to go through your intake questionnaire, our contract, and the counselling agreement. This helps us build clarity, mutual understanding, and a framework of safety. I’ll invite you to share what has brought you to therapy and what you hope for moving forward.

In the early stages, my focus is on creating trust and groundedness. I’m curious about any previous therapy experiences - what helped, what didn’t, and any stabilising or grounding strategies you already use. Strengthening these early regulating skills provides a solid base before exploring deeper parts of your story.

I believe we each carry an inner knowing about what we need, though we can feel caught between what is familiar but no longer serving us and the uncertainty of change. Opening to this tension is part of therapy; it often signals the beginning of growth, even when it feels challenging.

My role is to notice, reflect, gently wonder, and sit alongside you as you make sense of your experiences - both tender and painful. Through this process, it becomes possible to re-write aspects of your story, find new and braver ways forward, and begin separating your past from your present and future. This work takes time and patience but offers a meaningful path back to who you were always meant to be.

Governance

I work in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework for Counsellors as well as the BACP Guidelines for Online Counselling and Psychotherapy. When we begin our work together, I will explain how confidentiality operates in counselling and what you can expect. In general, what you share in our sessions will remain private. The only exceptions are when I discuss aspects of my work in professional supervision - which is a standard ethical requirement to ensure safe and effective practice - or if you disclose information that leads me to believe you or someone else is at imminent risk of harm. In those rare circumstances, we would talk through the next steps together wherever possible.