Helen Capanda

Trauma Therapy & Integrative Support – Helping You Move Forward

When life feels overwhelming, looking ahead to the future can feel almost impossible. You want to feel better, you want to move forward—but you feel stuck. It’s like the world is moving around you, and you're frozen in place.

Trauma can show up in many different ways. It’s not always easy to recognise when you need support. You might be experiencing:

Anxiety or panic

Trouble sleeping (insomnia)

Feeling isolated or disconnected

Addictive behaviours

Difficulties in relationships

Mood swings or irritability

Work-related stress or burnout

Unexplained physical pain

If any of this sounds familiar, please know you’re not alone—and you don’t have to face it alone either.

I understand trauma, not just professionally but personally. I know how hard it can be to reach out. That’s why I’m here to offer a safe, supportive space where you can begin to feel grounded, calm, and more like yourself again.

As an Integrative Therapist, I tailor therapy to your individual needs. I draw on a variety of approaches including:

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) – a powerful and evidence-based therapy for trauma and PTSD

Therapeutic Arts – ideal for those who find it difficult to express themselves through words alone

These approaches help you process painful memories, make sense of difficult emotions, and reconnect with yourself. You don’t need to be ‘artistic’ to benefit—this is about expression, not performance.

Together, we’ll work at your pace. You can expect compassionate, personalised support that honours your experiences and helps you build a future that feels calm, peaceful, and free.

What to Expect

A safe, supportive space to explore your concerns

Understanding and identifying the root causes of anxiety or phobia

EMDR sessions are designed to help you reduce symptoms, build resilience, and regain control of your life

Practical tools for long-term coping and confidence

Take the First Step

However, taking that first step toward therapy can feel daunting, especially if you’re struggling with anxiety.  That is why I offer a free 20-minute, no-obligation telephone consultation. During this time, we can think about whether it would be helpful to arrange an initial consultation appointment.

The initial assessment appointment is approxiately 60 min.

It involves;

* An in-depth discussion about the situation

* The most appropriate intervention

* Your hopes and goals for the future.  

You then decide if I am the right person to help, and if so, we book further sessions and move forward with the therapy.

Helping people make sense of themselves with curiosity, compassion and courage.

Perhaps you've been living with anxiety, overwhelm, self-doubt or difficult relationships for so long that they've become part of who you believe you are. You may find yourself overthinking, shutting down, feeling stuck, constantly trying to please others, or wondering why you react the way you do.

I don't believe these experiences mean there is something wrong with you.

More often, they are understandable responses to the experiences you've lived through and the ways your mind and body have learned to protect you.

My role isn't to fix you. Instead, I offer a warm, thoughtful space where we become curious together. We gently make sense of your experiences, your emotions, your relationships and your nervous system, helping you understand not only what is happening, but why.

As understanding grows, change often follows.

Again and again, I see people become less self-critical, feel calmer, develop healthier relationships, trust themselves more, and discover strengths they didn't know they had. Therapy isn't about becoming someone different; it's about reconnecting with who you already are beneath the survival patterns.

I believe we all have the capacity to heal, grow and move forward. Sometimes we simply need the right relationship, understanding and support for that to happen.

Every person who comes to therapy has their own story, so I tailor our work to what feels most helpful for you.

I work with adults, adolescents, children and parents, supporting people experiencing anxiety, trauma, developmental trauma, grief and loss, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, life transitions and the lasting impact of difficult or overwhelming experiences.

My approach is integrative, drawing on EMDR, attachment theory, parts work, polyvagal-informed practice and creative approaches where appropriate. While these approaches guide my work, I believe that the therapeutic relationship is at the heart of meaningful change.

Together we'll take time to understand your experiences with curiosity, compassion and courage. We'll notice the patterns that may no longer be serving you, build on your strengths and resources, and support lasting change at a pace that feels right for you.

Whether you're taking your first steps into therapy or returning after time away, you don't need to have everything figured out before getting in touch. Sometimes the first step is simply beginning the conversation.

Your first session

Taking the first step and getting in touch can feel daunting. You may be wondering whether therapy is right for you, or simply have questions about how it all works.

That's why I offer a free 20-minute, no-obligation telephone conversation. It's an opportunity for us to briefly talk about what has brought you here, answer any questions you may have, and see whether arranging an initial appointment feels like the right next step.

The initial assessment appointment lasts 60 minutes.

During our time together, we'll begin to get to know one another. I'll invite you to share a little about yourself, what has brought you to therapy, and what you're hoping for. You can ask me any questions, too, and we'll explore whether working together feels like a good fit.

There is no pressure to decide on the day. If it feels right for both of us, we'll talk about what working together could look like and the next steps.

Hello my name is Helen Capanda nee Segal, and I have availability in the week and on Saturday mornings.

When your child or teenager is struggling and you don’t know how to help, it can be heartbreaking. You may be worried about anxiety, overwhelming emotions, difficulties at school or changes in their behaviour. Perhaps home has become stressful, or you are watching your child withdraw, lose confidence or struggle to cope and you’re unsure what to do next.

I work with children, teenagers and parents, helping to understand what may be happening underneath the behaviour and distress. I offer a warm, accepting space where young people can begin to feel safe enough to explore what is going on for them.

For some children and teenagers, talking isn’t always the easiest way to communicate what they are feeling. Therapeutic arts, play, sandtray and creativity can offer another way in — helping them express things that may be difficult to put into words.

My approach is relational, neuroaffirming and attachment-informed. I work collaboratively with parents too, because supporting a young person often means understanding what is happening around them and helping relationships at home feel calmer and more connected.

I have worked with young people for over 25 years, first as an art teacher and now as a therapeutic counsellor. I am a BACP Accredited Integrative Therapist, with additional training in therapeutic arts, DDP/PACE and trauma-informed approaches.

Every child and teenager is different, so therapy with me doesn’t follow a set formula. I take time to get to know the young person in front of me — their personality, their relationships, their strengths and what might be happening beneath the difficulties they are experiencing.

Sessions may involve talking, drawing, painting, sandtray, play or other creative ways of working. There is no need to be “good at art”. The therapeutic arts simply offer another way to explore feelings and experiences, particularly when finding the right words feels difficult.

I work with anxiety, emotional overwhelm, low self-esteem, grief and loss, and difficult or overwhelming experiences, as well as challenges around school, friendships, family relationships and belonging. I have particular experience supporting neurodivergent young people and offer a neuroaffirming approach that seeks to understand rather than change who they are.

Parents are an important part of my work with younger clients. I offer your child a therapeutic space that is theirs, where they can feel safe to explore and express themselves, while keeping you appropriately involved in the wider therapeutic process.

I also offer parents a space to step back, make sense of what may be happening and consider what they can do to help. This sometimes means becoming curious not only about your child’s behaviour, but about relationships, patterns and what may need to change around them. Together, we can begin to find a way forward that supports your child while strengthening connection within the family.

My work is informed by attachment, PACE and DDP, alongside my integrative counselling training. Above all, I want therapy to be somewhere a young person can gradually feel understood, accepted and more able to understand themselves.

Finding the right therapist for your child matters. I offer a free 20-minute telephone consultation so we can briefly talk about what has been happening, what you are looking for and whether I might be the right person to help.

If we decide to take the next step, I usually meet with the parent or caregiver first, without the child present. This gives you space to tell me more about your concerns, your child’s history and what family life has been like, without having to talk about them in front of them.

We can begin to make sense of what may be happening and think about what your child — and you as their parent — might need. I will also explain how I work, including confidentiality and how I involve parents while respecting your child’s therapeutic space.

If we agree to continue, I will then meet your child or teenager and begin gently, at their pace. Building trust and a sense of safety comes before expecting them to talk about difficult things.

We will review the work together as we go, so that therapy remains responsive to your child and family rather than following a fixed programme.