Helen English

I am a qualified children's counsellor with over 10 years of experience working with children and young people in schools. I aim to be a consistent and reliable presence in times of trouble and confusion, providing each child with a space where they can build trust and share their story with me. I use play and creative materials, including the sand tray, to help children feel at ease and to encourage them to explore and make sense of their experiences in a contained and safe environment.

As an integrative practitioner, I draw on different therapeutic approaches and techniques to inform my practice and adapt to the needs of each child I work with. My approach is person-centred with the belief that a non-judgmental, warm and empathic space will help each child to grow and become more self-aware and independent. I am also psychodynamic in my approach, thinking about what is being communicated unconsciously both in the play and within the therapeutic relationship. 

I believe that providing a child/young person with a consistent, regular time with a trusted, attuned adult can be a powerful tool for change, both in how they see themselves and others within their relationships and their life experience. 

I think systemically about each child, recognising that they do not exist in isolation and considering them within the context of their family, school and community.

I am a fully qualified integrative therapist, specialising in working with children and young people. I trained at Place2Be and have been working in schools as a counsellor, a supervisor and a mental health lead practitioner for over 10 years.  I have worked, and continue to work, in both primary and secondary schools and in private practice. I have recently trained at Anna Freud to use Mentalisation-Based Treatment (MBT) techniques with children, enhancing my practice in helping children and their carers to make sense of themselves and others, seeing beyond the behaviour to underlying mental states, thereby identifying unhelpful patterns and building stronger relationships.

Before training as a children’s counsellor, I worked as a primary school teacher in various London schools and across year groups, from early years to year 6. Having spent my career working in schools as both a counsellor and a teacher, I am very familiar with the school environment and the experience of children, parents and staff within the school system. 

I offer a free 15 minute telephone conversation with parents/carers to discuss initial concerns. If we agree to proceed, I would then book in a session with you to find out more about you and your child and the issues that are bringing them to counselling. This can take place online and I will ask you to fill out a simple questionnaire. We would then make a plan for me to meet with your child for their first session. If we are all in agreement, we would then book in regular weekly sessions on the same day and at the same time each week where possible as I believe children benefit hugely from this consistency.