Helen Gunson (my pronouns are She/Her)

Psychotherapy 

People often seek therapy after a crisis, when they cannot let go of past experiences or they can no longer ignore their dissatisfaction with parts of their life. For others, therapy offers a space for personal development and growth.

Thinking about coming to therapy often feels daunting. That is normal and I encourage you to view it as an invitation to come into a deeper relationship and understanding of yourself.  Therapy is a joint process where, together, we create a safe space to explore what is troubling you.  Developing a good therapeutic relationship is central to the work.

I am happy to work with a wide range of issues including anxiety, depression, childhood trauma, life-limiting illness, and life changes. I use a mindfulness approach to support your exploration. This form of awareness enables you to notice your habitual ways of being or reacting to situations, which in time, starts to offer you more choice in your life.

This process is done in a spirit of compassion and collaboration giving you space to process past and current experience which in turn can connect you more to your authentic self, thus facilitating more ease in your life and new perspectives.

I offer short and longer term psychotherapy. My work is underpinned by Buddhist philosophy, modern neuroscience and western psychotherapeutic understanding. My interest in how our pre-birth and birth experiences impact us throughout life led me to train in Integrative Baby Therapy which further informs my work with adults. Most recently I have completed level 1 in Internal Family Systems therapy.

Supervision

Supervision offers therapists and health practitioners the space to reflect on their practice and get support on areas that they feel stuck in, add to their continuing professional development and help look after their own wellbeing. I am trained in a Mindfulness-based supervision model which is recognised by the Humanistic and Integrative College (HIPC) of the UKCP. I have experience in private practice and third sector organisations with particular expertise in taking a trauma informed approach, working with clients in a body-centred way and with clients presenting with past trauma, anxiety and illness.

This approach to supervision would be appropriate for psychotherapists, counsellors, complementary therapists and health professionals.

Experience and qualifications

Since1997 I have worked in therapeutic and managerial roles in a range of charities as well as working in private practice and studying to build on my therapeutic skills and experience. I qualified as a Core Process Psychotherapist with the Karuna Institute in 2013 and have recently completed level 1 training in Internal Family Systems work. Previous trainings include Hakomi body centred psychotherapy, Sensorimotor psychotherapy – working with the effects of trauma and Integrative Baby Therapy.

If you are interested in psychotherapy or supervision sessions, please email or contact me on 07724 044 472 for a brief chat to discuss working together. Appointments are available 'in person' or online and I offer a sliding scale of charges.