About Me

Hello! My name is Helen Lyon. I am an experienced counsellor supporting adults to lead a life that feels fulfilling.

If you’re feeling lost or stuck, I can help you explore what’s going on, helping you better understand yourself and your relationship with others.

I am drawn to working with people who are experiencing issues with low self-esteem, anxiety and depression.

Just like other people I have struggled with anxiety and depression and I went to counselling. Counselling helped me to make sense of my feelings and gave me a space where I could be vulnerable safely and find a way forward.

I am a compassionate counsellor and aim to help you to feel as comfortable as possible when you’re sharing your story. This is a space for you to share and not worry about being judged or feeling like a burden. Our sessions are just for you.

Before I qualified as a counsellor, I worked in Bristol for many years in the financial industry. After I qualified, I worked in private practice and then after the birth of my daughter I moved to Somerset for a more rural way of life.

When I am not counselling you’ll find me walking my dog or running.

Being outdoors is something I personally enjoy, and I never regret a walk! Which is why I also offer outdoor counselling sessions for those who like to be out and about.

My approach to therapy

The Psychodynamic Approach looks at your history, say you’re feeling depressed but you think you ‘should’ be happy but you’re just not, you might find it helpful to explore your past, looking at what was going on for your family when you were born or what your childhood was like. There might be behaviours that protected you as a child but don’t work for you now or perhaps there is a belief you carry but by exploring it you discover that it’s not your belief and maybe your own beliefs differ, the Psychodynamic approach helps to give you a different perspective.

TA is a theory of personality and communication. Perhaps you’re struggling in a relationship, whether personal or at work, but you feel like communication is a problem. You go round and round in circles, so you might spend time looking at how you are feeling when this happens and how you behave. This approach may help you make some tweaks that lead to better communication.

CBT, this approach can offer you practical tools and something to work with that feels more tangible, this might involve identifying unhelpful thought patterns and maybe keeping a thought record for example. This approach looks at how your thoughts, feelings and emotions link with each other.

Contacting a counsellor for support can feel daunting, but I hope to make it as easy and comfortable for you as I can.

If my approach resonates with you, it would be great to hear from you.

Get in touch for a free initial chat or email me with any queries you might have.

I’m an integrative counsellor, which means I tailor therapy to you, drawing from a range of approaches to best support your needs.

But what is integrative counselling? How will it help me?

Integrative counselling explores your personality and needs, believing that not one approach holds the answer.

The approaches I mainly draw upon are the Person-Centred/ Relational Approach, Psychodynamic, Transactional Analysis (TA) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Here is a summary of how those theories work:

The Relational Approach looks at the here and now and the relationship you have with your counsellor, you work in collaboration and the focus is on what’s going on between you, it is about building a relationship of trust and safety, where ruptures can be repaired. A place where you can truly be yourself with another human being without fear of judgement.

The Person-Centred Approach is about you and you knowing you the best. Your counsellor might be an expert when it comes to knowledge of counselling theories, but ultimately, you are the expert when it comes to you. This approach explores what you think of yourself from your perspective and supports you in uncovering your strengths.

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