Helen Wills

My working hours are 8am-7pm. I also have limited availability on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. 

I work online and in-person in central St Albans. 

"The moment I met Helen, I felt her warmth and kindness. Helen helped me understand that what I was feeling was totally normal, she showed patience, understanding and empathy. She made me feel at ease, which enabled me to open up to her and talk about how I was feeling."

My job is to provide a safe, empathic environment where you can explore difficult feelings without worrying what anyone else thinks. We will work together to find new ways to approach problems in your life, and new approaches to help you feel better.

• Have you ever wondered if this is as good as it gets?
• Do you struggle with self-esteem, anxiety or chronic pain?
• Are you worried about your relationship with your partner, your child, or your boss?

Most of us wrestle with these problems at some point in our lives. You are not alone, and you have more power than you think. If you're living with loss, anxiety, trauma, chronic pain or illness you may be feeling isolated, sad, angry or frightened. This makes it more difficult than usual to cope with life's challenges. Talking to someone trained to understand how your emotions are impacting your life can help you make sense of your feelings and work out how to move forward. 

"Shame dies when stories are told in safe spaces" - Ann Voskamp

What I can help with

I work with clients experiencing anxiety, depression and low mood (including post-natal depression), self-esteem issues, bereavement and loss, addiction,  parenting problems, trauma, infertility, pregnancy loss, and divorce. 

I can help with all kinds of relationship difficulties (including problematic family or workplace relationships). Understanding yourself better, and having strategies to manage relationships can help you deepen connections and get more joy from your family and your job. 

My specialisms

I also specialise in chronic pain and illness. Emotional pain locked in the body can cause physical pain - I will help you identify triggers and approaches to reduce both. 

Chronic illness can be very challenging to live with, impacting every aspect of your life. I can support you to identify strategies for managing the emotional fluctuations that come with the onerous or debilitating physical ups and downs of living with autoimmune conditions or incurable diagnoses. 

How I work

As a Gestalt therapist, I will work with what’s happening for you right now and how your past impacts how you feel and respond to life’s challenges today.

I use a variety of creative tools to help you unlock and process difficult feelings, and have a particular interest in sand tray work to help identify issues that are not in conscious awareness. I will support you to discover more about yourself and how you relate to the world and the people in your life. 

Equally, if you just want to talk, that's what we'll do. 

What does therapy feel like? 

Starting therapy can feel daunting, so I recommend you talk to more than one therapist before choosing someone to work with. This is why I offer an initial free chat so I can understand what you want to work on, and you can get a sense of whether I'm the right therapist for you.

Once you start working with me on a weekly basis, we will review the process regularly to make sure therapy is still helpful, or if changes need to be made. 

I offer a free initial conversation online or over the phone so I can understand what brings you to therapy, and you can get a sense of whether you want to work with me. 

If you decide to work with me, we will meet weekly at the same time. I work from comfortable therapy rooms in central St Albans and in the Fleetville area of St Albans. 

Our first session will be a chance for you to tell me what's going on in your life, and share how it makes you feel. This can feel difficult, as it may be the first time in a while you've felt seen and heard. I will support you to go at a pace that feels manageable for you.