Counsellor and Trainee Psychotherapist: Helen Lister

Helen Lister 17 September 2025

Hi, I’m Helen (she/they).

I am a qualified counsellor offering sessions to both individuals and those in
relationships, such as partners or relatives. Weekly therapy can offer you
support with a specific challenge you may be facing in life, such as a
bereavement or relationship challenges, or it can support you more generally
to better understand yourself, others and the world we live in. We will build a
supportive relationship together that allows you to do this at a pace that feels
right for you.
Helen Lister 17 September 2025

I welcome the opportunity to work with clients of all genders, sexualities and cultural backgrounds. We are all affected by the cultures and political systems that surround us and therapy can be a space to unpack this. I am part of the LGBTQIAP+ community, and have previously worked as a therapist in specialist charity settings exploring gender identity, sexuality and relationship diversity.

I also have several years’ experience working with adults of all genders in sexual violence services.

Some of the other key themes I have worked with include, but are not limited
to:

  • Low self-worth
  • Family relationships
  • Grief / Loss
  • Childhood trauma

I offer in-person sessions in central Bristol or online. We can work together for
a fixed amount of time or open-ended, which means you decide to finish when
it feels right for you.

If you are interested in finding out more, I invite you to book a reduced-cost
initial consultation appointment (£27.50/50m). The initial consultation is an
opportunity for me to learn more about what has brought you to therapy, and
for you to learn more about me and my way of working. My standard rates are:

Individual therapy – £55 per 50-minute session.

Couples/relationship therapy (inc. families) – £75 per 50m.

To book your initial consultation, please contact me on:

helenlistertherapy@gmail.com

Qualifications:

I hold a post-graduate diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling.
I am currently completing an MSc in Relational Psychotherapy – UKCP Reg.
Trainee Psychotherapist (2011185585)

 

Integrative Counsellor: Mark Childs

Mark Childs

Life rarely follows the straightforward path we had hoped it would, and we can find ourselves in places we don’t recognise or discover that the path ahead delivers unexpected changes or challenges. These changes can often result in mixed feelings, some welcome and some hard to accept. Counselling can offer a space to come to terms with these changes and cope with the transitional stage we find ourselves in.Mark Childs

I am able to work through your existential or spiritual concerns, help you to understand previous events and difficulties from your life, or work towards a future goal. In order to do this, I draw from a variety of approaches and creative techniques to work as an integrative counsellor and this helps me to best meet the specific needs of the person I am working with. However, I believe that the therapeutic journey is a collaborative one. Therefore, in order to honour the uniqueness and autonomy of the client, I would aim to approach any difficulties and obstacles in a mutual, collaborative and interpersonal way. Using this approach allows me to respond to the person I am sitting with rather than applying a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to suit everyone.

Nonetheless, although I believe that creating a relationship this way between counsellor and client is central to creating a safe, trusting and supportive space for personal exploration, please rest assured that you will always be placed at the centre of the work.

The therapeutic work can be open-ended or run through a fixed number of sessions, depending on your preference. Initially, the first session will be about exploring what has brought you to counselling and your current situation. Following this, sessions act as a way for me to get to know you and your story more deeply, creating the base from which the therapeutic journey progresses. Should this strike a chord with you, I would be happy to meet with you to review your individual needs about what you would like to gain from coming to therapy.

Fees

Sessions last for 50 minutes and cost £70.

Contact:

markchildscounselling@gmail.com

07927276315

I can also be found on Instagram under: markchildscounselling

Humanistic Integrative Therapist: Irina Iosub MBACP DipHIC LL.M (She/her)

Irina Iosub January 2023

You may be capable and outwardly managing well, yet privately carrying anxiety, pressure, difficulty to hold boundaries or relationship strain that feels harder to contain. Perhaps you overthink, set high standards for yourself, or struggle to switch off. You may be used to coping alone while feeling increasingly depleted beneath the surface and quietly wondering whether this is all there is, or if life could feel fuller, more meaningful, more your own.Irina Iosub January 2023

I offer relational, Humanistic Integrative counselling in central Bristol and online. My work provides a confidential, grounded space where you can slow down, think clearly and understand the patterns shaping your inner life and relationships.

Beyond ‘therapy talk’ and quick psychological explanations, my approach focuses on something deeper: staying with your experience, especially where it feels difficult, so that understanding unfolds in a way that genuinely belongs to you. In a world that often feels driven by performance and digital noise, real healing still happens between two humans- through emotional presence and authentic connection. Meaningful change often comes not from working harder on yourself, but from understanding yourself more deeply.

At the centre of my practice is the therapeutic relationship itself. Research consistently shows that the quality of this relationship is one of the strongest predictors of lasting change.

If you are looking for counselling that combines depth, emotional presence and genuine human connection, I invite you to get in touch for an initial conversation.

Professional Background & Approach

I am a qualified counsellor (Level 6 equivalent), trained at the Bath Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy and registered with the BACP. I am also a recognised healthcare provider for WPA.

My practice is informed by additional training in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (Oxford Mindfulness Foundation), as well as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Exposure & Response Prevention for anxiety. I also continue to develop my work through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), integrating evidence-based thinking in a way that supports relational depth rather than replacing it. My ongoing professional development includes engaging deeply with Esther Perel’s work on intimacy and infidelity, alongside a continued exploration of how relationships shape our inner worlds.

I have worked extensively with individuals navigating anxiety, high-functioning distress, relational rupture, shame, loss, identity, boundaries difficulties and experiences of feeling unseen.

Before becoming a therapist, I trained in law, completing both an undergraduate degree and a Master of Laws (LL.M). This background has influenced the way I approach therapy- with clarity, strong commitment to ethical practice and respect for the complexity of each person’s story.

Fees

Sessions last for 50 minutes and cost £60

I offer a free 30 min online initial consultation.

I work with individual adult clients (18+ years) and offer long- and short-term therapy sessions.

Contact

If you would like to find out more and arrange an initial appointment with me, please feel free to contact me at irina@irinacounselling.co.uk or visit my website www.irinacounselling.co.uk

I will be pleased to offer you a free 30-minute introductory online session to discuss what brings you to therapy or answer any questions you might have. That will give both of us a sense of the prospect of working together.

 

 

 

Integrative Counsellor: Karen Hurley

Karen Hurley

About Me

Hello, I am Karen, an integrative counsellor, working from a person-centred perspective. This means I use different types of counselling theories in my work, depending on the issue(s) you wish to bring to counselling and most importantly what feels right for you.   I am a warm and empathic person and will offer you the opportunity through counselling to be heard and respected, whatever you wish to discuss with me.

Karen Hurley

Counselling can help you:

  • understand how you are feeling
  • see things differently
  • clarify and address problems
  • manage uncertainty and change better
  • think about new ideas and ways of being
  • talk about things in the past which you find difficult to deal with now
  • talk about your future and any changes you want to make

Professional registration

  • I am registered member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP).
  • I have monthly clinical supervision, undertake ongoing continuing professional development and work within the Ethical Framework of BACP.
  • I am fully insured through Towergate Insurance.

Qualification & Training

  • Certificate in Counselling – University of the West of England (UWE)
  • Diploma in Professional Studies (Counselling) – UWE
  • TA 101
  • Working with Relational Trauma
  • Working with Shame
  • Level 2 Adult Safeguarding / Level 2 Child Protection / Prevent Duty
  • Level 1 and Level 2 Understanding Domestic Violence & Abuse
  • MS awareness and Counselling people with MS

My experience

  • I have been working in private practice for 6 years.
  • I have 10 years’ experience of working in the NHS in a non counselling capacity, supporting patients, their carers and families with illness, disability or bereavement.
  • I have worked in, set up and managed counselling services for unpaid family carers.
  • I have been a member of the BACP Older Peoples Expert Reference Group and have experiencing of setting up and running counselling services for older people.
  • I have experience of counselling in GP practices and in the charity / voluntary sector.

I have a wide range of experience of supporting people with:

  • low mood, anxiety and depression
  • relationship difficulties
  • family problems
  • loss, bereavement and grief
  • anger
  • guilt and shame
  • managing change and uncertainty
  • work problems
  • Illness and its impact on you and other people
  • life changes
  • being a carer and your caring role coming to an end

Fees

  • £50 for a 50-minute session.
  • I offer a free initial 15-20 introductory phone call for anyone considering starting counselling.

Contact Me

 

Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy: Doug Teeling

About me

I believe firmly that in offering a compassionate, non-judgmental and safe environment each client can learn to trust their own experience and feelings. Beginning to talk about yourself and what you are dealing with may feel new or even unnerving, so I am always mindful to work with you at your own pace.

In the process of therapy many different issues may come up for you. There is no pressure to work to a schedule or through any set list. In talking together we have an opportunity to explore, reflect upon and understand more fully how and why you feel the way you do.

Whether you have been through something traumatic in the past or recently experienced some crisis in your life, or perhaps are dealing with a more prolonged sense of disillusionment with life, the space provided by therapy allows us to work through these issues together.

I have a particular interest in how early relationships shape our experiences later in life. Whilst I work in an integrative way and draw upon many theories, I find psychodynamic and relational approaches in particular offer great insight into how our past can live on in the present. I also pursue research exploring how the changing environment affects our psychological well-being.

In a time of accelerating climate change I believe it is essential to keep in mind the impact of the wider social, political and environmental challenges we are all necessarily affected by. Whilst we may not discuss this explicitly in sessions, I believe these issues will always be a part of how we find ourselves situated in life at any given time.

If you would like to meet for an initial session then please do get in touch.

Training, qualifications & experience

I am an accredited psychotherapist with UKCP having completed an MA in Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy at BCPC (Bath Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling). This course involves an intensive and in-depth approach to study over many years.

Alongside my private practice which has been running since 2013, I have also worked for the SWAN project in Bristol, one of the few places in the Bath and Bristol area which offers the opportunity for longer term low cost therapy.

My professional background is in mental health, having worked for nearly a decade supporting individuals dealing with enduring mental health issues. My previous training includes a Foundation Certificate in Counselling and Psychotherapy at BCPC, a Certificate in Counselling Skills at Bath College, as well as a degree in Psychology and Study of Religions at Bath Spa University.

First steps

If you would like to find out more about coming to psychotherapy then I welcome you to get in touch.

We can arrange an initial session which is an opportunity to get a feel for how we would work together and to ask any questions you may have.

After this meeting you may decide if you would like to book further sessions, which would usually be on a weekly basis.

Fees

  • £95 per week. A number of lower fee places are available.
  • £45 for an initial session.

Contact details: