Heli Annika Giles , BACP

Heli Annika Giles is a qualified integrative therapeutic counsellor who works primarily through a person-centred framework. She is a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the UK professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists, and draws on a blend of approaches to meet each person's needs.

Heli aims to make the first contact as approachable as possible, acknowledging that reaching out can feel difficult or shaming. She understands those early feelings from her own experience and offers a supportive, nonjudgemental environment where people can bring whatever is troubling them - whether that is anxiety, study or work stress, relationship strain, or a sense of not fitting in.

Common areas she works with include general and social anxiety, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem and perfectionism, stress and burnout, and traumatic experiences. She also responds to worries linked to the cost-of-living situation, life transitions, and the everyday pressures that can leave someone feeling rootless or disconnected.

Her practice emphasises understanding over fixing. Through greater self-awareness, exploration of triggers, and development of practical coping tools, Heli supports people to gain clarity, rebuild confidence, and reconnect with a sense of themselves. Relationship work is offered for individuals and for those wishing to work alongside a partner, with a focus on boundaries, patterns of behaviour, and how past relationships influence current ones.

Therapeutic approaches for remote care and support

Heli integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) into her work to help people relate differently to difficult thoughts and feelings. ACT uses mindfulness and values-based actions to support coping with anxiety, stress, and life transitions, helping clients move toward what matters to them rather than getting stuck in avoidance.

She also uses Attachment-Based Therapy to explore how early relationship patterns influence current connections and intimacy. This approach can be helpful for people struggling with attachment issues, trust, or recurring relationship difficulties, offering ways to recognise patterns and build more secure ways of relating.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and is decided collaboratively. Heli works with each person to identify which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting the work as progress unfolds.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - clients can meet by video call, speak by phone, or use live chat and text-based messaging according to what fits their life. These remote options make it easier to schedule sessions around work, caregiving, or mobility constraints and allow access to licensed professionals from the comfort of one’s own environment.