What kinds of difficulties can you support young people with?

I support young people with difficulties including anxiety, low mood, social anxiety, panic, OCD and low self-esteem, as well as difficulties relating to relationships, friendships, education and life changes. I can also support young people who are feeling overwhelmed, struggling with difficult emotions or adjusting to significant changes in their lives.

How does confidentiality work for adolescents?

Confidentiality is an important part of creating a space where a young person feels able to speak openly. At the beginning of therapy, I will talk through confidentiality and its limits with them, including circumstances where information may need to be shared because of concerns about their safety or wellbeing.

Therapy

A space to make sense of what you're experiencing and what might be possible beyond it

Adults · Adolescents 16+ · Bromborough & Online

Therapy that starts with understanding

Therapy can be a place to slow things down and make sense of what you're experiencing. Sometimes we know we're struggling, but aren't quite sure why, or find ourselves caught in patterns that feel difficult to change.

I work collaboratively with you to explore what's happening beneath the surface, understand the thoughts, feelings, behaviours and relationships that may be contributing to your difficulties, and consider what might help you move forward.

Collaborative

Evidenced-based

Compassionate

What might bring you to therapy

Anxiety

We often try to solve anxiety in the moment because of how uncomfortable it feels. But the checking, analysing and trying to make the feeling go away can sometimes keep it active.

Depression

Depression isn't always just about what's happening inside us. Sometimes loneliness, conflict, grief, disconnection or difficult relationships can shape how we're feeling too, and help explain why things feel difficult.

Trauma can shape how we see ourselves, our relationships and the world around us, even when we know rationally that what happened wasn’t our fault or isn’t happening anymore. It can show up as intrusive memories, feeling constantly on edge, or struggling to feel safe and connected.

Trauma

Relationships

We can find ourselves repeating patterns in relationships without fully understanding where they came from. Exploring these patterns can help you make sense of your responses, needs and ways of relating to others.

OCD

OCD can be difficult to recognise, particularly when compulsions happen internally. Intrusive thoughts, rumination, mental reviewing and reassurance-seeking can all become part of a cycle that feels difficult to step outside of.

Explore OCD Support

An approach shaped around you

I draw on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), adapting the approach depending on what feels most helpful for you. Alongside practical therapeutic strategies, I also value creating space for deeper emotional understanding, including the ways our experiences and relationships can shape how we feel and respond.

CBT can offer practical ways to work with thoughts, feelings and behaviours that may be contributing to difficulties, while helping us understand what keeps them going.

IPT, meanwhile, focuses on the relationship between our emotional wellbeing and the relationships, roles and life changes around us. It can help us explore difficulties in communication, conflict, loss and changing relationships.

At the heart of this is a warm, collaborative relationship where you can feel understood, explore what matters to you and find a way forward that feels right for you.

Therapy for adolescents (16+)

I really enjoy working with young people because 16 onwards can be such an important period of change. There can be a lot happening at once: education, friendships, relationships, family dynamics, identity, independence and thinking about the future.

I want to offer a space where young people can talk openly without feeling judged or that they are being told what they should be feeling or doing. I don't think therapy should feel like simply being given a set of techniques. Instead, we can develop strategies that feel relevant and realistic for their life, in a space where they can feel safe to be honest and have their perspective heard and respected. I also think therapy can be particularly valuable at this stage in helping young people develop a better understanding of themselves and their emotions, and build skills they can carry into adulthood.

Parents, guardians, and carers can play an important role in supporting a young person, while someone aged 16 or over is also developing their own independence and autonomy. I encourage young people to have ownership of their therapy rather than expecting them to share everything that is discussed. Where appropriate, I will talk with the young person about what they feel comfortable sharing and how they might best be supported outside of sessions.

A balance
of extensive experience & warmth

I have over 13 years of experience working within the NHS, alongside a background in counselling which I also draw on in my work. I am a BABCP accredited CBT therapist and IPT practitioner, with a Masters in Clinical Counselling and a Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapies from the University of Manchester.

My clinical experience has given me the opportunity to work with a wide range of emotional difficulties. It has shaped an approach that is structured and evidence-based, while also paying attention to the relational and emotional experience of therapy.

13+ years NHS experience · BABCP accredited CBT therapist · IPT practitioner · MA Clinical Counselling

Starting therapy

If you're considering therapy, I offer a free 20-minute consultation as a chance to talk about what you're looking for and whether working together feels like the right fit.

In-Person

£90 | 50 minutes

Weekly · Open-ended

Face-to-face sessions take place at Stories Therapy in Bromborough.

The space has waiting and toilet facilities, with free parking and wheelchair access.

Stories Therapy

Unit 2D, Croft Business Park
Thursby Road
Bromborough, Wirral
CH62 3PW

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Stories Therapy, where Helen Cawley holds in-person sessions in Bromborough

Online

£90 | 50 minutes

Weekly · Open-ended

Online sessions offer the flexibility to join from wherever is most convenient for you, as long as you have a private space where we can protect confidentiality.

Your Space

You're welcome to bring fidget tools, a warm drink or whatever helps you feel comfortable. You can make your space your own, with whatever helps you feel relaxed during our sessions.

Online therapy set up with clean, modern kitchen background with a laptop open on a desk

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Let's start with a conversation

If you're considering therapy, you're welcome to get in touch for a free consultation. We can talk about what you're looking for and whether working together feels like the right fit

Book free 20-minute consultation