Branch Counselling

16/11/2025

We all know we make assumptions based on first impressions, but what does that mean for children and young people, and how does that translate to the therapy space?

At your age, you should know better!

06/11/2025

🍂 The Beginning of the End: November Reflections
November always feels like a month of in-between, the final amber leaves holding on, the warm glow behind closed curtains, and the quiet realisation that - all of a sudden - another year is almost done.
For therapists, it’s a natural time to pause and ask where our work sustains us, or quietly costs us.
In this month’s Substack, I’m exploring reflection, burnout, and the curious ways the counselling room can be both balm and burden.
✨ Read here → https://open.substack.com/pub/helenatbranchcounselling/p/the-beginning-of-the-end-november?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=3hzwxf

November always feels like a month of in-between -

03/11/2025

ONE WEEK TO GO!
Grab your favourite cuppa and join us for an evening exploring the real challenges of working therapeutically with young adults.
We’ll walk through a fictional case-study of 16-year-old Alex, diving into the complexities of identity, change and support. Then we’ll turn the spotlight on ourselves, how can practitioners stay grounded, motivated and resilient in this work?

📅 Date & time: Monday 10th November, 6 pm BST
👉 Sign up: https://onlinevents.co.uk/event/working-therapeutically-with-teenagers-and-young-adults-helen-gifford/
Tag a colleague or friend who works with young people and could benefit – let’s make it a supportive discussion.

Helen will be presenting a workshop on Working Therapeutically with Teenagers and Young Adults

30/10/2025

Increasingly, young adults in their early 20s are questioning the “right path”; study hard, get the degree, land the job, and find that it doesn’t always lead to fulfilment.

As therapists, educators, and employers, we’re seeing a generation caught between expectation and meaning, achievement and identity.

My latest Substack article explores this transition period and how small shifts, curiosity, and relational support can help young adults navigate uncertainty with compassion.

🌱 How do you hold space for young adults in this stage of uncertainty?

👉 Read the full reflection here:https://helenatbranchcounselling.substack.com/p/the-bus-stop-a-twenties-crossroads?r=3hzwxf

29/10/2025

The balance of shared and individual space is so important in any relationship, whether intimate, friend air family based.

23/10/2025

Join me on Monday, 10th November, for an evening workshop exploring the ways we support young people therapeutically and how we, as practitioners, look after ourselves within this work.

I look forward to seeing you there. 🍃💛

https://onlinevents.co.uk/event/working-therapeutically-with-teenagers-and-young-adults-helen-gifford/

Onlinevents Ltd

PCCS BOOKS LTD

23/10/2025

The SEND and SEMH system is stretched thin, yet full of people who care.
Parents are acting as caseworkers, schools as crisis teams, and young people are caught between. Despite reforms and intentions, the pressures on inclusion continue to grow.
Here, I explore what’s working, what’s not, and how reflective, relational practice can hold hope in a system that often feels unsustainable.

For parents and practitioners supporting young adults in education.

18/10/2025

Why the memes and annoying phrases are more than silliness! I love this reflection.

16/10/2025

This is a really good simple explanation of why communication sometimes falls down between people. Questions, which should just be taken as a general inquiry are often seen as judgement, especially in a stressed environment, causing... more stress!

15/10/2025

🍃 I didn’t fit in the yard or the field - so I stood next to the teacher and watched.”
For many young people exploring gender, identity, and belonging, therapy can be the one space that says:
“You’re welcome here, while you’re figuring it out.”
💛 Read Between the Yard and the Field, a reflection on belonging before identity.

Finding Belonging When You Don’t Fit In

15/10/2025

I need to move my body. I should go for a run. Sigh.

I need to move my body. I should go for a jog. Sigh.

I need to move my body. I should take a long, brisk walk. Sigh.

I need to move my body. I should stroll around the block. Sigh.

I need to move my body. I should wander round the garden. Sigh.

I need to move my body. I’ll walk the hall. Sigh.

I need to move my body. I’ll stretch on the floor. Sigh.

I need to move my body. I’ll stretch in bed. Sigh.

I need to move my body. I’ll wiggle my toes. Sigh.

I need to move my body. I’ll take a deep breath. Success.

🌿 Different days come with different resources. By offering ourselves flexibility, we can always find some success, and therefore, hope.

There’s always a way to make a goal smaller.

Microsteps are the route to kinder progress.

What’s your version of a microstep today?