Heli Annika Giles, BACP

Heli Annika Giles is a BACP-registered counsellor who uses a person-centred, integrative approach to help people through hard times. She brings three years of practice experience and a style that aims to be warm, straightforward and non-judgemental. Annika writes in plain language and focuses on making the first steps feel easier for people who are unsure what to expect.

She works with a broad range of concerns, including anxiety, stress, relationship difficulties and low self-esteem. She also supports people facing grief, trauma, parenting pressures and the emotional strain of long-term illness or caregiving. Living with health challenges appears among the areas she lists as a focus.

Annika believes counselling is not about fixing someone but about understanding what is happening and finding small, practical steps forward. Sessions often involve talking through patterns of thought, noticing what matters to the client, and trying out new ways of coping in everyday life. She encourages people to set their own goals and to review progress together.

Her background includes working with people affected by work-related stress, burnout and compassion fatigue, and offering career coaching alongside therapeutic support. She draws on approaches that help with thoughts, behaviour and personal values, and adapts these to each person’s situation.

Annika offers sessions in English and Finnish and practises from the United Kingdom. She aims to create a calm space where people can be honest about difficult feelings and begin to make changes that fit their life.

How therapy approaches translate to online counselling

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts without getting pulled into them and to focus on values-based actions. It is useful for persistent anxiety, low mood and coping with long-term health challenges. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at patterns that began in important relationships and how they affect current connections; it can be helpful for intimacy issues, family conflicts and feeling rootless. Client-Centred Therapy places the person’s experience at the heart of sessions, offering empathic listening and reflection so someone can find clarity and self-directed change.

Finding the right approach is usually part of the work. The therapist will talk through goals, try different ways of working and agree what feels most helpful. This is a collaborative process where the client’s needs, values and preferences shape the plan.

If you are considering online therapy, check which session formats the therapist currently offers before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also make it simpler to access support while managing ongoing health concerns or caregiving duties. Ask during the booking steps which formats are available so you can choose what best fits your routine.