Helen Barnes
Following a career in the City of London as a Lloyd’s Broker, Helen embarked on a major career change to train in Occupational Therapy. After qualifying, she worked for the NHS in a variety of psychiatric and physical settings and in 2003 left London for Brussels.
Whilst there she completed her MSc in Occupational Therapy and in 2005 joined the European Commission to work, first in the Psychosocial Interventions Sector of the Medical Service assisting staff experiencing difficult life situations before moving into an HR role responsible for:
— Career and personal development
— Equal opportunities
— Wellbeing at work
Through her work Helen observed that often clients were unable to access the resources (both internal and external) required to make desired changes and saw coaching as the link to support people to draw on and build those resources. She completed her Coaching Foundation in 2011 and in 2015 gained her Coaching Certificate from Middlesex University through the i-coach academy. In 2017 Helen was accredited at senior practitioner level by the EMCC (European Mentoring and Coaching Council). She holds a Certificate in Supervision of Coaches and Consultants from the Tavistock Institute (2018).
To develop her knowledge and understanding of the difference between coaching and counselling, Helen has since trained as a counsellor with a Certificate in Humanistic Counselling from the Gestalt Centre (2019) and a Diploma in Gestalt Psychotherapeutic Counselling from Metanoia (2024).
She holds Post Graduate Qualifications in Vocational Rehabilitation, is a registered member of the UK Health Care Professions Council and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, a Member of the EMCC (European Mentoring and Coaching Council) and is registered with the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). She receives regular supervision for her coaching and counselling.
Helen welcomes coaching and counselling clients both in person and online.
