- Guilt and shame focus
- Practical coping strategies
- Attachment and adoption issues
About Helen
Helen Murphy is an ACA counsellor and PACFA-registered practitioner with 10 years of clinical experience in Australia. She works with adults who are carrying stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, relationship strain and ADHD. Helen also lists additional focus areas such as abandonment, attachment issues, adoption and foster care, and body image concerns.
She listens for what matters most to each person and helps untangle practical problems. Sessions are used to talk through difficult feelings, identify patterns that keep problems repeating, and try out steps that can make daily life easier. Helen aims to make the work straightforward and relevant to everyday situations.
Her approach is collaborative. She and the client map out goals, try methods that suit the person, and check what is or is not helping. This can include working on communication, managing emotions, and addressing relationship or family-related stressors that contribute to guilt or shame feelings.
Helen has supported people with co-occurring issues, such as addiction, burnout and grief, alongside anxiety or depression. She also works with neurodiversity concerns like autism and Asperger syndrome, and personality-related difficulties such as avoidant or dependent traits.
Sessions focus on building practical coping strategies, clearer thinking about problems, and small changes that can reduce daily strain. The overall aim is to help people carry less weight from guilt or shame while finding clearer ways to cope and move forward.
How therapeutic approaches guide online sessions
Many clinicians who work in Helen's areas use evidence-based techniques that focus on clear, practical changes. For example, cognitive approaches help people spot unhelpful thinking patterns, test those thoughts against reality and develop more balanced ways of looking at themselves and situations. Behavioural strategies can help break unhelpful routines and build small, achievable habits for emotion regulation and day-to-day coping.Another commonly used approach focuses on attachment and relational patterns. This looks at how early relationships shape expectations and reactions in current relationships, and aims to change interaction patterns that maintain guilt, shame or conflict. These methods suit people wanting to understand how past and present relationships affect their feelings and choices.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences, try methods that fit the person, and adjust the plan as needed. This is a collaborative process where methods are chosen based on what the client wants to focus on and what seems to be helping.
The biography does not list session formats, so confirm current online options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They can also allow people to meet with a therapist from wherever they live, while keeping the practicalities of scheduling and accessing help straightforward.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Experience
10+ years
Listed in
Australia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship problems, low self-esteem and ADHD, plus related issues such as abandonment, grief, body image and communication difficulties.
How would she approach feelings of shame or guilt?
She works collaboratively to understand the origins of those feelings, looks at how they affect daily behaviour, and tries practical steps to reduce their impact.
What is her professional background?
She has 10 years of clinical experience working with adults and young people on a range of mental health and life concerns.
Which credentials does she hold and where is she based?
She is an ACA counsellor and is registered with PACFA, and practices in Australia.
Does she offer sessions in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She is not currently accepting international clients.
What formats are used for sessions?
The original biography does not list specific session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are payments and getting started handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time; to begin, use the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.