Heli Annika Giles

Heli Annika Giles is a counsellor who works from a person-centred, integrative stance. She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Annika keeps the first meeting straightforward and aims to make it easier to talk about things that feel difficult or shameful.

Annika supports people facing common life pressures such as anxiety, relationship problems and stress at work. She also helps with low self-esteem, feelings of not belonging, burnout and responses to traumatic experiences. Eating and food-related issues are included among her areas of focus.

Her way of working is collaborative. Clients choose what to bring to sessions and set goals they want to work toward. Annika listens, helps clarify what is happening and reviews progress together as therapy continues.

She uses a mix of approaches depending on each person's needs. These include acceptance and commitment ideas, attachment-based thinking, client-centred listening, cognitive behavioural techniques and existential questions about meaning and values. The focus is practical - noticing thoughts and patterns, trying small changes, and learning ways to cope day to day.

Annika has three years of experience and works in the United Kingdom. She offers sessions in English and Finnish and is familiar with common pressures such as the cost-of-living crisis, study stress and caregiver strain. To start, she asks people to reflect on what they want from counselling and then plans sessions around those aims.

How therapy approaches translate to online counselling

Annika uses a person-centred way of working alongside a few focused methods. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts and choose actions that match their values, which can reduce avoidance and increase everyday functioning. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current patterns and helps people understand and change how they connect with others. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) identifies unhelpful thinking and tests small behavioural changes to ease mood and anxiety.

Finding the best approach is part of the work. Annika will talk with each person about goals, preferences and what feels most helpful, and then try methods that match those aims. This is a collaborative process and plans are reviewed as therapy progresses.

If you are considering online sessions, please confirm the current session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people use different ways of working, such as practical home-based tasks between sessions and written reflections by email or messaging if agreed. Registered or accredited professionals can adapt exercises and tools to suit an online format so therapy can still focus on day-to-day coping and relationship changes.