About me
Sometimes you know something needs to change, but you're not quite sure where to start.
You may have lost confidence in yourself, be feeling overwhelmed or stuck, be questioning your career or simply feel that you've spent so much time looking after everything and everyone else that you've lost sight of what you need.
I'm Helena, founder of ProFriends Coaching & Mentoring. I work with women aged 18+ and offer support with both personal and professional challenges.
I created ProFriends around a simple idea. Sometimes we don't need someone to tell us what to do or try to fix things for us. We need someone who will really listen, help us make sense of what's happening, and walk alongside us while we work out what comes next. I call this my Professional Friend approach.
My style is warm, down-to-earth and practical. Our sessions give you space to talk openly without judgement, but they aren't simply a chat. I'll encourage you to reflect, help you look at things from different perspectives and, when needed, gently challenge some of the thoughts or beliefs that may be holding you back.
I support women with confidence and self-belief, stress and overwhelm, resilience, boundaries, work-life balance, motivation, career change and progression, workplace challenges, communication, interview preparation and leadership development.
You don't need to arrive with everything worked out. Sometimes figuring out what you actually want is where we begin. For me, coaching is about moving forward one step at a time, at a pace that feels manageable for you.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have over 25 years' experience supporting people with their personal and professional development through careers guidance, employability, information, advice and guidance, mentoring, coaching, leadership and management.
My qualifications and professional development include an ILM Level 3 Award in Coaching, Level 3 Counselling Concepts and Level 4 Information, Advice and Guidance, alongside training in areas including CBT approaches, NLP, mindfulness and safeguarding.
I am also a Member of the Association for Coaching and am committed to maintaining professional and ethical standards within my coaching practice. Your current certificate confirms your Association for Coaching membership.
My experience means I bring more than coaching techniques to our sessions. I understand careers and workplaces, the challenges of change and the very human experience of knowing what you should do while sometimes finding it difficult to actually do it.
My counselling-related training helps inform the way I listen and work with people, but I am a coach rather than a counsellor or therapist. If I believe someone's needs would be better supported by counselling or another specialist service, I will always be open about that.
Member organisations
The Association for Coaching is one of the leading professional bodies for Coaches and Organisations.
The Association is made up of a number of different membership categories, e.g. Associate Member (AMAC), Member (MAC), Accredited Member (AC Accred), with the different categories standing for different levels of training and experience. Accredited Members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association.
The Association has a Code of Ethics & Good Practice and a Complaints Procedure.
Areas of coaching I deal with
Other areas of coaching I deal with
Career progression
Career change
Interview preparation
CV and application support
Workplace confidence
Assertiveness
Difficult conversations
Resilience
Fees
£50.00 per session
Free initial telephone or online session
Additional information
My standard fee is £50 for a 60-minute online coaching session.
Face-to-face sessions are also available at £55 per 60-minute session, subject to location and availability.
I offer a free 30-minute discovery call before your first session. This gives us an opportunity to talk about what you're looking for, for me to explain a little more about how I work and, most importantly, for you to decide whether I feel like the right coach for you.
There is no obligation to book coaching following your discovery call.
Further information
Choosing a coach is personal. You need to feel comfortable enough to be yourself and know that the person you're talking to is someone you can trust.
That's why I offer a free 30-minute discovery call before you decide whether you'd like to work with me. There's no pressure to book afterwards. It's simply an opportunity for us to meet, talk about what's brought you to coaching, and see whether we feel we're a good fit.
Sessions are confidential and tailored to you. I don't use a one-size-fits-all programme because everyone's circumstances, experiences and goals are different.
You might come away from a session with something to reflect on or a small action you've chosen to take, but I'm not going to give you a list of homework or tell you how you should live your life.
My role is to help you understand where you are, recognise the strengths you already have and work out what your next step might be.
Sometimes the hardest part is knowing where to begin. We can start there.
