Hi, I’m Helene.

I’m a counsellor with a background in psychology and mental health work, and the person behind In Other Words Counselling.

I’m originally from Svolvær, a small fishing town in Lofoten, Northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle. It’s a place shaped by mountains, ocean, long winter nights and summers where the sun doesn’t set. I’ve since made a life in Australia, and feel incredibly grateful to call both places home.

I think moving between countries, cultures and ways of communicating has also made me curious about perspective. How we make sense of ourselves and our experiences, and how the same thing can sometimes look very different when we find another way of understanding it.

That curiosity is something I bring into my work as a counsellor.

How I Work

I’m interested in the why behind the way we think, feel and relate to others. The patterns we find ourselves in often make sense when we look at them in the context of our experiences, relationships and the ways we’ve learned to navigate the world. Exploring those connections can be an important part of counselling, but insight on its own doesn’t always make change easy.

Our work can also involve building the skills, tools and capacity to respond differently when that’s something you want to work towards. This might mean finding new ways to manage difficult emotions, communicate or set boundaries, respond to familiar patterns, or navigate situations that tend to leave you feeling overwhelmed or stuck.

Counselling can hold both: space to explore what’s happening and practical support to make changes that feel meaningful and realistic for you.

At the heart of my work is a person-centred approach. I see you as the expert on your own experiences, with my role being to explore alongside you rather than tell you what those experiences mean. I also work integratively, drawing on ideas, tools and techniques from different therapeutic approaches, including relational and trauma-informed practice, DBT-informed skills and solution-focused techniques. This allows our work to be shaped around what feels most useful and relevant to you, rather than expecting you to fit into one particular way of doing therapy.