Our Team

In 2023, the demand for counselling & ADHD Coaching was more than I could meet on my own. I hate turning people away, so I reached out to my fantastic colleague, Helen Evans, who came to work with me.

We are a friendly team of two highly trained, skilled & experienced counsellors. We have undergone rigorous, lengthy, contemporary psychodynamic counselling trainings. We possess a range of personal and professional backgrounds…AND we all have one super-important thing in common – we want to help you feel better!

*All counsellors working with Ali Harris Therapy & Co are qualified, insured, clinically supervised, hold an up to date DBS and are current members of the BACP.

Qualifications, skills and experience matter, of course (and as you’ll see below, we have those,) but when you are feeling scared, sad and in need of support, we understand that what you REALLY want to know is:

Will my counsellor be someone I can really talk to?

Will they be kind and non-judgemental?

Is this going to be someone who ‘gets’ me?

Is my therapist going to be able to ‘meet me where I am’?

Will they be on my side?

The short answer is:

YES!

From the get-go, your counsellor, whether that’s me or Helen, will be warm and kind; they will be on your side, judgement-free, keen to listen to your words so that they can learn to see the world through your eyes.

Your counsellor will be ready from the off to be with you, in your corner, for as long as you find it useful.

We have been trained to work with a huge range of emotional difficulties – anxiety, depression, grief and stress as well as difficult relationships, painful experience and challenging situations.

Over the course of our working lives, we have all developed areas in which we are particularly interested, especially proficient or knowledgeable etc., but that doesn’t mean we can’t or don’t want to work with any other difficulty or issue.

Of course, if you feel drawn to work with one of us in particular, perhaps because they specialise in an area that is relevant to you, or just because you get a good feeling from their profile, please do name that counsellor when you get in touch with us and we’ll see if we can put you guys together.

We know that finding the right therapist for you is super important. No one therapist is right for everyone.
That’s why we really listen to you and help you work out which of us is the right person to support you.

So, without further ado, meet our team!

Ali Harris
Counsellor, Psychotherapist & ADHD Coach

About Me

When you are struggling with your mental health you can usually identify your symptoms – sadness, worry, stress etc. - but the root cause is often much less obvious and can be much harder to address. Psychodynamic therapy (that’s a fancy name for the type of counselling I do,) is perfect for this - for exploring, identifying & resolving emotional difficulties, which seem to resist resolution.

As a therapist I value authenticity, empathy & compassionate curiosity. I feel that if you're coming to therapy for help and support, you need to feel that you are talking to a real person, someone who is warm & non-judgmental.
Through our work together I aim to support you towards feeling confident that you can be helped to learn to manage any difficult situation or tricky feeling.
I trained for 10 years to work wiIh adults to be able to support people with most kinds of emotional difficulties - we all start as generalists.
THERAPY FOR WOMEN Post-qualification I have discovered have a particular passion (and dare I say, talent,) for working with women struggling with anxiety and depression.
WORKING THERAPEUTICALLY WITH NEURODIVERGENCE My other area of specialisation is working with emotional issues around neurodivergence, in particular ADHD. This arose from my own research into the area due to my experiences of having ADHD.
ADHD THERAPEUTIC COACHING I found that having ADHD presents all kinds of additional emotional challenges and experiences that traditional neurotypical approaches to mental health do not tend to take into account.
SUPPORTING PARENTS OF NEURODIVERGENT KIDS My development in this area is also continually inspired & expanded by my ongoing journey as a parent of three neurodivergent children.
I am often approached to provide emotional support to other parents of neurodivergent children. Having children with SEND can feel traumatic and isolating - I have found that people either ‘get it’ or they don’t.
Associated challenges for their parents can lead to:
- Dealing with the effects of bullying
- Conflict with school or the LEA
- Trialling Home Education
All of these things can cause enormous stress and emoitonal upheaval to famillies and in particular, parents.
2 Years University of Hertfordshire
• Certificate in Psychodynamic Counselling
8 years at The Counselling Foundation
• Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling
• Advanced Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling

Helen Evans
Counsellor & Psychotherapist

About Me

I too am a Psychodynamic counsellor! I really enjoy the boundaried aspect of this way of working, how it centres you, the client - your experiences, your feelings & your goals. Everything in your sessions is about you - you can take a break from worrying about everyone else & benefit from some time & space that is all about your welfare.

I create & hold a safe space for you, so that you can explore & learn to manage any issue that is troubling you. I am a warm, friendly person - at least I hope so! That’s the aim. I want to provide you with a place to bring your difficult feelings and experiences so that you can learn to make them feel more manageable.
Like any counsellor, I have been trained to support people with a wide range of emotionally challenging situations, from bereavement to anxiety to depression and more.
RELATIONSHIPS SPECIALIST I have developed a passion for helping people struggling with the effects of difficult relationships:
- Communication issues
- Negative recurring relationship patterns
- Difficulties navigating professional relationships at work
- Toxic family members
- Domestic violence situations
- Emotional &/or narcissistic abuse.
My focus is on supporting you to gain insight into your emotional, behavioural & relational patterns, so that you can use this information to create the kind of life that makes you feel safe, competent, satisfied & content.
• 2 Years University of Hertfordshire
Certificate in Psychodynamic Counselling
• 2 Years at The Counselling Foundation
Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling