About me
Hi, I'm Helen
I’m Helen Stander, a certified Children’s Emotional Wellbeing Coach and Mindfulness & Compassion Teacher, based in Haywards Heath, West Sussex - and a parent myself.
​
I work with children who may be struggling with worries or big emotions, finding friendships difficult, putting a lot of pressure on themselves or simply not feeling very confident in who they are or how to handle the things life throws at them.
Â
Often, children don’t have the words to explain exactly what’s going on. What we see instead might be worry, frustration, withdrawal, self-doubt or behaviour that is difficult to understand.
​
Coaching gives them dedicated time and space to explore what’s happening in a way that feels comfortable and engaging. Through conversation, creative activities and coaching tools, I help children make sense of their experiences, recognise their strengths, see things from different perspectives and discover practical ways forward.
​
For me, the most rewarding moments are often the small shifts - a child seeing something differently, recognising something in themselves they hadn’t before, or beginning to believe they can handle something that once felt difficult.
​
A little about me
My path into children’s coaching has evolved over many years.
​
I spent much of my earlier career in marketing, increasingly choosing to work with organisations focused on mindfulness, mental health and emotional wellbeing. Working alongside people in these fields deepened my interest in how we understand ourselves, relate to our thoughts and emotions, and develop the skills to navigate life well.
​
Mindfulness has also been part of my own life for nearly two decades. A long-standing personal practice eventually led me to train professionally as a Mindfulness & Compassion Teacher, giving me a deeper understanding of the way our thoughts and emotions can shape our experience - and how learning to relate to them differently can make a real difference.
​
Over time, I realised I wanted to move from supporting wellbeing businesses to working directly with people. Training in Children’s Emotional Wellbeing Coaching brought those different strands together and allowed me to work in a way that feels very natural to me: listening carefully, asking thoughtful questions, staying curious and helping children discover their own ideas and capabilities.
​
I now work one-to-one with children and alongside schools and families, and feel very lucky to do work I genuinely care about.
