HELIOS FOUNDATION
Helios Community health
News: Helios Centre Temporary Closure
Our lease at our Judd Street premises has ended and we are having to temporarily stop providing treatments from 20 April 2024.
We expect to be up and running again soon in temporary premises but this may take perhaps a month to arrange this. We will update this website and also keep our current clients informed about this.
Most talking therapies will go online in the meantime.
Our telephone number and email will remain the same.
We are fundraising for our new permanent premises so please see our building appeal page for more information.
What We Do
We offer a range of holistic healthcare sessions and talking therapies provided by our team of experienced professional therapists. Our main client group are people who have been living with HIV for a long time and those with advanced HIV who could not otherwise afford holistic therapies.
01.
Helios provides affordable and confidential one to one talking therapies for those who are experiencing problems that may relate to stressful or traumatic life events. Talking therapies can improve mental health and help people to lead a more independent life.
02.
Complementary healthcare can improve health and wellbeing alongside standard medical care. It uses a whole-person approach that helps balance mind, body and emotions. It can help you cope better with long-term health conditions and help manage some of your symptoms.
03.
A range of private holistic therapies are available at the Helios Centre. These are mainly on evenings and weekends, but some of our therapists also conduct private sessions at other times.
04.
Our rooms are available to rent mostly at the weekend and evenings, (including our group room). Our rooms have all been fully refurbished and are suitable for most holistic and talking therapies as well as for groups. Helios is only 5 minutes away from Kings Cross, making it a highly desirable location for therapists to practice and see private clients.
05.
Helios relies on our committed team of volunteers who run the reception and carry out other essential tasks in the organisation. Our volunteers enjoy working here, feel valued and have a fulfilling experience.
06.
Impact Stories
Having therapy at Helios is the "best thing that has ever happened to me"
Peter first came to Helios in 1994 when he was diagnosed with AIDS. He was scared, isolated and had no close friends. Several friends had died of AIDS and he thought he was next. He was at rock bottom finding it difficult to deal with even the basic things in life. Counselling at Helios helped him get back on track with eating and taking his medication. Then in 2020, Peter came back to Helios for help with mental health issues. As a child from the age of 8 and throughout his teens he was sexually abused by teachers, doctors and other people in positions of authority in the care system. He would find that many things would trigger memories of these years of abuse and each time he would decline so much that he could not eat and had to “climb the mountain again”. At Helios he has been doing fairly intensive talking therapy. He describes his experience of this as “the best thing that has ever happened” to him. He can now deal with and respond differently to his memories and stay “on top of the mountain” His diet is “100% better”, has put on weight for the first time in many years and despite his ongoing health issues feels his wellbeing has improved dramatically. He is much better able to deal with difficult situations and take action where needed. He did not socialise for 20 years, but now feels more confident in social situations.
“Accessing services at The Helios has made a positive impact on my mental health and well-being and helped me move forward to a positive happier life”
Helios therapies help pain management and improve wellbeing
Mary (not her real name) is the only Rwanda genocide survivor of her family. Her parents and her siblings were killed with her many extended family members in front of her. She had been a victim of torture and sexual abuse for many months before she escaped to Uganda. After many years of hard life in Uganda, she came to the UK in hope to be able to work and support her two children. Her children are still in Uganda now and totally rely and live on money that she manages to send them when she can work. She is HIV positive and is suffering from chronic physical ailments that are preventing her from working full time. Helios has been providing her with therapies she needs to alleviate her pain and support her well-being.
"I can now go for three or four days in a row where I feel motivated with more energy"
Ajeet (name changed) contracted HIV in 1984 and was put on AZT and other early HIV medication. Side effects from this medication have contributed to loss of bone density and nerve problems. He found walking difficult and he was often falling due to weakness in his body. Most of his friends do not know about his HIV status so he relies on HIV support organisations to help with the stigma and loneliness associated with this.
He first came to Helios in January 2020 and received massage and shiatsu treatment. He found this improved his energy and motivation, but then lockdown happened. More recently he has been seeing our Osteopath, Gilly who is helping him build up muscle support of his joints and he is having fewer falls as a consequence. He also suffers from sciatica and has noticed this improves when he does the exercises that Gilly prescribes.
“I can now go for three or four days in a row where I feel motivated with more energy whereas before I struggled to get out of bed every day.” He feels his mental health is greatly improved as a result. He says he loves coming to Helios as it has such a friendly and supportive atmosphere.
"I feel safe at Helios. The atmosphere is calm and the people are understanding and sympathetic"
Kevin is a long-term client of Helios. He has struggled with depression and anxiety for many years and also suffers debilitating bouts of sciatica as well as other back pain. He was diagnosed with HIV in 1999 and had many side effects from the early medication, but doing well on current medication. When he first approached Helios, he was just starting talking therapy at THT so he was offered massage. He finds massage at Helios is the most important therapy he receives. It reduces tension, is relaxing, keeps his back supple and helps with his mental health. He was taking strong painkillers for the sciatica, but now, though it has not gone away, he no longer uses any pain killers. He also has acupuncture at Helios when he needs extra help.
He struggles with motivation and feels a lack of purpose in life and recently has started anti-depressants which have not had the results he was hoping for. He now has psychotherapy at Gay Men’s Therapy and continues to have massage at Helios. He says that Helios provides the most important core support for him. He feels safe at Helios, finds the atmosphere calm and the people understanding and sympathetic.