Rachel McKinstry
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This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or emotionally exhausted?
Maybe you're the one everyone leans on — the reliable one, the capable one — while inside you're running on empty. You might be:
· constantly overthinking or feeling mentally drained
· struggling to switch off or relax
· feeling emotionally burnt out
· navigating a difficult life transition
· experiencing high-functioning anxiety
· carrying caregiver stress or people-pleasing patterns
· feeling lost, stuck, or disconnected from who you are
If any of this sounds familiar, you don't have to keep carrying it alone.
I'm Rachel, an integrative counsellor working with adults experiencing stress, burnout, anxiety, and life transitions — in person in Lisburn, and online across the UK.
Integrative simply means I don't work from a single fixed method. I draw on different approaches depending on what you need, so our work fits you rather than the other way around.
Many of the people I see are used to coping alone — thoughtful, capable people who've spent so long supporting everyone else that their own needs got pushed to the bottom of the list. Somewhere along the way, they've stopped feeling like themselves.
In our sessions, there's no script to follow. We'll go at your pace, make sense of what's underneath the exhaustion or overwhelm, and find a way forward that fits your life — not someone else's idea of what healing should look like.
Counselling offers a space where you no longer have to hold everything together on your own.
If you'd like to talk it through, get in touch to arrange an initial conversation — no pressure, just a chance to see if working together feels right.
Training, qualifications & experience
Training, qualifications & experience
I am an integrative counsellor, which means I draw from different therapeutic approaches depending on your individual needs, experiences, and personality. I believe therapy should feel human, collaborative, and emotionally safe — not clinical or overwhelming.
My approach is gentle but steady. I work at a pace that feels manageable for you, offering a supportive and grounded space where you can speak openly without fear of judgement. I understand that reaching out for support can feel vulnerable, especially when you've been coping alone for a long time.
My aim is not to "fix" you, but to help you better understand yourself, feel more emotionally supported, and create space for greater calm, clarity, and self-connection.
Qualifications and experience:
Registered Member of the BACP (MBACP)
Foundation Degree in Integrative Counselling — my core clinical training
Level 5 Trauma-Informed Somatic Therapy
20 years' experience in NHS older people's services, supporting people and their families through difficult, emotionally demanding periods
Experience supporting adults with anxiety, stress, overwhelm, and emotional difficulties
I am committed to ongoing professional development and work within the BACP Ethical Framework.
Member organisations
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Many of my clients come to counselling feeling emotionally depleted and anxious often after spending years prioritising everyone else’s needs above their own.
Therapy can help you begin to slow down, understand what you need, and feel more grounded in yourself again.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£50.00 per session
Additional information
Sessions are priced at £50 per 50 minutes, however I do offer a 4 session package for £180 done either weekly or bi-weekly.
When I work
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Further information
If you're looking for calm, supportive therapy for anxiety, overwhelm, burnout, or life transitions, I'd be happy to hear from you.
I offer a free 15-minute, no-obligation call via Teams or phone, so we can meet and see how it feels before committing to anything.
I aim to respond to all enquiries within 24 hours. Please be aware that my emails can sometimes go to your junk or spam folder, so do check there if you haven’t heard back from me.
