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I currently have limited availability

My working hours are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 5 - 9 and Tuesday 9 - 4.

At present I am only offering telephone or online sessions.

If you phone and I am unable to answer please leave a message and I will return your call when I am free. 

Hi I am Rachel McKinstry and I am a creative integrative therapist. I have worked within the NHS for 20 years working with older people and people with learning needs using art as a therapetic tool to help people de-stress, find confidence and reconnect with their inner child. This then lead me to becoming a counsellor and for the past 2 years have been trained and using talking therapy as another method to aid the healing process. I am passionate about empowering people to be the best version of themselves as I feel we all have the capabilities to do so. Sometimes it just takes a bit of belief from others before we can start to believe in ourselves. 

My practice is called Querencia [Ke-ren-cia] Counselling NI. It is a Spanish word meaning a place where one feels safe and where one's strength of character is drawn from. This is the ethos I want my clients to experience when they come to their sessions. 

As a creative integrative therapist, I work in a variety of styles;  person-centred, psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioural therapy counselling. Talking is not always easy so I also invite clients to use creative interventions such as journalling, art work, creative writing etc as means to capture their internal experiences.  These methods can become an outlet to help unpack your experience in more depth. By having a diverse way of working it means I can offer a plan of treatment that is individual to your specific needs and concerns, as none of us are the same.  I firmly believe that you are your own expert, sometimes however we all need a little support and direction in finding our own self belief.

It is not an easy step to come to counselling even if you have been before, so I appreciate the courage this can take. As it is a daunting experience I aim to make this step as comfortable as possible. It is important that you find a therapist that you feel you can connect with, which is why I offer a free 15 minute chat so you can ask me any questions you may have about counselling and how we can work together. If you decide that I feel like the right fit for you then we will do a more in depth assessment in our first session.