Welcome

About me...

My name is Rachel and I would describe myself as warm, caring and genuine. I believe that everyone deserves, and needs, human connection within a relationship where they can experience empathy and not feel judged. This is where counselling can be hugely beneficial.

I am a humanistic and integrative counsellor. This means that I focus on what you want from counselling and use a variety of approaches in order to find the way of working which best suits your needs.

I work in an inclusive way, through listening to and welcoming your unique experience. I provide a safe and welcoming space where the trust we build together can enable you to re-establish connection to yourself and others, or to one another for couples.

Together we can begin to gently explore what is happening in your life and what has brought you to counselling.

Why choose counselling?

For individuals...

People reach out for counselling for a myriad of reasons. Perhaps you are feeling anxious, depressed or lonely. You may be suffering a loss, illness, feel stuck or helpless, and unable to find a way out. Sometimes, something just feels wrong, even if you are unable to quite put your finger on it. In addition, I can also help you begin to process the complex feelings and losses connected to miscarriage or infant loss, infertility, rainbow pregnancies, as well as adoption or adoptive parenting. My role as your counsellor is to support you in finding a way through these difficult or painful experiences.

At the heart of Acorns Counselling is my belief in you and your inherent strength, resources and potential. When life feels hard it is natural to lose belief in yourself and feel alone. There is no shame in reaching out for help, and indeed this can take great courage. Finding someone who understands can be the first step towards healing.

For couples...

Couples come to therapy for a wide variety of reasons. You may be experiencing conflict, feeling distant from one another, or simply notice that your relationship has changed in a way that no longer feels satisfying. Alternatively, you may be navigating something challenging which affects you both, such as, but not limited to, bereavement, infertility, miscarriage or adoptive parenting.

My focus, as your couples counsellor, is on the relationship between you, and how I can best support you both, whether your plan is to remain in relationship or to separate. It can be daunting to share the intimate details of your relationship but my role is to enable you to find your own way of communicating, that works for you as a couple. I am not there to judge or to be a relationship expert.

The practical aspects of counselling...

For individual counselling my fees are £50 per session. I can offer short-term or open-ended counselling but generally recommend committing to a minimum of 6-8 sessions. This is to allow time for you to settle into our relationship and feel comfortable to explore your story with me. Beyond this, clients vary in how long they continue and I am very collaborative in how we decide this together.

I offer in-person, online, or combined online and in-person work.

For couples counselling my fees are £75 per session and this takes place in-person only. I offer the first session as an introduction, to discuss your hopes for counselling and for you to see how it might feel to work with me. If, for any reason, we decide not to continue counselling together then there is no charge for this introductory session. If we begin working together then it is charged at the usual session rate.

My in-person work takes place in Wiltshire at both The Therapy Rooms in Chippenham and Autonomy Counselling Rooms in Devizes.

Sessions for individuals and for couples last for 50 minutes and take place weekly.

I am unable to offer counselling to anyone under the age of 18 years old.

Next steps...

If you would like to find out more then you are welcome to get in contact with me using the form below, or via phone/text or email. I aim to respond to all enquiries within the next few working days.

For individuals, I will arrange a time for a free 15 minute phone assessment to discuss your needs and determine if I am best placed to become your counsellor. This also gives you an opportunity to experience how it feels to talk with me and decide if you want to go ahead with counselling.

For couples, the decision making process takes place following an initial introductory session with both of you, as outlined above. There is no pressure to make a decision within this session and I will invite you to discuss this between you before committing to regular weekly sessions.

The majority of the sessions that I have available are weekday daytimes or evenings so it is worthwhile considering in advance whether or not this would fit with your usual routine.

My Qualifications and Experience...

I hold a Diploma in Humanistic and Integrative Counselling from Bath Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling (BCPC).

I am currently undergoing additional training in working with couples at The Centre for Relational Couples Therapy.

I am a Registered Member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and as such I work according to their ethical framework. This includes ensuring that your confidentiality is my top priority and a commitment to my own ongoing professional development.

I have been in private practice since January 2024 and hold full professional liability insurance. My Acorns Counselling Practice is GDPR compliant.

I also have previous experience as a voluntary counsellor, from 2021-2024 with Olive Branch Counselling in Chippenham, and from 2023-2025 with Help Counselling Services Ltd. in Trowbridge and Chippenham.

My additional trainings include:

Foundation Certificate in Counselling and Psychotherapy - BCPC Jul. 2021

BACP Training in working with Adoptive Clients - Dec. 2024

Foundation for Infant Loss Training: Infant and Pregnancy Loss Practitioner, Rainbow Baby Specialist and Infertility Specialist - Jan. 2025

Email: Rachel.Acornscounselling@gmail.com Phone/Text: 07470455358