About me

“Lorraine asked me to write a testimonial for her counselling website which I gladly accepted. But, dear reader, please bear in mind it is completely biased as I know Lorraine. I have known her for maybe 15 years or more. I have seen her develop, train, and grow during that time, meeting all sorts of obstacles and personal challenges along the way. I also have the great good fortune to have co-counselled with her over maybe a decade now. I introduced her to Tricia Sterry and her BCT practice and training. So I have plenty to say, maybe far too much. But if I waxed lyrical for a couple of hours I guess I would have only scratched the surface of this amazing woman and what she has to offer. You can expect clarity of understanding, seemingly magical insights and intuitions, great advice (should that be required), and the sense that you have found someone that you can rely on, trust and can be there for you.
 
Contact Lorraine with confidence as she will be more than you could have ever hoped for.
 
The rest is up to you.”

Grahame Rourke

Hi, my name is Lorraine Childerstone and I offer friendly and flexible face to face counselling in North Oxfordshire and online counselling UK wide.

Why I am a counsellor

Ever since I first started work as a journalist many years ago I loved working with people, and listening to their stories. Every human being is unique. Every story is filled with personal perspective and meaning, and it is a privilege to be entrusted with these stories, to help clients explore, value and rewrite them. I love to see clients start to realise that change is possible, how their own patterns have been keeping difficulties in place, and that they can influence more than they realise. I love to see clients as they are – unique and incredible human beings who can bring pain, confusion and despair to the room as well as growing self confidence and self-understanding as they face their difficult feelings. The courage and self worth clients develop as a result of the work is a privilege to witness and I always learn a lot about myself in the process.

My skills 

I am a fully qualified  humanistic relational counsellor, with a Level Four Diploma in Integrative Counselling and a member of the BACP, working in accordance with it’s ethical framework, including full supervision. I am also a certified online and telephone counsellor, having undertaken 80 hours of additional training in these skills.

You will also benefit from skills I have integrated through trainings in:

• Hypnotherapy
• NLP   
• Body-based work (Tai chi )
• End of life work.
• Mindfulness and spiritual practice

As a counsellor I have worked with a range of clients, including at a hospice and for a general counselling charity.  Together we have explored: anxiety; depression; grief and loss; health issues; stress; abuse; trauma; transitions and life-changes; low self-esteem; identity issues; academic and work challenges; relationship issues; family problems; and spiritual issues.

As a Hypnotherapist and NLP Practitioner I have also supported clients with self-esteem and self-confidence, and working to break habits such as smoking.

Personal development

I keep my skills up to date with continuous professional development. 

I am currently training in a therapeutic approach called Block Clearance Therapy which works with the energetic patterns we hold that keep us locked into cycles of behaviour, such as addiction, low self-confidence, or choosing unsuitable partners.  It combines Gestalt, Indigenous wisdom, Jung’s symbology, numerology and Bach Flower Remedies to provide a powerful support for self-understanding and change. The premise is that if we take responsibility for our own experience and understand what it is teaching us then we can make wiser, more connected choices.   

If you are interested, I am looking for people to be case studies, so do get in touch.