Lorraine McDonnell, BACP

Lorraine McDonnell is a counsellor who focuses on how thoughts and everyday habits affect mood and behaviour. She trained to work with anxiety and overthinking and draws on four years of practice to support people dealing with stress, grief, low self-esteem and depression. Lorraine is a BACP member, which means she meets the association's standards for practice.

Her approach is practical and individual. Sessions start by finding out what matters most to the person in front of her. Lorraine uses client-centred listening to help people feel heard and then adds techniques from cognitive behavioural work to spot unhelpful thinking patterns.

She helps people untangle cycles of worry, manage changes in life, and cope with loss or difficult emotions. Lorraine also addresses issues such as addictions, relationship concerns, sleep problems, parenting strain and compassion fatigue. Her work includes supporting those with ADHD and a range of long-term health or caregiving challenges.

In practice Lorraine keeps things straightforward. She and the person she is working with set clear goals and review progress together. Sessions aim to build practical habits, clearer thinking and more manageable day-to-day routines.

If someone wants to begin, the first step is a short matching questionnaire and then scheduling according to her availability. Lorraine works in English and provides help to adults in the United Kingdom.

How her approaches work in online therapy

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on understanding each person's experience by listening without judgement and reflecting what matters to them; it helps people feel heard and clearer about their priorities. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions link together and teaches simple techniques to change unhelpful patterns; it is often used for anxiety, low mood and overthinking. Psychodynamic Therapy explores how past experiences and relationships can shape current feelings and patterns, giving insight into repeating difficulties.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Lorraine will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and together decide what to try first. That collaborative process means approaches can be adjusted as progress is made or needs change.

Practical benefits of online therapy include fitting sessions into a busy week and reducing travel time, which can make it easier to keep a regular rhythm of appointments. It can also allow shorter check-ins when needed and simpler access for people juggling work, caregiving or health issues. Confirm the current session options before booking so you know how appointments will be arranged.