Lorraine McDonnell, BACP

How Lorraine’s approaches work online

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on understanding each person’s experience. The therapist listens without judgement and helps the person lead the conversation so they can clarify what matters most and build self-awareness. This approach suits people who need acceptance and a space to make sense of difficult feelings.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions connect. Lorraine uses CBT to help clients spot unhelpful thinking and try practical, short experiments to change patterns. This is often useful for anxiety, low mood and sleep problems where concrete steps can reduce distress.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Lorraine will talk with each person about their needs, goals and preferences and choose or combine methods collaboratively. That means the plan can change as progress is made and different issues emerge.

Online sessions offer flexibility and accessibility. Video calls let people keep visual contact similar to face-to-face work. Phone sessions can be helpful when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging suit shorter check-ins, written reflection and people who find talking by text easier. These options make it simpler to fit therapy around work, caregiving or mobility limits, while keeping a steady therapeutic rhythm.