Testimonials
Its an honour to receive such wonderful testimonials
“Rachael is a caring, understanding and well educated professional therapist.
I was offered a safe place to work through loss and other significant events in my life. I can say I am a much better version of myself and cannot thank the wonderful services of Freedom to Breathe Counselling & Psychotherapy.
Rachael shared with me different methods of working through grief that I did not know even existed. Having a laugh at the appropriate times, serious when needed, just a gentle balance that was comfortable and comforting.
Choosing a professional therapist is a deeply personal process, I can only hope this review assists you with your choice” - Lisa
“I feel very grateful that I stumbled upon Rachael’s website when I did.
Almost instantly in our first meeting I felt extremely comfortable with her. I found her calming nature and sense of humour put me at ease, and I never felt judged while opening up about past traumas and current triggers.
While challenging at times to dive back into the past, I found the EMDR sessions to be extremely powerful and have made huge improvements to my life.
Being given the space to feel big emotions as they would arise have helped me greatly to move on. Whilst I am currently able to resume life without Rachael’s therapy, it is still a comfort knowing I can return to our safe space when needed”. -Tessa
“From our first interactions Rachael has been gentle, kind and supportive.
Rachael provided space for my feelings, and validated them.
She asked thought provoking questions, and would also send me helpful links and articles on different topics we would discuss during the sessions.
EMDR therapy has been a game changer for me, dealing with past negative experiences has made me a much happier person. Our first discussion on EMDR, I was not sure it was for me, but I decided to give it a go... what did I have to lose? and I’m so glad I did!
Through my therapy sessions with Rachael I have learnt how to express my emotions, build boundaries, and create space in my life to breathe. I am now happier more playful person” - Anonymous
"Rachael has a very warming and kind nature that I felt instantly when we first met.
This combined with her incredible ability to hold space for big emotions allowed me to heal some very old and not so old wounds.
I found the EMDR therapy extremely beneficial and was amazed on how quickly I felt a difference. Rachael was compassionate, supportive and somehow managed to give me clarity around several different personal situations.
I will be forever grateful for the journey Rachael has supported me through and the changes she has helped with in my life." - Megan
“When I first came to Rachael I was in a very emotional and anxious place about having support for some on going issues.
From our first chat I realised that Rachael offered very warm, understanding and informed support. I hadn’t felt pressured or judged in any of our sessions and felt safe to disclose painful experiences, thoughts and emotions when I was ready to.
Although it was hard at times for myself, Rachael was always safe, open and consistent to hold space for this. She had supported me to go from feeling very overwhelmed and complex to calm and a sense of control in my life and decisions which I hadn’t experienced.
I always enjoyed the sense of humour Rachael could match me on in times of laughter also.
Finishing my sessions, I feel so positive and calm about my future and look forward to different ways of thinking and being. I couldn’t recommend highly enough to have gentle, open and highly informed support and significant changes in thinking and feeling!”
- Anonymous
“Rachael is the first counsellor I've worked with and I feel very lucky to have found her on the first try!
Rachael is warm, gentle and supportive, but also asks thought-provoking questions to get you to question your thinking patterns and habits.
It's been wonderful to have a space where I can open up and have free reign to talk about what's on my mind, as one of the things I've wanted to work on is feeling safe to talk about and ask for what I need.
My confidence to do this has continued to grow and I have concrete ideas for what I'd like to do next to help deepen my relationships.
With Rachael's help and support I've been able to confront emotional incidents from my past and process these. I was initially worried about how EMDR might go when doing it virtually but it's been very effective.
I really didn't expect the stories and imagery that would surface when processing incidents, and it has left me calmer and with a sense of hope” - Anonymous
“From our first session Rachael was warm, open and non-judgemental.
Initially I had difficulty expressing certain emotions but Rachael was extremely patient and provided a supportive, safe space to be vulnerable.
Through Rachael’s insights on family systems, belief systems and attachment styles I was able to gain a greater understanding and awareness of my own emotional triggers and certain dynamics in my relationships.
With Rachael’s guidance I am seeing significant positive changes in my familial relationships to which I am very grateful. The EMDR therapy was very effective in processing particular events in my past that have been traumatic as well as changing certain belief systems for the better - Rachael was very present and supportive every step of the way.
After working with Rachael I have developed a much more solid sense of self as well as a more positive mindset and have been able to work to repair and improve important relationships in my life for the better.
Starting therapy was a very daunting concept for me but Rachael’s compassion, attentiveness and understanding created a safe space from the very beginning. I highly recommend Rachael and am so thankful to her and our work together!” - Hannah
“Committing to therapy was certainly a very difficult step to take - but with Rachael's support it turned out to be a positive and rewarding challenge.
With Rachael's help I have learned how see myself more truly, how to be more accepting of myself, and how to accept other people's love for me.
I have achieved changes in my life that I honestly thought would never be possible. Rachael introduced a range of tools and techniques to help with coping, healing and building resilience.
This was a relief and a delight, after meeting some other therapists who seemed wedded to a single approach of their preference. I whole heartedly recommend Rachael's compassionate expertise.” - Greg
“I found Rachael's profile on 'psychology now' about 6 months ago after wanting to process previous traumatic memories.
She was generous in giving a free phone consultation and suggested EMDR if we worked together. I chose to work with her as I liked her mindful approach, sense of humour and gentle genuine nature which in combination with her background in trauma counselling and open mind made her an excellent therapist to work with.
I found her knowledge and interest in family trauma very interesting and talking through events that I thought were unrelated to my current trauma proved to be not only therapeutic, but I learnt so much about myself and managed to heal some broken relationships along the way over these months.
We entered the reprocessing stage of EMDR in the last few sessions and so far I can say I'm really glad I did it and for me, it seems to have achieved the results I was hoping for.
Thank you so much Rachael, would recommend you to anyone who is ready to do the work to heal but just needs some gentle guidance and practical knowledge.” - Anonymous
“Rachael has been a breath of fresh air.
I was cautious approaching a new therapist after years since my last one, naturally I grilled her about my wants and needs prior to our first session.
She seemed to take it all in, making me feel safe. I started off having this attitude of ‘I’m the problem, I’m crazy, I’m the issue’. I’ve left with a deeper level of self confidence and self security.
Every session, I always felt that Rachael was deeply sincere, reflective and humble and I cannot recommend her enough” - Bethann
“Truly grateful to Rachael, for the mental progress I have working through trauma, understanding my contribution to my relationship.
Rachael provides a safe space that has allowed me to have more insight and understanding on how and why I respond to certain circumstances, my attachment style and also discovering personal triggers due to dealing with PTSD.
I'm on a healing journey, and the guidance from Rachael has assisted me in having a better outlook on my life and repairing what felt damaged and irreversible to a stronger and positive mindset.” - Georgia
“I am so grateful to Rachael and the work we’ve done together.
She was so welcoming and made me feel at ease from day 1, which really helped me open up.
Each session has been so rewarding and I truly feel a difference in how I am thinking, feeling and acting. I have felt real breakthroughs during our EMDR sessions and I feel so much more at peace with myself!
I have also learnt so many great coping mechanisms to help with my anxiety so I feel that I am slowly building the tools to overcome this.
I have noticed a huge difference in my self-esteem too, and have been able to speak to myself with compassion more easily.
Thank you Rachael!” - Ruby
“Working with Rachael was such an ease and pleasure.
From day 1, she always made me feel safe to be vulnerable and work through my traumas from my past. Her understanding of family systems and belief systems was so helpful as she was able to see me fully, and hence guide me to understand and see myself better.
She taught me how to compassionately talk to and question myself when triggered so I feel a lot more empowered in my daily life. Not only that, but during our work together I completely "rewrote"/reprogrammed my attachment style from anxious/avoidant to secure!
So I am experiencing a lot more trust and ease in my relationships.” - Kahlia
“I enjoyed the therapeutic process with Rachael and found her a wonderful support during difficult circumstances, with a great balance of compassion, insight and understanding.” - Anna