Ratcliffe Therapeutic Counselling | ASIST Trained Crisis Support | Social Prescribing UK | Forces Specialists UK

Rachel brings both professional expertise and personal resilience to her work. She began her career with Thames Valley Police as an enquiry centre officer, where she was responsible for handling 999 emergency calls and coordinating urgent responses. In this role, Rachel supported individuals and agencies across a wide range of cases, including domestic violence, assault, sexual offences, armed robbery, missing persons, terrorism and major crime investigations.

Alongside her professional background, Rachel has faced profound personal challenges, including the loss of both her parents and her own battle with cancer. These experiences have deepened her empathy and shaped her dedication to helping others find meaning and healing through trauma.

Now based in Cornwall, where she lives with her husband and their dogs, Rachel values time on the water as a source of restoration and balance.

Although Rachel loved working in the police and supporting victims of crime, she moved to Cornwall with her husband to start a new life. After moving, she worked in senior retail management, including payroll, forecasting, personnel, and leadership.

Her favourite roles involved leadership, training, and helping others develop their careers. During several years of leading large teams and managing stores, Rachel's key roles were always people-oriented.

She has an in-depth knowledge of legal regulations and requirements, ethical standards, compliance management, human resources and GDPR.

Rachel has counselled clients across all gender groups with varying abilities and disabilities and a range of emotional and psychological needs. She focused on supporting front-line workers and forces personnel to overcome their struggles with gender socialisation. She also specialises in working with clients being wired for war and never being unwired.

Rachel has created and led counselling projects for other organisations and was an HR Director at a male-specialised counselling organisation. She created and trains cohorts on a 6-day specialised training for other organisations around counselling ethics and private practice, The cost of war, Domestic violence, and Life after loss.

She creates content and individual courses for colleges and universities in her specialist areas while also delivering Specialist Counselling Retreats in Cornwall twice a year.

In her spare time, Rachel manages an organisation specialising in supporting and developing the counsellors of tomorrow.

She engages in continued professional development each year, is a registered member of Complex Trauma Institute, a regustered accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP (ACCRED)), and works to their ethical standards.

She is a fully qualified Therapeutic Counsellor, Trauma Therapist, Clinical Supervisor, REWIND practitioner, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP.)

We have several qualified counsellors and supervisors who work with different trauma areas and are passionate about supporting others.

• CPCAB - Level 2 Counselling Skills
• CPCAB - Level 3 Counselling Skills
• CPCAB - Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
• CPCAB - Level 5 Diploma in Trauma Therapy
• NCS - Diploma in Clinical Supervision
• British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) Accreditation achieved
• NCS - Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling
• ASIST Training - Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
• Intensive Trauma Treatments Training
• Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP)
• REWIND Practitioner
• Working With Men in Therapy Training
• Working With Military Veterans Training
• Supporting Victims of Sexual Assault Training
• Supporting Male Victims of Sexual Abuse
• Supporting Victims of Domestic Abuse Training
• Supporting Victims of Domestic Abuse and False Accusations
• Attachment Theory Training
• Wellbeing and Resilience at Work Training
• Safer Cornwall Drug Awareness Training
• HIV and AIDS Awareness Training
• Polyvagal Theory and Neuroscience Training
• OCR NVQ Police Communications and Investigations
• OCR NVQ Call Handling Communications

This practice specialises in the treatment of trauma across a wide range of experiences. Support is available for individuals affected by early life trauma, past or recent events, and the unique challenges faced by frontline professionals and armed forces personnel.

• Childhood Trauma

Trauma is not limited to the past. Many individuals seek support for recent or ongoing events that continue to feel overwhelming. Professional guidance can assist in managing these challenges and promoting recovery.

• Frontline Workers

Frontline personnel, including police officers, firefighters, and ambulance staff, often face unique pressures and exposures in the course of their duties. Specialist counselling is available to address critical incident stress, post-traumatic responses, and the effects of repeated exposure to distressing situations.

• Armed Forces

Serving in the Army, Navy, or Air Force can present experiences that significantly affect psychological wellbeing, both during active service and in the transition to civilian life. This practice offers tailored support to address the specific challenges associated with military roles and environments.

• A Professional and Supportive Space

Across all areas of specialism, clients are provided with a confidential and professional environment in which to process their experiences, develop resilience, and work toward meaningful recovery.

Take your body to the gym, and take your mind to therapy.

Accreditation is a formal recognition that a qualified counsellor has met the professional standards set by a governing body or association. To become accredited, counsellors must complete extensive training, demonstrate supervised clinical practice evidenced by case studies, and commit to ongoing professional development.

Accreditation assures clients that their counsellor works within an ethical framework, adheres to established codes of practice, and maintains a high standard of competence and care.

In short, choosing an accredited counsellor means choosing someone who has been independently assessed as safe, qualified, and accountable.

Rachel Ratcliffe has achieved her BACP accreditation.
We also have other team members who are working towards accreditation.