about me
Learn a little about who I am and how we will work together
A little about me
Hi, I’m Rachel – a licensed psychotherapist with over 15 years of experience supporting individuals, couples, and parents through times of challenge, transition, and growth.
My approach is warm, engaged, and collaborative. I believe that healing happens in the presence of safety, curiosity, and compassion – and that we all have the capacity to shift long-standing patterns, deepen our relationships, and reconnect with our true selves.
How we will work together
In a word, collaboratively. With your permission, I will ask you questions and together we will explore varying interpretations. I may reframe what I hear, in order for you to look at a situation or experience from another angle. I will support you and join you on your journey to find whatever it is you are looking for. When it feels relevant and important, together we may explore your past relationships with the intention of helping you build self-awareness and gain insight and understanding to your present. By exploring past relationships, you can bring meaning to your current relationships with others and with yourself.
The relationship between us is a valuable and intricate part of the therapy process. I do whatever I can to create a safe, warm, and nurturing environment.
I have worked with clients from various backgrounds, whose struggles span a range of issues, but patterns have emerged, developing a lens I frequently use when working with clients.
I ask you to remember
Regardless of why you are seeking therapy – help with relationships, coping with loss, in the middle of a life transition, needing support because you are feeling down, anxious or stuck, or dealing with an addiction – I ask you to remember one thing, to be compassionate towards yourself and know that suffering is a part of the human condition. Our pain, our perceived imperfections, and our failures are something that we all face at one point or another. Self-compassion and curiosity towards the more painful parts of ourselves are essential to cultivating when coping with struggle.
Professional Background
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#100178) serving the state of California. I received my BA in Psychology from the University of Miami and my Masters in Counseling Psychology from The Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA.
I draw from several trauma-informed, evidence-based modalities to support meaningful, lasting change. Using an Internal Family Systems (IFS) framework, I help you understand and care for the different parts of yourself – exploring them with curiosity and compassion. Through Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), we create safety for deep emotional transformation and repair. AEDP is a model of therapy with roots in somatic, attachment theory and emotion theory. If needed, we may use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), using bilateral stimulation to reprocess painful experiences, allowing you to move forward with greater freedom and relief.
My work with couples: I am trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), meaning I work through an attachment lens. EFT is a research-based intervention designed to address distress in couples and help couples create a safe and secure bond. I am a certified Gottman educator and run ongoing workshops for couples who are interested in improving their relationship as well as a workshop for couples who are expecting or just had a baby.
In addition to my private practice, I facilitate Interpersonal Dynamics at Stanford University working with students in the graduate school of business. To learn more about the “touchy-feely” class, click here.
My Professional Affiliations
Start Your Therapy Journey
Call or e-mail to schedule a brief phone conversation, giving you a chance to ask questions and share with me a bit more about yourself. After that, we can decide together if we are a good fit.