about me

Learn a little about who I am and how we will work together

Rachel Packer Therapy About Rachel Profile

A little about me

As a clinician, I am my authentic self. Clients and colleagues have described me as: compassionate, curious, unafraid to bring humor in when humor is needed, thoughtful, direct and engaged. If you are looking to work with someone who listens, empathizes, who believes that conversation and interaction are integral to the therapeutic process, we may work well together.

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 San Francisco Bay Area. 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. My background is steeped in relational and psychodynamic psychotherapy as well as Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy. AEDP is a model of therapy with roots in somatic, attachment theory, and emotion theory. Basically, using this form of therapy, I will help you access your inner resources and strength to address and deal with painful emotions. You will have the opportunity to change patterns and explore thoughts and feelings in the present moment with the support and guidance of an empathic other.

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

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rpt logos psychology toay
rpt logos aedp
rpt logos psychotherapy institute
rpt logos stanford university
rpt logos agpa
rpt logos 7 principles for making marriage work
rpt logos bringing baby home
rpt logos camft
rpt logos california integral studies
rpt logos university of miami
rpt logos yelp
rpt logos the gottman institute
ICEEFT
Certified Daring Way

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.