About Rachel
I am committed to supporting you on your journey toward becoming the person you aspire to be. I specialize in working with adults who are grappling with anxiety, depression, disordered eating, or the lingering effects of trauma. While these struggles manifest differently for everyone, my clients often seek help for issues such as perfectionism, feelings of inadequacy, intrusive thoughts, overwhelming worry, hopelessness, and disordered eating behaviors.
My goal is to help clients regain control of their emotions and resolve past experiences. My approach is non-judgmental and empathetic, with a focus on creating a safe and comfortable environment for healing. I utilize evidence-based therapies, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS), to guide clients in activating the brain’s natural healing processes and fostering harmony within the mind.
Therapy can be transformative for anyone. While it requires vulnerability, a willingness to confront difficult emotions, and a readiness to explore the deeper parts of ourselves, the rewards are profound. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of helping hundreds of individuals on their path to healing, and I firmly believe that each of us has the capacity to find inner peace.
Credentials:
VA License Number: 0904012950
CO License Number: CSW.09925399
TN License Number: 9186
NC License Number: C016529
At Brighter Minds Therapy we most commonly utilize a combination of EMDR and IFS interventions.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is a psychotherapy technique used to help people process and overcome distressing or traumatic experiences. Traumatic memories, and other symptoms can often cause emotional distress which can interfere with daily life. While EMDR was initially, and most commonly, used to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), it has evolved to treat many diagnoses and symptoms including anxiety, phobias, eating disorders, dissociation, etc.
EMDR involves bilateral stimulation (BLS) in the form of eye movement, tapping, or sound. The BLS BLS initiates the brains natural healing process called Adaptive Information Processing, which essentially involves taking important information and storing it where it is easy to access in future relevant situations. With trauma, the brain's healing process becomes dysfunctional and information is stored in a way that can result in chronic hypervigilance, difficulty recognizing safety, and many other symptoms. EMDR allows the individual to safely process the distressing material to become "desensitized." EMDR is also used to help the individual develop natural internal resources like confidence, safety, inner harmony, trust in ones self, etc.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapy intervention that involves harmonizing parts of self. The IFS model describes an “internal family” that consists of subconscious parts that we recognize by analyzing our inner dialogue. Our parts develop in reaction to various life experiences and may serve different purposes for our overall functioning. We might have parts that constantly criticize us wanting to protect us from messing up or looking foolish, we may have parts that try to distract us or numb us, we may have the inner child that wants to play and have fun but doesn’t feel safe enough, and we all have the “true self,” the inner leader that is able to manage the internal system of parts and guide with confidence, compassion, and peace. Throughout IFS we strengthen the relationship to the true self and “reparent” the wounded parts. Reparenting is a process of validating and soothing the wounded parts, and giving them the support and care they may have been lacking when they developed.