MEd, MSW, LCSW, CCTP, CSTS, EH.M, LE, LMT

Hi, I’m Rachel — welcome to the Refuge Healing Center!

I’m a trauma specialist, sexologist, educator, and consultant. My work is deeply grounded in attachment science, relational theory, and polyvagal theory — frameworks that help us understand not just what happened to you, but how your body, heart, mind, and thus relationships have adapted to survive traumatic stress.

Transformation happens when we feel safe enough to reconnect with ourselves and others. The safety and trust we build in our therapeutic relationship are integral to our work. In a thoughtful and attuned manner, we will help you deepen your connection to yourself and others bit by bit. I care deeply about doing justice to your story and meeting you where you are. Healing is a layered process, and I draw on a rich, interdisciplinary foundation to guide it.

Before becoming a licensed clinician, I served in community mental health, supporting individuals living with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI). Earlier in my career, I worked as a licensed bodyworker, helping clients navigate fertility challenges, chronic illnesses, and complex injuries. I also served in spiritual care, training ministers to integrate trauma-informed practices into their communities. These experiences continue to shape how I understand healing — as a deeply embodied, relational, and holistic process.

Today, my clinical focus includes various types of traumatic stress stemming mostly from sexual, medical, and religious contexts. Specifically, I have training in the following areas: complex, relational, developmental, and attachment trauma and dissociation; human sexuality, abuse, shame, grief, spirituality, fertility, chronic health conditions, parenting, endometriosis, and PCOS. Often, I work with multiple intersections of concerns that are unique and require specialized attention.

In sessions, I integrate evidence-based approaches — including Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Somatic Experiencing (SE), and Human Sexuality therapy and education — to support sustainable change.

I primarily work with couples and currently have limited openings for individual clients. If you’re ready to engage in meaningful, transformative work, I’d be honored to walk alongside you on your healing journey.

If you are interested in my other specialties, such as education, speaking engagements, legal work, or consulting, please visit the contact page and select the relevant box or click the first link to request more information.

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