“In the end, it is the reality of personal relationships that saves everything.” – Thomas Merton
Welcome!
I am an experienced trauma and grief counselor, offering individual and group counseling that liberates the soul from the density of trauma and loss, transmuting suffering into new hope, purpose, and meaning.
This is not your run-of-the-mill counseling. It is soul work.
We all need to feel loved, valued, and worthy, but if you have a pattern of neglectful, conflicted, abusive or alcoholic relationships this can feel a long way off. Panic, grief, shame, and anger can dominate your life. Repetitive patterns in relationships can lead to despair, and leave your self-esteem in tatters.
If your relationships are fraught with bad communication, jealousy, betrayal, trust issues, conflict and resentment, there is hope! I help people unpack relationship issues within themselves, and learn how to heal within families, among friends, in intimate partnerships, and in expanding circles of community.
My practice is:
- A refuge for people ready to reclaim their sanity, and learn to love themselves and other people better
- A safe place to explore what’s hurt you and get un-stuck
- A way to make meaning of your suffering, and a transformative process that can transmute your painful experiences into purpose, connection, and deep peace, no matter what the circumstances.
- A community in which to heal and grow that can mirror you, hold you, celebrate with you, call you on your stuff, and love you through the hard things.
- An opportunity to consider what matters most to you, and actively live into it.
- Liberation and aliveness. Your struggles do not have to define you. You can have a life you love!
How do I do this?
I offer a unique and cutting edge combination of individual and group counseling, leveraging the power of community to support a comprehensive path to a rich, insightful, connected and empowered life. I use dreamwork, psychodrama, active imagination, art therapy, somatic (body) therapy, mindfulness and mediation, all with a foundation in ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and Jungian Depth Psychotherapy. This is a mind-body-spirit approach that goes beyond the typical “change-your-thoughts” approach to therapy. I see you as a full human being, with a soul. By learning to listen to your own deep wisdom and getting to know yourself, you can then communicate your needs powerfully in relationship, and can truly let go of the things you can’t control. When you know you have choices, and you know how to make them, life gets better, and your relationships get better!
Working with me is creative, intuitive, deep, and authentic. I care deeply about you, and see you as a full human being. You are not broken – you are hurting! My job is to help you rise up, liberate yourself through love, and bring your love to others in new, healthy ways.
Let’s get started! Take a look around my website, and reach out today!
Click here to schedule an initial consultation! This schedule can be pretty limited online, so if you can’t find something that works for you, let me know some good times to reach you and we can usually chat in the next day or two.
I look forward to connecting with you!
Rachel Smith, MA, LPC, NCC, CAS