“In the end, it is the reality of personal relationships that saves everything.” – Thomas Merton
Welcome!
Relationships are everything. Our connections as partners, parents, friends, sons & daughters shape how we see ourselves, and bring out our best and our worst. We all need to feel loved, valued, and worthy, but if you have a pattern of neglectful, abusive or alcoholic relationships this can feel a long way off. Grief, fear, shame, and anger can dominate your life. Repetitive patterns in relationships can lead to despair, and leave your self-esteem in tatters. It can feel like the harder you try, the worse it gets. It’s confusing and exhausting! 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, 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, get un-stuck, find yourself, and make life-giving choices in your relationship
- 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?
Our deepest wounds happen in relationship, and brain science shows that we need to heal them in relationship, too! 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. This goes beyond just personal meaning-making. By learning to listen, to receive, to communicate your needs, and to let go of the things you can’t control, you can improve your sense of Self, change your relationships, and participate meaningfully in shifting culture. Your work on yourself in relationship with other people has powerful implications for a world that is sorely struggling with understanding, openness, and peace. Your work on yourself can serve others in all aspects of your life.
Most folks start with at least a year of individual counseling to gain clarity and insight about your life, and your role in relationship patterns that keep you caught in loneliness, fear, shame, and anger. When appropriate, we’ll begin moving towards joining a group. Groups supercharge your therapy experience with real-time practice using relationship skills you’ve built in individual counseling. I will walk with you through this process by building a safe container in which you can slowly build your capacity to be more yourself while staying in healthy connection with others.
I have many years of experience treating trauma, relationship issues, eating disorders, body image, and addiction. Working with me is creative, intuitive, deep, and authentic. I love dreamwork, active imagination, art therapy, mindfulness/meditation, and somatic work. 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.
This is not your run-of-the-mill counseling. It is soul-to-soul work.
Let’s get started! Take a look around my website, and reach out today!
Click here to schedule an initial consultation.
I look forward to connecting with you!
Rachel Smith, MA, LPC, NCC, CAS
