Hi there! I’m Rachel (she/her/hers).

I’m so glad you’re here taking the next step towards personal growth and healing. If you often feel exhausted by always striving to be perfect, sacrificing your own needs to please others, or dreading the worst case scenario, you are not alone, and there is hope for change. Finding the right therapist can be difficult, so I hope this information about me will help determine if I would be a good fit for you. My approach is trauma-informed and rooted in empathy, collaboration, and curiosity. I’m dedicated to a therapeutic relationship co-created with my clients that balances warmth and openness with accountability and honest feedback. I seek to provide a safe, judgment-free space to share stories, learn new skills, and gain awareness of ongoing patterns. I’m a therapist that shows up as authentically as I can. You will often find  sitting crisscrossed in my chair, laughing with you, and using a few choice swear words during sessions.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my partner, friends, family, and my black cat Wesley. I love cooking, especially Italian food, and playing video games. I find a lot of joy spending time outside hiking, floating the river, and gardening. Additionally, I love to travel. My favorite place I’ve ever traveled to is Cinque Terre in Italy. It was absolutely beautiful and I even did some cliff jumping while I was there!

The professional stuff:
My work utilizes several different therapeutic models. The first is internal family systems therapy (IFS) in which I help clients explore and reconcile the various parts of themselves. By identifying and understanding the roles of these internal "parts," clients gain insight into their inner conflicts and discover paths towards integration and healing. I also use techniques from narrative therapy, which helps clients to rewrite the stories about themselves and the world by deconstructing and replacing unhelpful narratives with empowering ones. Additionally, I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), the goal of which is to accept difficult emotions and truths and lead a life driven by the values that are the most important to you. Finally, I employ techniques and strategies from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on exploring the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; challenging unhelpful patterns and changing them to be more helpful and adaptive.

I’ve been working at Sprout for two years. I graduated with my Master’s degree in Professional Mental Health Counseling from Lewis & Clark College in 2020. Prior to that, I received my undergraduate degree in Psychology from Oregon State University in 2016. I am an associate clinician under the supervision of Sara McIntyre, LPC.

I have gained experience and a passion for working with individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community, parents, and people experiencing anxiety, complex trauma, and relationship stress throughout my time working at Sprout. My prior clinical experience has included experience with young adults and adolescents experiencing first episode psychosis at Peacehealth Behavioral Health, as well as outpatient work with adults at the Lewis & Clark Community Counseling Center. Most of my prior clinical experience is with outpatient services with adults at Washington County Counseling & Victims’ Services, where I worked with individuals from the community from a wide variety of backgrounds. This experience also led me to working with individuals at the Community Corrections Center. 

You can reach Rachel directly at rachel@sprouttherapypdx.com