Licensed to practice in California and accepts 26 insurances. Specializes in Anxiety, Coping Skills, Self Esteem and 8 more.
Rachel Benson
(she/her)
Clients say this provider is
About me
My name is Rachel, and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). Originally from Hong Kong, I am multilingual and fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin. I am passionate about working with individuals and families from diverse cultural backgrounds and providing culturally responsive, inclusive, and compassionate care. I support clients navigating depression, anxiety, social anxiety, imposter syndrome, stress, grief, self-esteem concerns, and academic or career-related challenges. I strive to create a safe, warm, collaborative, and nonjudgmental space where you can feel heard and understood as you explore your experiences, gain insight, and develop meaningful coping strategies. I am a Certified Brainspotting Therapist and am also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), sand tray and sand play therapy, Gottman Couples Therapy, and Play Therapy with young children. My clinical approach is person-centered and integrative, drawing from Solution-Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Somatic Therapy, Art and Music Therapy, and mindfulness-based practices. I believe that therapy should be tailored to who you are, not a one-size-fits-all approach. I work collaboratively with each client to understand their unique needs, strengths, experiences, and goals. Whether you are working through a difficult season, seeking greater self-understanding, or hoping to create meaningful change in your life, I am here to support you along the way. My goal is to help you build greater self-awareness, develop effective tools for navigating life’s challenges, and move toward healing, growth, and long-term resilience.
Get to know me
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
The first session is for me to learn and know about you, build rapport, and explore goals together. We will review the confidentiality policy, no-show policy, and service fees. We will also discuss your primary concerns, symptoms, and frequency, conduct a safety check, and explore possible coping strategies together. I strive to make therapy accessible and welcome conversations about fees if cost is a concern.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I have found that we are all unique individuals who have similar experiences but unique details in life. Since I began counseling, each modality and approach has its pros and cons; we cannot always rely on one modality or approach to handle every situation. Sometimes, being creative and flexible can help my clients better understand themselves.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I have worked across various school districts serving diverse populations and communities. Throughout my career, I have facilitated workshops on time management, love languages, parenting, motivation and procrastination, imposter syndrome, art therapy, team building, and self-care. I enjoy working with individuals and families as they navigate different life challenges and transitions. I am especially passionate about supporting single parents, young children, adolescents, young adults, college students (including international and adult re-entry students), and military families. My goal is to create a supportive space where you can explore new perspectives, develop effective coping skills, strengthen self-understanding, and build confidence. Together, we can work toward helping you feel more empowered and move closer to your highest potential.
Specialties
Top specialties
Anxiety
Coping Skills
Self Esteem
Other specialties
Anger Management
Child or Adolescent
Depression
Family Conflict
Life Transitions
Parenting
Peer Relationships
School Issues
Identifies as
Asian / Asian American
Woman
Serves ages
Adults (18 to 64)
Licensed in
California
Accepts
Aetna
Aetna - ASR Health Benefits
Aetna - Allied Benefits
Aetna - Lucent Health
Aetna - Luminare
Aetna - Moda
Aetna - WebTPA
Aetna – HealthEZ
All Savers
AvMed
Cash - $180 per session
Golden Rule
Harvard Pilgrim/UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Optum
OptumHealth Complex Medical Conditions
Oscar
Oxford
Surest (formerly Bind)
Carelon Behavioral Health (Commercial)
Sutter Health Plan
IHSS Healthy Workers
United Medical Resources
UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance
UnitedHealthcare Shared Services
UnitedHealthcare StudentResources
Location
Virtual
My treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I’ve been using CBT in my practice for the past five years. It’s helped dozens of clients challenge reoccurring thoughts and manage their anxiety. We’ll use CBT to recognize how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence each other. We’ll then use that knowledge to change your thinking patterns, which will help you lead a less anxious and stressed life.
Brainspotting
Brainspotting is a powerful, gentle, and focused treatment method to help clients identify, process, and release their emotional/body trauma by working with the deeper sensations that built up through the years, we will follow the tail of the comet to uncover possible ways to heal.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that is designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. This is another powerful modality that helps clients to reduce symptoms of trauma by utilizing our eye movements to retrieve our memories, to desensitize and reprocess those traumatic memories and enable our brain to heal with a calmer and saver space to continue our journey.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
Solution-focused therapy is one of the great modalities to help clients be more goal-oriented and find possible solutions to their problems.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Internal family systems (IFS) is an effective and evidence-based psychotherapy. We often react differently in a variety of settings. Clients will learn every part within ourselves, and how those parts (exiles, managers, firefighters) can bring us curiosity, courage, connection, creativity, confidence, and calmness.
3 ratings with written reviews
September 19, 2025
I really appreciate how deeply Rachel listens. She is able to pull pieces out from our sessions that help me view the situation in a new way, and I appreciate that she also works to provide concrete practices each week for managing stress and anxiety.
Verified client, age 35-44
August 7, 2025
Great therapist enjoyed my talks with her!
Verified client, age 25-34
February 7, 2025
Will try the stress relief techniques