I am a LCSW-C (Licensed Certified Social Worker - Clinical) in Maryland with 14 years experience working in the psychotherapy setting as well as providing counseling in medical hospitals. I am uniquely positioned to help you process stress and anxiety associated with life transitions, complicated relationships, grief, postpartum adjustment, and end of life issues. I value working with clients to uncover the root of their anxiety, which often includes exploring early childhood relationships and experiences.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
You can expect me to be warm and empathetic with a compassionate and Solution-Focused approach. I believe you are unique and deserving of a treatment plan that is specifically tailored for your individual needs and your identified goals. I look forward to hearing your story, where in life you see opportunities for growth, and what you would like to get out of our time together!
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I use a combination of various therapy methods, including Psychodynamic Therapy and Narrative Therapy, to help you uncover the roots of your thoughts and emotions by exploring formative past experiences and patterns in relationships. Together, we can find healing from your stress, calming for your anxieties, and untangling from the complexities of relationships. The process of therapy can be challenging, but with this work, you will learn life-long skills and self-acceptance that will lead you on a continuous journey to lasting growth and enduring grace.
About Rebekah Machiela
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Psychodynamic
Psychodynamic Therapy comes very naturally to me, and I weave it into my sessions with clients, as appropriate. This therapy method is based on the understanding that human beings respond to their current situation based on the experiences that have formed them. It is only through taking the time to reflect on your own experiences and the resulting thought and behavior patterns that you can begin to feel control over your responses. I enjoy helping clients to explore their family of origin and formative relationships that have made them who they are today. It is so encouraging to watch clients begin to feel power over anxiety, complicated relationships, and overwhelming life situations when they see that they have the ability to choose their emotional and behavioral responses in stressful situations.
Narrative
Narrative Therapy will be interwoven into our sessions, as I am allowed the opportunity to hear you narrate your story and the meaning you give to various life events. We'll explore what these events tell you about your identity and worth and also learn how to evaluate if the meaning of these events is truth or lie. Over time, you will begin to be able to independently identify lies that you hold onto as being true and apply truths to counter the unhealthy lies you may believe. My clients grow to be able to talk truths to themselves when they hear themselves believing something they know is not true.
Grief Therapy
A person must grieve what they do not have in order to recognize what they do have. I have over a decade of experience working in a medical setting and am uniquely equipped to help you process living with a chronic illness, end-of-life issues, grief, and bereavement; however, I also recognize that grief can feel heavy outside of the typical definition of grief. Whether you are mourning a life transition or life itself, grief is real and only grows when pushed aside. Together, we can dive into the grief so that you can come out the other side feeling stronger and recognizing the ways you have grown up around the grief.
Relational
You are a relational being, and learning to navigate relationships is one of life's most important tasks. Through integrating Relational Therapy into our sessions, we will be focusing on reflection and self-awareness in past and present relationships, recognizing patterns in relationships, identifying your and others' limitations and tendencies, setting healthy boundaries, and learning how to hold appropriate expectations.
Christian Counseling
By request, I integrate Biblical truths into our therapy sessions. I am not here to preach to you, rather to be a therapist that understands all of you and can help you to hold the ups and downs of life at the same time as sharing your values and Christian beliefs. The Gospel is filled with grace, encouragement, and hope, and my Christian clients appreciate my ability to remind you of these truths at appropriate times. I see clients who are Christian and clients who are not Christian.