Hello! I'm Morgan, a licensed professional counselor and board-certified dance/movement therapist. At the heart of my work is a deep caring for lives and bodies in transition; centering people and their values within their own unique story. Transitions can hold great meaning in our life, but they can also be overwhelming, painful, or jumbled with feelings of grief and loss. I integrate values work, mind/body approaches, and traditional talk therapy to support self-reflection, grounding, and resiliency. I believe in a person's self-wisdom, and aim to help people create their own processes for understanding, communication, and values-based decision making. My work holds space for the experience of medical trauma; chronic, progressive, and advanced illness; chronic pain; end-of-life care, and grief/bereavement. I work with patients, caregivers, families, and friends who are impacted by illness, life-transitions, and loss. Transitions show up in many places in our daily lives, not just the “big” events! I also work with children and adults with ADHD, anxiety, depression, Autism, and relationship concerns to find creative, new approaches to authentic self-expression and addressing their needs as a whole person.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
Our first sessions together will be about getting to know each other and build a sense of safety for engaging in the therapy process. We'll work together to figure out what pacing, session structure, and communication style work - as well as discuss preferred modalities. I'll guide an overview of the concerns you want to address, and collaboratively set goals for our work together.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
Many people worry they are either "too much", or that their problems aren't big enough for therapy - I value each person's experiences as meaningful, powerful, and valuable. I promise to always show up as myself, with transparency and curiosity, and I will hold space for the heavy and the mundane all the same. In particular in my work, I hold space for bodies in deep transition, dying, death, and grief. I am committed to research, advocacy, and education regarding values-based medical decision making, collaborative medical care, serious illness and end-of-life conversations, and the importance of ritual and community during grief.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
Cancer, chronic pain, chronic illness, grief, loss, life transitions, adhd, anxiety, depression, caregivers.
About Morgan Rakay
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Address
636 Gorgas Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19128Appointments
Fully bookedMy treatment methods
Grief Therapy
I am a certified grief counselor with over a decade of experience. Understanding grief and loss as a universal human experience allows us to work with those experiences from a non-pathologizing and person-centered view.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
My work centers each person's unique experiences, values, means of expression, and personally defined goals.
Mind-body approach
I have a master's degree in Dance/Movement Therapy and am a Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist with the ADTA. My work always seeks to understand and share the mind-body experience not as a "lense" but as a truth, as we experience the world in and through our body. Our emotions are as physical as they are psychological, and at times offer us other ways to learn about ourselves.
Eclectic
I am also trained and certified in Cognitive Behavior Therapy, CBT for Chronic Pain, Motivational Interviewing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and have gathered education and experience from a range of views within the mental health field. I integrate these theories and approaches in response to each client's needs as they develop over time.