LMHC, 27 years of experience
Hi, I'm Rachel Richard! With over 25 years of experience as a licensed counselor, I specialize in helping clients manage anxiety and depression, overcome trauma, and navigate life's everyday challenges. I hold a Master's Degree in Community/Mental Health Counseling from the University of Cincinnati and I am licensed in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. My commitment lies in providing evidence-based practices that empower clients to manage their emotions, reduce unhelpful thought patterns, confidently cope with life's challenges, and achieve their goals. My approach is strengths-based and solution-focused, with specialties in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. For those open to a holistic approach, I also incorporate Somatic Therapy to connect mind and body.
In our initial session, we'll delve into the reasons that brought you to therapy and I'll ask some questions to get to know you better. Together, we'll examine what has helped you navigate challenging times in the past, as well as what may not have been so helpful. Finally, we'll identify your strengths so that we can build upon those while creating a plan for moving forward.
As an empathetic and compassionate practitioner, I pride myself on using a non-judgmental stance and a strengths-based, solution-focused approach to help clients address their issues and navigate life's challenges. I create a comfortable and open environment where clients can feel at ease. My genuine care for their success and well-being is at the heart of my practice. I am dedicated to evidence-based practices and I am passionate about using them to help empower my clients to become the best version of themselves.
I am passionate about working with clients who are eager and motivated to improve their lives but may not yet have the confidence or skills to move forward. Whether dealing with trauma, grief, or other life challenges, they might feel stuck, overwhelmed, anxious, or depressed, and are unsure where to begin. I thrive in guiding these individuals, offering them the support and encouragement they need to gain confidence and take that crucial next step towards a better future.
CBT in an evidence-based practice that I have used for many years to help clients challenge recurring unhelpful, negative, or self-defeating thoughts. CBT helps you recognize how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence each other. The knowledge gained is then used to change your thinking patterns, decrease anxiety and depression, improve self-esteem and self-worth, and to better equip you to deal with life's daily stressors.
DBT is an evidence-based practice I have been using for over 15 years to help my clients learn to better regulate their emotions, be more mindful in the moment, improve their interpersonal relationships, and better tolerate distress. DBT helps clients achieve their goals and create their "life worth living".
SFBT is an evidence-based practice I have recently begun using with clients who are looking for a quick solution to a specific problem or issue. Rather than spending a lot of time focusing on the problem, SFBT focuses on strengths, hopes, and a positive outlook to help you find a practical solution to what is troubling you. This typically leads to a fairly quick decrease in stress and improvement in mood.
While I specialize in several treatment methods, I always tailor my methods and my approach based upon the needs and preferences of my clients. Therefore, I sometimes use tools from various different treatment modalities to help my clients achieve their goals. Some other modalities I use include: Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Somatic Therapy, and Integrative Therapy. Integrative Therapy uses a holistic approach that focuses on overall wellness, including nutrition, sleep, and physical activity to help improve the mind, body, and soul connection. Factors such as sleep, inflammation, gut health, physical pain, and chronic stress can all have a big impact on our emotional state and well-being.