Welcome to therapy! You are courageous for taking the first step towards changing your life. I was drawn to therapy as a career choice when I saw the impact changing our thoughts had on changing our actions and other people's interactions with us. Having practiced for 20 years, I have had the opportunity to be licensed in Missouri, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, and Hawaii. (I no longer hold a Hawaii license). I started my career working with urban youth in the schools and community mental health clinics to help them discover a better path for their lives then using substances. These youth taught me a lot about resiliency, meeting a client where they are at, asking what my client's live is like, and understanding their goals for life. Each of us have our own vision of what happiness is and what hinders us from reaching that vision. In working at a Community College, I helped students identify career goals and avenues to overcome their obstacles to achieving their goals. My time in Hawaii taught me a love of each person's unique story and life experiences. I created Behavioral Support Plans based on student's individual needs to help them be successful in the school setting. As I built my private practice, I saw how each of these opportunities shaped my believe that all of our emotions are healthy. It is our responses that determine if we are responding in a healthy or unhealthy way. When we are being unhealthy, we can learn new skills that will help us reach our healthy goals.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
During our first session, I will give you a brief description of my therapeutic approach (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Person Centered). I will share the limitations of my practice including defining the types of Trauma for which I am not able to provide counseling. Then I will invite you to share what brings you to therapy. We will use this to start forming a treatment plan which includes the goals you would like to achieve through counseling.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
With 20 years of experience in a variety of settings, I have learned that you as the client are the expert of what you want to work on. I come with curiosity to understand your experiences and the goals you have for your life. I help you understand what has hindered you from reaching those goals and provide you the tools to reach your goals. My clients have said, "Rachel is extremely kind, a great listener, offers great advice and guidance. She is very considerate of personal values and beliefs and meets you where you are. I highly recommend Rachel to anyone looking for a counselor." "Rachel is a warm, professional therapist. She really takes time to listen to my concerns and help me feel understood. She is always timely and makes the most of every minute of our sessions. She supplies practical skills for navigating life's challenges. I recommend her without reservations."
About Rachel Jones
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
In helping clients understand how to change negative thoughts, intense emotions, or unhealthy behaviors, I use the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach. If you change one aspect of your thoughts, feelings, or actions, you have the potential to change the other two. I like learning about how you were raised and the Core Beliefs you have that were developed during significant periods of your life. Then we take a look at how those Core Beliefs served a purpose when they were developed and ask if they are serving a healthy purpose now. Through CBT tools, I will guide you to change the negative messages that lead to anxiety, depression and unhealthy behaviors. With practice, my clients report they have had great success in changing their unhealthy patterns into healthier emotional state and positive interactions.
Christian Counseling
When requested, I provide a Christian environment to explore your relationship with Jesus Christ. I am open to existential exploration such as helping you discover the purpose for your life right now, living with inside of God's will, why do difficult things happen, and what is God's role in my life. In these session, I offer the use of spiritual disciplines of prayer and sharing scriptures.
Grief Therapy
Grief can take many forms including, the death of a pet or loved one, moving, changing jobs, divorce, breakups, and falling out with friends. Most of us are familiar with Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's Stages of Grief theory. I prefer William Warden's Tasks of Mourning model as it provides actions to help us move through our feelings. When we first are met with a loss, we can experience a two week period of numbness where the goal is to maintain as much of a routine as possible. Many people do not recognize the importance of this phase and how our mind is helping us at this time. As we reawaken out of this state, we can be emotionally flooded. As with each phase, I can guide you through the journey of grief. As each person grieves in their own way, my approach meets you where you are at. My clients who have struggled in their grief process report finding acceptance and healing through our time together. A note: In grief, acceptance is not "I am okay with what happened." Acceptance is acknowledging that the loss occurred. It is okay to not be okay with what happened.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
I start our session with a brief introduction of my style of therapy and then invite you to share what brings you to therapy. I believe you know best what you need from therapy and what you want to work on. I am here to help guide you along your journey. Therefore, I do not come to our session with any kind of agenda. It is strictly based on what you want to work on. Our first session will be spent on exploring what you like to be different when you have finished therapy. We will discuss goals and ideas to reach those goals. These can change at any time as we move through the therapeutic process.