About
RACHEL WOODWARD, LMHC
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” — Jimmy Dean
I began working with children when I was a child myself. I worked in afterschool programs, camps, internships, public schools, private schools, and more. I obtained an undergraduate degree in English Teaching when I knew I wanted to work with kids in some capacity. I then discovered that I actually wanted to help children with their deeper emotional, social, and behavioral worlds, rather than teach them in a classroom. That was when I attended graduate school at Lesley University and obtained my Master Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Afterwards I got my license as a LMHC, a licensed mental health counselor. I am also married with two small children of my own.
I have been working with children and families for the past 10 years. My experience has been in therapeutic school settings, both in the classroom as a therapeutic teacher, and as an individual and group therapist for children, their siblings, parents, couples, and whole families. My specialties are working with children with diagnosed special needs, dual diagnoses, ADHD, anxiety, mood disorders, depression, school issues, attachment, trauma, adoption, and ASD. I am well versed in the IEP process, collaborating with schools, and using many different modalities to match the needs of the child.
I work with children individually, focusing on understanding their specific needs, coping strategies, managing their behavioral, emotional, or social challenges, how to get their needs met in an adaptive and healthy way, and how to create and maintain healthy relationships. I also work individually or in collaboration with parents, focusing on parent guidance, individual therapy, or couples work that focuses on how to best parent their unique child. I have experience working with newly divorced or divorcing couples, and how to best co-parent and help their child adjust to the transition. My goals are to help parents attune to the specific needs of their child; using the parents' expertise to shift their parenting lens to match and create a happier and healthier home for everyone. I aim to collaborate with parents or caregivers to process what may come up for them individually since becoming a parent.
I also work with adults seeking individual therapy. I help people through moments of anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationship issues, trauma histories, and difficulties with attachment. My goal is to collaborate with my clients in order to be a partner to discover how to begin a process of changing their lives.
My Philosophy
My treatment philosophy is a combination of strength-based approaches, psychodynamic theory and play-based strategies, while utilizing elements from cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. I operate using a trauma lens and knowledge from attachment based therapy and Internal Family Systems Therapy. I believe strongly that parents are the experts of their children, and that my job is to work in collaboration with parents/guardians, families, and children in order to instill change. I believe that everyone has the capacity to change and that it is an honor for me to work alongside them on that journey.
“Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree,
it will live its life believing that it’s stupid” — Albert Einstein
WORK WITH ME
Getting Started
We will have an initial phone conversation discussing why you are seeking therapy for yourself or your child. We will then schedule an initial intake, which will be just with the parent/s or guardians, if the client is a child. This session will be for 60-90 minutes. It is to go over history, goals for treatment, paperwork, and time for specific questions. After the intake, we will decide if it will be a good fit to begin working together and we can discuss scheduling. I look forward to starting this journey with you.
