MENURachel Carter, LMHCA/LPCA
Rachel Carter’s Therapist Disclosure Statement <<< (Clickable)
I believe that to be human is to be in connection with ourselves and others. I also know that sometimes because of oppression, trauma, pain, loss, stigma, and misunderstanding, that connection to yourself and others, even those closest to you, can become lost or strained. This disconnection can feel isolating and make it hard to reach out for help. Coming to this page and taking that first step toward connection is a brave one. I’m glad you’re here.
Maybe you are here because you have been trying to manage the effects of depression and anxiety for years, or you have ongoing challenges in your romantic partnership(s). Or maybe your child or teen could use another layer of support or you just want a space to explore your identity and develop a healthier relationship with your body. Whatever brought you here, therapy is a place where we can begin to explore and get curious together, about the hard and painful and the beautiful and meaningful. It is a place where we can engage in experiments of hope that create change.
I believe this kind of change happens when the therapist and those with whom they work recognize that the relationship is what makes all the difference for growth and healing. In the therapeutic relationship you (and those close to you who may also join in our work) are invited to be fully known by another, which brings healing, strengthens one’s sense of self, increases one’s ability to feel challenging emotions, and expands one’s capacity for fulfilling connection and communication.
As a therapist, I aim to build power-with relationships with my clients, cultivating a space where we can be honest in our work together, deconstruct dominant stories and create rich descriptions of more meaningful ones, draw attention to moments of disconnection, and collaborate to repair those disconnections. I believe that by deconstructing old stories and patterns and trying out new ways of feeling, making meaning, and relating, change will occur.
I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (Washington)/Professional Counselor Associate (Oregon) and my therapeutic approach is shaped by trainings in relational cultural therapy, family systems therapy, emotion-focused couples therapy, sex therapy, infant mental health treatment (focused on parent-child attachment), attachment theory, narrative therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy. I received my Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Wake Forest University and am currently in the final stage of completing my Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education at the University of Rochester.
In my free time, I love trying new foods, watching films (big fan of dramas), reading, and exploring the area with my partner and friends. I wasn’t raised in the PNW, but I have come to love the beautiful people and places here and it has become home.
Specialties and areas of focus
- Anxiety
- Grief/Loss
- Trauma
- Disordered Eating
- Mind-body connection
- LGBTQIA+
- Sex and Intimacy
- Sexuality
- Identity
- Religion/Spirituality
- Relationship Issues
- Caregiving
- Couples/Romantic Partnerships
- Teens
- Families
- Caregivers
Q&A with Rachel
1.) Some therapists are more comfortable addressing the immediate problem, while others want to focus on the deeper issue. Which are you?
I feel most comfortable when our work includes what is happening above and below the surface. I believe that no matter what brings you to therapy, the best approach will be the one that addresses both the immediate problem, and the deeper issue. Sometimes it may be hard to renegotiate your relationship with the immediate problem without working through some of the deeper issues first, other times it might feel impossible to focus on the deeper issues without first addressing the immediate problem. In our work, we will figure out the best place to begin together and set the pace for that as a team.
2.) Do you tend to lead the session, or follow my lead?
I believe that you are the expert on you and your experiences, and I know that sometimes as humans we can get so stuck in certain patterns and ways of communicating that we cannot envision another way of interacting or being. In my role, I will follow your lead in terms of what is important to you in our work and I will sometimes take the lead to: help you notice certain patterns, zoom out when you may benefit from a different point of view, and zoom in when you need to pay closer attention to what is happening in the moment, get curious, or stay with something you are feeling. Sometimes too, I will invite you to experiment with ways of communicating and relating to others that might be new to you, so it can be helpful to have a guide. I find that this is particularly helpful in my work with couples and families.
3.) What are your strengths as a therapist?
One of my greatest strengths as a therapist is my ability to slow things down. I think that often, we rush through life and there isn’t time to feel what we need to, or connect in the ways that are meaningful to us. I focus much of my work on the process of slowing down to sit with things and each other. I think that’s when transformation happens. Another one of my strengths is that I think from a systems perspective, meaning that I look at things not just on an individual level, but on relational, societal, and cultural levels as well. None of us live in a vacuum and we learn to relate and exist in the world according to our relationships with both small and large systems. I love to work with relational systems every time I get the chance to do so.
4.) If you had one superpower, what would it be and why?
Teleportation. Many of my family members and friends live far away and I would love nothing more than to be able to teleport there whenever I want to be with them.
5.) What makes you laugh?
I have a dry sense of humor. But I also love things that are unexpected and ridiculous, that’s probably what makes me laugh the most.
6.) Who would you have dinner with, dead or alive?
Beyoncé, of course. And my grandpa, he always believed in me and I would love for him to know what I ended up doing with my life, and the precious people who are in it now.
