1333 Thousand Oaks Blvd, ste 210 Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
Hi, I'm Rachel
I also go by Rae (she/they), (you can call me either!) and I am the founder of Solstice Therapy. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Clinical Art Therapist and sex + relationship therapist in Thousand Oaks, California. I identify as queer and neurodivergent and try my best to be an ally to people of color. I work from an anti-oppression and anti-racist stance and try to maintain an attitude of cultural humility. I am neurodiversity-affirming, which means I will not pathologize you, but will see your symptoms as signals that needs are not being met or pain is unresolved.
I have a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy with specialized training in Clinical Art Therapy from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. I received specialized training in sex therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies. I have been working with clients since 2015, and I am humbled by the opportunity to hold space for my clients to share their stories and release the burdens they have been carrying. I take a client-centered approach meaning that you are the expert in your experience and you get to decide what is most important that you want to focus on each session.
I use somatic therapy modalities including EMDR, Brainspotting, and Art Therapy as well as talk therapy to help my clients feel better.
I am warm, attuned, and present which makes my clients feel comfortable with me. I see the best in my clients and accept them for who they are. I am willing to go as deep as you want to, and will always respect if you are not ready to work on a certain topic yet. I love to laugh with clients and don't take myself too seriously.
When not providing therapy, you will find me with my family and friends, growing vegetables and native plants, writing poetry, enjoying concerts, hosting gatherings, being in nature, doing yoga and making art. I am a mother of two elementary-aged kids.
Contact me for a 20 min phone consultation to see if we are a good fit to work together.
8055589035
Modalities
Brainspotting
Brainspotting harnesses and taps into the body’s natural ability to heal. It promotes healing in your brain and body, resulting in positive psychological impacts. Brainspotting (BSP) locates points in the client’s visual field that help to access unprocessed trauma in the subcortical brain. This goes deeper than traditional talk therapy because it heals in the more primal "fight or flight" area of your brain which leads to subsequent changes in your neocortex, or"thinking" part of your brain. This helps resolve symptoms and reactions that might feel "automatic" or out of your control. When a Brainspot is stimulated, the deep brain appears to reflexively signal the therapist that the source of the problem has been found. BSP can also be used to find and strengthen our natural resources and resilience. Expansion Brainspotting is effective in enhancing performance and strengthening desired states of being. Expansion Brainspots have amazing healing potential.
EMDR
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based treatment that helps people heal from the effects of traumatic experiences. It is based on the adaptive information processing model which suggests that the cause for distress is the way memories are stored in the brain and body. EMDR helps memories move from being stored in painful (maladaptive) ways to being stored in healthy (adaptive) ways. Maladaptively stored memories cause physical symptoms, unhelpful behaviors, and overwhelming emotional distress, Adaptively stored memories are the basis for healthy functioning and resilience.
Developmental Needs-Meeting Strategy
Even the most well-meaning parents can sometimes fail to meet our emotional needs for empathy, connection, validation, or acceptance. Some of us even had times where or our needs for physical protection were not met as well. When our childhood needs were not met, it can inhibit our ability to lead full, satisfying lives in adulthood. Chronic feelings of low self-esteem, self-doubt, and unworthiness can be signals that your childhood needs were not effectively met. Difficulties establishing boundaries in relationships as well as getting your needs met now are also signals that this type of therapy could be a good fit for you. Developmental Needs-Meeting Strategy is a strengths-based ego-state therapy that helps heal childhood wounds, the resulting emotional pain and unwanted behaviors that effect us in the present. It helps us develop and draw upon our own internal resources for nurturing and support in order to heal. Through the needs-meeting process, new, healthier ways of living and viewing oneself can come into fruition.
Ketamine- Assisted Therapy
Ketamine-Assisted therapy can be deeply transformative and has been clinically proven to be an effective treatment for PTSD, anxiety, and treatment-resistant depression. Ketamine decreases defenses and helps people connect with their subconscious and express feelings more freely which can expedite the time in therapy. It can also help people resolve the root cause of their depression or anxiety so they can feel a lot of relief more quickly than traditional talk therapy. Ketamine has been clinically proven to be a very effective treatment for treatment resistant depression and chronic depression; it is a rapid antidepressant. Ketamine also has been clinically proven to increase your brain's flexibility and ability to create new thought patterns and behaviors. There is a window of 2-4 weeks post ketamine treatment where you have an increased ability to forge new neural pathways and ways of being. Your therapist will hold space for you with compassion and help you stay grounded and feel supported and safe while allowing yourself to process all the feelings that come up during your journey. Ketamine can allow you to connect with feeling states like happiness, calm, relaxation. and ease that may typically be difficult for you to access. Experiencing those states can then translate into your day to day experience because it expands what you perceive as possible. Ketamine is prescribed by an outside medical provider we can connect you with and is administered orally at the time of your appointment.
Clinical Art Therapy
Clinical Art Therapy is an approach that weds traditional psychotherapy methods with art-making that helps you communicate and process in an embodied and nonverbal way. Art-making can aid in expression of feelings when words aren't enough and is a great approach for you if you consider yourself quiet or creative. Even with limited words spoken, symptoms can be reduced and overall wellness improved through the use of clinical art therapy. You will be provided with a variety of high-quality materials as an avenue for self-exploration and growth. Art approaches you can use in session include painting, drawing, sculpting with clay, throwing on the pottery wheel, collage, poetry, and creating comic books. We shape sessions to uniquely fit your needs, strengths, & interests. Rachel and Maggie completed their education in Clinical Art Therapy at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles and both are Registered Art Therapists. Sara and Danny also use art with her clients and learned under Rachel's supervision..
Areas of Expertise
Trauma
I specialize in treating trauma, especially complex PTSD which is when trauma occurs repeatedly in childhood.
Children of Narcissistic, Alcoholic,
or Emotionally Immature Parents
Sexual Trauma
I have a lot of experience working with people whose (even well-meaning) caregivers did not meet their needs for connection, empathy, nurturing, or protection. We can work together to help you heal and meet your unmet needs from childhood and strengthen your self worth and develop healthy boundaries.
If you experienced sexual violence as a child or adult, I can help you recover from it and reconnect with a sense of safety and pleasure in your body again. I will create a non-judgemental space where you can share about this sensitive topic and be met with care and acceptance.
Sex Therapy
Unsatisfied with your sex life? Having difficulties related to sex? I have the expertise to help you find solutions so you can connect with yourself and your partner(s) in satisfying and revitalizing ways. I am LGBTQ affirming, kink and BDSM affirming, and speicalize in helping people recover from religious shame & purity culture.
Communication Improvement
Learn how to communicate your feelings and needs to those closest to you to deepen connection and increase relationship satisfaction through using nonviolent communication tools.
Depression & Anxiety
Not feeling like yourself? Feeling down, discouraged, apathetic? We can work together to help you get through this. Through resolving the root cause of your symptoms and helping you reconnect with parts of yourself related to desired states (like joy, playfulness, calm) we can help you feel like yourself again.
Creative Blocks & Perfomance Enhancement
Are you feeling stuck? Disconnected from part of yourself? It is possible to get unstuck and reconnect with parts of yourself you are missing. I can help you tap into your creative potential and experience more creative freedom and fulfillment.
Child Therapy
I work with children as young as 2 years old to help them recover from trauma, or process grief or a transition such as divorce. I use play and clinical art therapy as well as EMDR or Brainspotting to help children recover from difficult experiences like car accidents.
Therapy for Therapists
I love working with other therapists!
Fees
$250/45 min session
longer sessions offered at a prorated fee
For ketamine-assisted therapy, my fee is $390/120 min dosing session.
If my fees are not affordable for you, please contact me and we can discuss a sliding scale. Or, I can make a recommendation for another team member or another local therapist who would be a good fit at a lower fee. I have supervised all of our team members and consult with them often.
the space where we meet
the view from where my clients sit
