Rachel Lara, MA, ATR-P

Rachel completed her master’s in counseling and art therapy from Adler University, and focused on trauma-informed therapy in her clinical training with veterans, service members, and military-connected family members. She has been trained in assisting clients in navigating PTSD, C-PTSD, and DID using stage-based approaches as well as short-term treatment protocols, and brings a person-centered approach to her practice, employing an eclectic mix of modalities to understand and meet clients’ needs as they progress through their therapeutic process, and emphasizing building safety, connection, and community with her clients. 

Trained in both traditional counseling and art therapy, she strives to let her clients lead their sessions, providing the support they need, and offering an alternative approach to talk therapy to help them achieve their goals. She supports clients of all ages, and brings over a decade of work as a teacher for children, adolescents, and adults to her clinical work. As a multicultural therapist, Rachel also strives to support clients from diverse backgrounds, including LGBTQ+ individuals. 

Prior to becoming a therapist, Rachel completed a PhD in Journalism, specializing in media psychophysiology. The insight she gained from this work into how interpersonal communication, social media, news, marketing, and the structures that support the media affect and alter people’s feelings and perceptions informs her therapeutic work, particularly in helping people navigate the social structures and cultural norms that may work against their well being.