Rachel Couch APCC 15984

Who I Am as a Therapist:

Before considering therapy as a profession, I was a teacher. Before that, and always, I am a student. The world of education appeals to the part of me who is a student of life, of humanity, of the true nature that lives at the core of every living being. What I offer to others has done its work on me first. Between career changes I traveled extensively on foot, writing daily and

recording my dreams. The archetype of Wounded Healer hums in my bones and reminds me to look for hidden gifts during dark or difficult times. With that in mind, I wrote and self-published a book under a pen name as an ode to my own healing process. Re-entering the workforce as a Lifestyle Educator, I partnered with doctors in Functional Medicine. In my offering to clients, I do my best to weave together knowledge gleaned from pursuing an academic path with Wisdom gained through lived experience.

My work is relational. Both personally and professionally, my values are constellated around relationship with self, other (including place), and the invisible realm. I am deeply connected to the land where I was raised, and growing up I had a close friendship with a horse named Star. So, it makes sense that Gestalt Equine and Nature-based therapy are central to my offering. A devotion to energy medicine and mindfulness practices as a way of life led me to become a Reiki Master Teacher, and I have guided several cohorts through their year-long mastership course. To me, mastership is simply a life-long commitment to learning. And so, the theme of

student comes full circle like a snake eating its tail.

For three and a half years prior to joining the stellar team at Walk Intuit, I worked in a private practice setting developing my therapy skillset to assist and support people in making sense of relationship patterns, boosting self-esteem, decreasing mental anguish, moving through grief, easing physical pain and chronic emotional upset, and improving overall life satisfaction. It is a privilege to witness people going through change and personal growth. I tend to see people through double vision, focusing on strengths with a soft gaze on obstacles that get in the way of a person living their best life. I am often reminded that therapy can be challenging, but it does not have to be joyless. My goal is to build trust with clients by being clear, consistent, kind, and transparent about being human. I aim to offer a heartfelt, professional, relationally attuned therapeutic experience combining viable methods tailored to meet individual needs. Who I am as a therapist is who I am as a person: I am practical and I believe in magic.