Rachel Smith
MA, PsyD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, clinical training director
Pronouns: She/Her
NOT ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS AT THIS TIME - Contact to be added to waitlist.
Finding a therapist can unfortunately be incredibly difficult. Thank you for taking the time to consider me for the honor of walking with you in your journey toward growth, hope, and healing. Although my caseload is typically full, I believe deeply in mental health care as a human right, and I will happily work with you to try to provide an appropriate referral for your unique needs and situation.
My therapeutic style is relational and dynamic, meaning that I hold the past and present together as we work through your story to examine the places you feel stuck or want to make a change. I also pay particular attention to ensuring that you feel safe and cared for in the therapeutic relationship in order to facilitate the exploration of what can at times be painful thoughts, feelings, and memories. I integrate evidence-based theory and techniques, cultural humility*, and a non-judgmental perspective to help you find your own strengths with which you can meet your life goals.
Many struggles we experience within ourselves may be the result of exposure to violence and interpersonal traumas, including experiences of marginalization and social injustice. I will work with you to identify the impact of these and other experiences, while also helping you to find your own power to create the change you want in your life. Some of the topics I frequently address with clients in treatment include relationships and relational patterns, life transitions, family dynamics, grief and loss, chronic stress, trauma, identity development, depression, anxiety, mood difficulties, spirituality, the impact of society and systems, culture and cultural identity, gender and sexual identity, struggles in school or work, addictions, and court-involvement.
I have had the privilege to work extensively with people diverse in culture, ethnicity, race, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion/spirituality, and social capital. I treat children, adolescents, adults, and families. I am also trained in ARC, EMDR (level two), Clinical Hypnosis (level one), and TF-CBT. I work primarily out of the Humboldt Park office, the Loop office, or via telehealth in any of the PsyPact states (see the current map here: https://psypact.site-ym.com/page/psypactmap).
Other services I offer outside of individual therapy include: intensive and/or supplemental EMDR sessions, vocational/career testing, supervision and training for students and early career professionals, psychological evaluation, expert witness appearances, and purity culture recovery groups.
I am also the founder of Agave Center for Justice in Mental Health, a nonprofit organization aimed at reducing financial barriers to mental health care for traditionally underserved populations. You can learn more about that project, partner with us, or apply for assistance at http://www.agavecenter.org.
Finally, I am also the Clinical Training Director for Agave Studio for Psychotherapy and an Adjunct Professor in several graduate psychology training programs. If you are a student interested in training with us, you can view more information about our program and link to our application here: https://www.agavechicago.com/join-our-team. The application opens each January and closes when all our positions have been filled for the current training year.
If you have any questions or interest in any of these areas, please do not hesitate to reach out. I look forward to talking with you soon!
Email: rachel@agavechicago.com
*This is an academic term coined by Dr. Melanie Tervalon and Jane Murray-Garcia which suggests that cultural competence should be pursued whole-heartedly, but is not a destination at which we can truly arrive. Cultural humility, on the other hand, requires a lifelong journey toward understanding experiences outside our own while working actively to correct inequity, health disparities, and power imbalances in our systems.