My story…

I am a multiracial and multicultural woman who values balance and tolerance above all else. I am loyal, creative, and inquisitive, which has made me a bit of a non-conformist at times. I didn’t grow up knowing anything about therapy, but I was a soft hearted kid, who always wanted to make sure that other people felt included, and were okay. Throughout early childhood and adolescence, I faced the adversities of complex trauma and grief that led me to pursue the path of mindfulness and mental health. I feel like my quest began at age 18 with my training in Yoga, as an instructor. However, when my brother was diagnosed with a life altering condition that eventually led to his death, I became committed to learning more about the human condition, and the constructs that become socially applied to contain us. Philosophy, psychology, and the arts became my candlelight to make meaning amidst the many storms.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Art Therapy with a Minor in Psychology from Southern Adventist University in Tennessee in December 2015, I pursued a Master of Science in School Counseling. During my graduate studies, I worked as a Mental Health Technician at a residential child and adolescent behavioral hospital and as a Disability Support Services Representative at my alma mater. I completed 800 hours of school counseling internships across elementary, middle, and high school settings. In November 2017, I relocated to France with my partner, where I taught English as a second language to children aged 2-10, completing my final master’s class abroad in the summer of 2018.

In 2019, after returning to the United States, I accepted a role as one of the first Professional School Counselors serving private schools through Catapult Learning in Central Florida. Over two years, I provided individual and small group counseling to K-12 students across seven culturally diverse private schools while collaborating with academic leadership teams. In 2021, we relocated again to Georgetown, Texas, with the intention of establishing long-term roots. I worked as an Elementary School Counselor in Austin ISD from 2021-2022, supporting students through the rapid influx of Afghan refugees by creating ambassador programs and peace projects to foster integration. In 2022, I joined Georgetown ISD as an Elementary School Counselor, a role I held for the 2022-2024 school years. In January 2023, I began pursuing my Post Graduate Clinical Mental Health Counseling Certification, and in March 2024, I launched my private practice, Transform Insight Therapy, PLLC. Later on that year I also began working as aTherapist for Charlie Health doing intensive outpatient programming, where I run groups, and hold individual, family, and couple sessions with children, adolescents, and adults. In my private practice, I design and facilitate constructive seasonal groups, tailored to the populations I serve and I offer a limited number of individual and couple sessions for adults.

My personal and professional experiences have provided me with a depth of understanding in attachment, trauma/grief, mood disturbance, compulsive urges, early childhood development, psychoanalytic approaches, and systems theory. I’ve been exposed to a variety of cultural perspectives, enabling me to approach each therapeutic relationship with an open, non-biased mindset. I deeply value the unique qualities each client brings to our therapeutic work and honor their freedom to explore their beliefs and worldview. To enhance my practice, I have received additional training in Internal Family Systems (IFS), Psychodynamic Therapy in Polyamory/CNM, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, LGBTQIA, Veteran populations, and Addiction. I continually seek opportunities for professional growth when I sense that I have knowledge gaps because I want to continually improve my craft, always.

The complexities of each life stage, and relational dynamics that unfold, inspire me to continue finding ways to not only grow, but service my community. I have collaborated with nonprofit organizations in Tennessee, Florida, and Texas to support individuals and families in accessing essential resources. I have had the opportunity to offer Natural Disaster Support Groups, Eating Disorder Groups, Trauma Focused Groups, Grief Groups, and a wide range of social emotional learning groups. My passion for therapy drives me to create safe, welcoming, and nurturing environments where clients can heal, grow, and gain transformative insights. When I am not in a session, I’m typically either with my son, my partner, my close friends, or I’m capitalizing on precious “me time” where I enjoy writing songs or poetry, exercising, scrapbooking, reading, cooking (and then eating) or following a random curiosity wherever it may lead.

Thanks for taking the time to learn a little bit about me, if you read all of this, and please feel free to contact me with any questions. I’ll do my best to answer, in full, as I welcome the connection that awaits in our discourse! Hope to hear from you soon.

- Raquel