Her Story
About Rachael
My professional journey started when I was a freshman in high school and realized I wanted to help people struggling with mental health challenges. I saw a lot of family and friends being really challenged with mental health issues, and I felt like I had just a natural understanding for empathy and compassion toward people who really struggle. I attended community college for about two years and obtained my associates, then transferred to Cal Poly Pomona to finish my bachelor's. I stayed at Cal Poly Pomona for my graduate program in marriage and family therapy and did multiple internships, including a big internship with House of Ruth, a domestic violence nonprofit agency, which is where I built a good foundation of my professional skills. I graduated in 2023 with my Master's in Science for Marriage and Family Therapy. Getting licensed at the end of March was my biggest professional achievement yet, as it required obtaining 3,000 hours through internship and work, submitting all the paperwork, and passing the big state exam. Now that I'm licensed, I'm able to be a bit more independent professionally. On a typical day, I see 4 to 7 clients, and my responsibilities revolve around assessing where the person is at mentally and physically, making sure their basic needs are met, and guiding them through whatever situations they're dealing with, whether that be with family, work, or just mentally, helping them understand what kind of coping skills they can try.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Rachael
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The first thing would be to make sure that they do have a good support system professionally. I think a lot of people get caught up in how well therapists can be paid, but when it comes down to it, the money kind of doesn't compare if you're drowning in work or you're handling really complex cases. It almost just kind of becomes background noise because you're under so much stress. So finding an environment that is right for you and right for the work that you're doing is really helpful. And take care of yourself as much as possible, and also go to therapy.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The opportunities I face now are that, now that I'm licensed, I am able to be a bit more independent professionally, which is a little bit daunting, but within my professional environment, I have a lot of support, so it's not too different. Some challenges would be that none of us have a handbook for life, and so sometimes I am presented with challenges or problems that clients present to me, and I tend to want to fix or solve them. So sometimes I have to remind myself that the biggest thing that I can do, the best skill that I have, is the ability to just be there with someone. I don't necessarily have to fix anything.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In my professional life and my personal life, I think support is the most important value. Support from my work environment and from the people around me, like my family and my loved ones. I think, personally and professionally, it would be really hard to just get through the things that I need to get through without support. So I would say just having a support system is my biggest value.
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