Dr. Rachel Eby, Ph.D.

As a US-trained, PhD psychologist, my passion is using the most effective, research-based methods, tailored to your unique experiences, to help bring about the change you want in your life. As a two-time expat (5 times if we're counting U.S. states!) I understand the delightful, painful, and fascinating complexity of navigating cultural nuances and adjusting to new situations. My extensive training throughout my doctoral studies, work experiences in a variety of settings (ranging from assessment, intervention, and therapy with clients ages 2 to 96) have shaped my current therapeutic approach. I'm active, engaged, and focused. For some people, we take a highly structured approach to target a specific problem (e.g., making a decision about career or relationship trajectory, recovering from flash backs, panic attacks, or getting unstuck from depression). For others, we take a more exploratory approach, by asking powerful questions to help you identify values and gain clarity and a deeper understanding of your personal identity. My specialization is integrating and personalizing evidence-based therapies (such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Behavioral Activation (BA), Solution Focused Therapy, etc.) within the context of psychotherapy and career coaching. I measure progress in every therapy session. Using brief outcomes measures as well as measuring the therapeutic alliance has been shown in research to significantly boost the effectiveness of therapy sessions. This is why each person I work with completes a brief mood survey prior to joining each appointment and a post-survey immediately following each appointment. These typically take about 5 minutes at the beginning of the session and 5 minutes after each session. There are many ways therapy can be adapted to your unique situation and style and this portion helps me do that. During the first few therapy sessions we come to an agreement about what specific problem(s) we will work on together. It's common for people to feel there are many problems going on, and we can certainly address any of them in therapy. I find the most effective therapy, however, usually involves choosing one problem to start with, so we can build efficacy and momentum. Finally, we use many different techniques to help you get unstuck from your painful thoughts, emotions, and patterns. Many people I work with find relief within just the first 2 or 3 techniques. Examples of techniques include identifying the negative painful thoughts that underlie your painful emotions, identifying the distortions in those thoughts, dissecting upsetting events, compassion-based techniques, mindfulness-based techniques, acceptance-based techniques, and many, many, many more. You're a unique person, so the techniques we use are customized to what fits well for your situations and for how your brain responds best. Getting started in therapy can feel overwhelming, especially when life is already really complicated. I’ve worked with several therapists myself over the years on my own personal and relationship journey and can deeply empathize with the difficulty of finding, starting, and doing the work in therapy. Been there, done that! And I still am. :) I’d love to meet with you for a no-pressure intro call to talk about how we might work together. You don’t have to navigate this on your own—even if that’s what you’ve been doing for a long time.