https://www.rktherapy.com/home daily 1.0 2025-11-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/44a67af0-f593-46d5-8175-5810e06d79c6/IMG_8825+copy.jpg Home Perhaps you are unsure of what is bothering you, but are aware that something isn’t working for you anymore. I am here to help you develop new coping skills and build on your innate strengths so you feel more equipped to handle the stress, relationships, and transitions in your life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694583486-2PQT0LQ193RL7MCB6DX4/20140228_Trade+151_0046.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694644871-IC85FNH781UNZSZEGHDR/Aro+Ha_0428.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607638148090-Y6OFDI575CM3NQV732RJ/Large+JPG-Aro+Ha_0387.jpg Home https://www.rktherapy.com/about daily 0.75 2025-11-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/e38e5f5c-68e0-4c42-b164-6110367127be/IMG_9121.jpg About - About Me Hi! I’m Rachel, a therapist seeing clients virtually in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. I work with adults who are looking for support in navigating the challenges in their lives, because life is stressful! Some of my specialties include chronic illness, anxiety, relationship and family dynamics, life transitions, and maternal mental health. https://www.rktherapy.com/faqandrates daily 0.75 2025-11-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1644192322804-WXGZYXXAEWWGNM0Z821O/unsplash-image-CGMJC_RU_CM.jpg FAQ https://www.rktherapy.com/contact daily 0.75 2025-11-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/f7131e9e-fa5f-4148-997f-6b7142c08737/IMG_8885.jpg Contact - To connect and learn more about how we can work together, you can reach me by phone or email, or simply fill out the form above. Our first 15 minute consultation is free of charge. (917) 524-8203 rachel@rktherapy.com https://www.rktherapy.com/test-test daily 0.75 2022-01-20 https://www.rktherapy.com/anxiety daily 0.75 2025-11-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1642689622951-5C3QL3I4OPK649B2OP57/unsplash-image-GAI_kOUIc8U.jpg Anxiety - Anxiety Anxiety can show up in many different ways, and often leaves you feeling discouraged, overwhelmed, and frustrated. Maybe you are tired of worrying all the time, feeling stuck in cycles of thinking about the same things, or anticipating the days or weeks ahead. We all have patterns of thinking that can cause distress, such as focusing on possible worst case scenarios, jumping to conclusions, primarily noticing the negatives in our lives, or assuming what someone else is thinking about us. Sometimes anxiety feels like a constant, low-level uneasiness, while other times it causes you to be easily overwhelmed or nervous in response to certain things. Anxiety can make it hard to concentrate, can impact your ability to fall or stay asleep, and can get in the way of being present and enjoying the small, pleasurable moments in your day to day life. Therapy can help you gain insight into these thinking patterns, build strategies to challenge your anxious thoughts, and understand the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and habits. Our work together may include learning to better tolerate uncertainty, understanding your underlying fears, and processing how past experiences impact you in the present. Sometimes it’s your thoughts that are overwhelming, but other times you can feel the anxiety in your body. Maybe when you are nervous you feel tightness in your chest, your breathing gets more shallow, your muscles feel tense, your heart starts racing, or you have difficulty sitting still. By learning more about how anxiety manifests in your body and how to identify and express your emotions, you can become more grounded and feel more at ease. Anxiety can feel really draining, I am here to help. https://www.rktherapy.com/perfectionism daily 0.75 2022-02-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1642700204843-8C66SBVFJXZL0S79UOZG/unsplash-image-pxVOztBa6mY.jpg Perfectionism - Perfectionism Your friends and family may think of you as independent, organized, self-sufficient, and always in control. And perhaps these are traits that you take pride in. Maybe it’s hard for you to take a break or rest, because you define productivity as being busy, achievement-focused, and “doing it all.” But there are times when filling this role, feeling the pressure and expectations from yourself and others, and keeping up with this fast pace can feel draining, overwhelming, and relentless. Maybe you are tired of comparing yourself to others, or feeling like you never measure up to an “idealized” version of yourself. You may be someone who is supportive and patient with others, but are self-critical and often set unrealistic expectations of yourself. Maybe up until now, you have been expecting yourself to just keep pushing through and cope with whatever you’ve been feeling on your own. While it may be hard to imagine shifting these tendencies, you can learn to be more flexible. We will explore the roots of your critical internal dialogue, better understand how your beliefs impact your behaviors, and help you to find a way to slow down, become comfortable with less rigidity, and let go of this need for constant control. https://www.rktherapy.com/chronicillnes daily 0.75 2024-02-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1643497412858-B3EDDM2R0290N2KPEGIF/unsplash-image-o0GhPKxe5GM.jpg Chronic Illness - Chronic Illness Many people living with chronic illness participate in “toxic positivity,” portraying to the world that everything is okay because it feels easier than sharing how hard things really are for you. This experience of “invisible illness” can feel really isolating, making it difficult to explain to even those closest to you what it is like to live with fear, uncertainty, vulnerability, and less control of your body. Maybe you’ve tried to connect with others about what you are going through, but they responded by trying to problem solve or find the “silver lining,” when you just needed to be heard and feel less alone. It’s common to minimize the emotional impact of your chronic illness, especially with yourself, making it even harder to feel comfortable sharing it with others. Chronic illness can impact every aspect of your life, making it hard to live your life the way you want to. Perhaps you overcompensate for your limitations, so that others aren’t even aware of how much thought, planning, and effort goes into just making it through each day. You may be missing out on things you enjoy, trying to balance your restrictions with your responsibilities, or feeling fearful about the future and how your symptoms may impact your life. Maybe you feel easily irritated or stressed by the small day to day things, because you have less reserve to cope. You might get frustrated when others complain about their days, because your perspective about life has changed. Together we will explore what it has been like for you to live with chronic illness, process the losses you’ve experienced since your diagnosis, and develop coping strategies to help you feel more in control and content with your life. Through our work together, we will practice ways to communicate your needs in a safe but assertive way, so that you can feel less isolated. Whether you are still adjusting to a new diagnosis, or struggling with the chronicity of your condition, you don’t have to cope with it alone. https://www.rktherapy.com/relationships daily 0.75 2022-03-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1644360266442-EA9DWN93W5RXNESKLZPT/unsplash-image-0dso2fC54ug.jpg Relationships - Relationship and Family Dynamics Are you feeling isolated and disconnected from others? Or perhaps lonely and misunderstood, even when you’re surrounded by friends or family? Maybe you are someone who prioritizes the needs of others, or comes from a family where you were expected to do so. The patterns of how you relate may affect relationships with friends, family, significant others, coworkers, and even with yourself. You may be someone who is having difficulty in a current relationship, or has had negative experiences in your family of origin that need to be processed and better understood. While relationships can provide comfort, connection, and support, they can also be complicated, draining, and inconsistent. Sometimes people are disappointing, and it can be hard to know how to communicate what you are feeling when you are frustrated with someone in your life. Perhaps even when you know something feels “off,” you get into cycles of self-doubt and self-blame when you are feeling unsatisfied in your interactions with others. Through our work together, we will explore how you interact with yourself and the external world, and the roles you tend to fill in relationships. Developing your communication skills, learning to set healthy boundaries, and gaining insight into how you engage in relationships will help you to have more satisfying experiences with other people. https://www.rktherapy.com/lifetransitions daily 0.75 2024-02-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1642690357871-X1A7RX8ZXEDL8QQVKPC6/unsplash-image-VlTJdP8ZY1c.jpg Life Transitions - Life Transitions Adulthood is a time of constant transition, and even if you’re feeling excited or happy about a change in your life, transitions also come with loss. It can be confusing to feel the conflicting emotions of excitement and hope with those of anxiety, fear, and sadness. Sometimes these mixed feelings can cause you to overthink things, or worry that you are not ready or capable of taking on your new responsibilities. Our work together will help you adjust to change, process your feelings about transitions in your life, tolerate uncertainty, and make decisions with more confidence. Change and growth almost always cause some discomfort, but as human beings we are innately resilient. We do adjust and adapt over time, sometimes you just need a little help to get there. https://www.rktherapy.com/maternalmentalhealth daily 0.75 2025-12-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1739910724287-ZAFXTPU7K0M1B8EHN2JP/unsplash-image-cRHOrqzq3J8.jpg Maternal Mental Health - Maternal Mental Health I specialize in working with women, and their partners, dealing with all stages of maternal mental health. I work with individuals who are navigating ambivalence and inner conflict about deciding to have children, dealing with fertility issues, coping with pregnancy, and general maternal mental health as you adjust to and manage issues arising during parenthood. Ambivalence/Decision Making- It can be confusing to make sense of conflicting emotions, external expectations, and the wants and needs of yourself and your parter when deciding if you want to have a child. The ambivalence that so many people feel about making this huge life decision and accepting the many changes and losses involved with this major life transition is not discussed enough, but is such a widely felt experience. Infertility- Struggling with fertility issues can be an incredibly isolating, scary, and helpless experience. There is a lot of grief associated with the fertility process looking different than what you had hoped or imagined it would be. It can also feeling so lonely to be going through this while the world (and perhaps you yourself) expects you to function normally and remain hopeful and positive amidst so much uncertainty. Whether it is taking longer than you had expected to get pregnant, or you are considering or already imbedded in fertility treatment, therapy is a safe outlet to process your fears, feelings of powerlessness, and the immense stress associated with this process. Pregnancy- Pregnancy involves tolerating a level of uncertainty and helplessness that can be very challenging for many to manage. It can be hard not to attach meaning to every symptom, worry about the vulnerability of yourself and your baby, and get stuck in anticipatory anxiety about all the changes to come. Postpartum/Adjusting to parenthood- Having a child and becoming a parent adds so much to your life, but it can also involve feelings of loss. If you are still in the decision making part of this process, it is so common to fear the losses that come with parenthood. Once becoming a parent, it is also so normal to grieve your life before parenthood, mourn the independence and freedom you no longer have, and sometimes wish you could go back to a previous version of yourself. All change, even wonderful change, involves loss. It does not take away from the joy or gratitude you have for your child—both can coexist. It’s so important to normalize this. There are a lot of expectations—both from the external world and often from ourselves—that parenthood means being completely selfless. And while being a parent does involve devoting a lot of your time, energy, and care to others, it is not “selfish” to continue to invest in other aspects of what makes you who you are. It’s necessary to continue to cultivate other parts of yourself outside of your role as a parent. It can be really challenging to learn to operate in the unpredictability and chaos of parenthood. It’s so important to support yourself in understanding why you may be struggling to shift your expectations of yourself. Together we will help you learn to be patient with your unique process of recovering and adjusting, not just physically but also emotionally. This may involve exploring and more deeply understanding what becoming a parent may be bringing up for you, and your relationship with yourself in general. It can take more time than you expect to adjust to your new life after having a child. Learning to integrate the role of parent into your identity can be wonderful and enriching, while also feeling isolating, overwhelming, and confusing. People talk about “bouncing back,” but you never go back to the person you were before becoming a parent. You may reconnect to familiar parts of yourself, but there is a lot of internal change with this new role and it takes time to adapt. https://www.rktherapy.com/media daily 0.75 2023-02-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1673293505087-HHXLY0W77CONSHO61PDO/unsplash-image-m9aGgc8UW6o.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1673294399509-LNNBO0HGBCYK2K17B7IR/unsplash-image-mv38TB_Ljj8.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1673294908219-H0Q6FHA1L7IMS0B26TKZ/unsplash-image-woE5G6zzFQo.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1673295205861-XJGZLRSYN1JG9UZNKJ3X/unsplash-image-PAGBeJrLiDA.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1675788803918-AC402CVGVN13LP0TTMMQ/unsplash-image-O33vBPD6hAw.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1675868352496-Y2SYZWDSJ5HXNKZ8SSX1/unsplash-image-CN0rjNUdi-k.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61e598b62531e6219373171d/1675954956117-SRI8PYOZ3M6IDXSAC6N8/unsplash-image-X1GZqv-F7Tw.jpg Media