Holistic therapist

**Immediate Openings in Our Downtown Berkeley Office and Online

SUPPORTING ADULTS, COUPLES, TEENS, CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

 

Hello, my name is Rachel Eisenstat (she/her) and I am a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor.

I believe therapy is a tool to bring us into deeper relationship with ourselves and our aliveness.Using a trauma-informed, and somatic-based approach, I aim to support your innate capacity to heal by uplifting your strengths and prioritizing your internal sense of safety and belonging.

My therapeutic style integrates attachment theory, trauma theory, Hakomi Mindfulness Therapy, Parts Work (IFS), and Polyvagal Theory.

 

Drawing from various backgrounds including movement and dance studies, social justice activism, neurodivergent experiences, queer, and spiritual communities, I curate a welcoming and holistic practice. It's an honor to witness your journey.

EMBRACING HOLISTIC, MINDFUL, BODY-BASED WAYS OF COPING AND PROCESSING TO FACILITATE DESIRED CHANGE

As a somatic therapist I recognize the interconnected nature of the body and mind, and how your history and nervous system shape your experiences, and relationships. I help you understand and integrate these embodied patterns to cultivate a coherent, felt sense of being with yourself and the world.

In sessions with me you’ll incorporate intellectual ways of processing, and embrace moments of presence and slowness to access your body’s wisdom. Accessing the body through mindful, compassionate curiosity you can befriend your sensations, and unconscious patterns, helping to gain understanding and autonomy of your emotional narratives. Increasing awareness of sensations, reactions, and emotions, you can unravel deep-seated survival patterns, fostering new ways of being that are rooted in safety, autonomy, compassion, and connection. In your sessions, you can expect to practice nervous system regulation techniques like breathing exercises, mindfulness, movement, and imagery to nurture insight, resilience, and change.

From a holistic perspective, we’ll take into consideration your biological, psychological, social, and spiritual needs, contextualizing your experience from a systems perspective.  

 
 

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT: NON-JUDGEMENTAL CARE WITH AN EMPHASIS ON HONORING YOUR HISTORY AND BOUNDARIES. 

I have reverence for the ways in which you have learned to survive, and with practiced embodied awareness, you can start to retire coping mechanisms which may not serve you anymore. It is foundational that you’ll feel heard and seen from a place of compassion and non-judgement. Your boundaries are celebrated in therapy.

SUPPORTING TEENS AND ADULTS WITH OVERWHELM, SELF-CRITICISM AND DISCONNECTION

I am passionate about supporting individuals who are looking to break cycles of self criticism and reactivity. I understand how easy it can be to feel overwhelmed, disconnected and critical. By utilizing interpersonal, and body-based practices to help self-soothe, you can build resilience in the face of challenge and overwhelm, feel more connected, and build secure, compassionate relationships with yourself, your past, and others.

SPECIALTIES AND INTERESTS

  • Cultivating mindfulness

  • Teens struggling with identity, social anxiety, self-worth

  • Young adults struggling with boundaries, authenticity, self-criticism, and overwhelm 

  • Building a strong sense of Self; confidence, awareness, self-esteem

  • Attachment based healing 

  • LGBTQIA+: supporting the queer community to thrive 

  • Couples: feeling secure in monogamous and non-monogamous/nontraditional relationships 

  • Grief support

  • Anxiety regulation

  • Spirituality and/or Religion

  • Neurodivergence/ADHD support 

  • Activist Burnout/Compassion Fatigue

credentials and EDUCATION

  • M.A. in Counseling Psychology with a Specialization in Somatic Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies

  • B.A. in Somatic Psychology from Pitzer College, California

  • Associate Marriage and Family Therapist with the Board of Behavioral Sciences, AMFT140931

  • Associate Professional Clinical Counselor with the Board of Behavioral Sciences, APCC14402. Supervised by Krystal Williams, LMFT #110301, LPCC ##7399 and Melody Wright, LMFT #107069. Employed by Life by Design Therapy.

TRAINING

  • Ketamine Therapy Provider Training — Alchemy, 2023

  • Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness — CSP, 2022

  • Somatic Soul Coach Training — Somatic Soul Coach School, 2018

  • Holistic Health Coach —  Institute of Integrative Nutrition, 2017  

  •  Journey Dance Facilitator — Training Journey Dance, 2017 

  •   Herbal Medicine Training — Northeast School of Botanical Medicine, 2017

  • Social Justice Leadership Intensive—  Off the Mat, Into the World, 2016

  • Kripalu Yoga Teacher — Kripalu, 2015                                                                              

accepting new in-person and online therapy clients!

More questions?  Visit our FAQ page.

**All psychotherapy services are provided by Life by Design Therapy™, a holistic and somatic psychotherapy center founded by Melody Wright, LMFT. Life by Design Therapy™ welcomes the diversity of all ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs, family configurations, sexual orientations, and gender identities.