Dr. Rachel Kinison, LCPC, LMHC

Dr. Rachel Kinison welcomes people who are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where to turn. She helps with stress, anxiety, addiction concerns, grief, depression, relationship strain, and parenting challenges. Rachel writes plainly and talks about practical steps people can take right away.

Rachel holds a doctorate in Pastoral Community Counseling and a master’s degree in Counseling. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor - LCPC in Illinois and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor - LMHC in Florida. She has been providing counseling for about 20 years and draws on that experience to offer clear, steady support.

Her work blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with trauma-focused ideas and narrative approaches. She uses techniques to help people notice unhelpful thinking, practice small behavioral changes, and rewrite painful stories so they feel less controlling. She also uses emotionally-focused techniques when relationship or intimacy concerns come up.

Rachel has worked in community counseling agencies, hospital behavioral health units, and adult probation programs. She has led individual and group therapy and has training in post-traumatic stress. She also teaches relaxation skills she has found useful for reducing physiological stress.

Rachel is open about living with chronic health conditions and brings that lived experience into her work. She lives in Illinois, enjoys cooking and travel, and spends quiet evenings with her Basset Hound and Beagle. She aims to help people find one small positive change that makes other things easier to manage.

How Rachel’s approaches translate to online therapy

Rachel commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Trauma-Focused Therapy in plain, practical ways. CBT helps people identify unhelpful thoughts and try small behavior changes to test new ideas. Trauma-focused work focuses on reducing the hold of past events through gentle processing and skills to manage reactions.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Rachel will talk with clients about goals and preferences and try methods that fit each person. She views therapy as a collaboration where the client guides what feels most useful and she suggests tools to practice between sessions.

Confirm the therapist's current session options before booking so you know what online formats are offered. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, shorten travel time, and allow a quick check-in during break periods. It also can make certain exercises and worksheets easier to share and work through together. Rachel aims to help people bring practical coping skills into everyday routines, whether sessions are remote or in person.