Rachel Ratafia-Levine, LPC

Seeking counseling is a meaningful step toward caring for yourself, and I’m here to walk alongside you in that process. My goal is to create a calm and supportive space where you feel safe to share openly and work toward lasting change.

Together, we’ll not only address immediate challenges, such as sadness, grief, or anxiety, but also uncover patterns, strengthen self-understanding, and build strategies that help you navigate life’s ups and downs with more confidence. Counseling is an investment in yourself, offering tools to improve self-esteem, meet your needs in healthier ways, and nurture stronger, more fulfilling relationships.

At Forward Focus Counseling LLC, it is my mission to provide the support that you need to move from where you are now to where you want to be. Through virtual or in-person counseling, you will be able to receive the immediate support and strategies for long-term growth and resilience.

For adolescents, therapy offers a collaborative and nonjudgmental space to explore anxiety, stress, identity development, peer relationships, school pressures, and family dynamics. My prior career as a school counselor allows me to understand the academic and social environments adolescents and teens navigate daily. I help adolescents develop insight, emotional awareness, and practical coping tools while fostering confidence and resilience.

With adults, I focus on helping clients gain insight into emotional and relational patterns, strengthen coping skills, and move toward meaningful personal growth.

Therapy may address anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationship concerns, parenting stress, or long-standing emotional challenges. My approach is supportive, reflective, and tailored to each individual’s goals and needs.

I work with couples seeking to improve communication, deepen emotional connection, and navigate conflict more effectively. Using evidence-based and emotionally focused approaches, I help partners better understand one another’s experiences, strengthen attachment, and develop healthier patterns of interaction in a safe and supportive therapeutic space.

I support individuals who have experienced or are currently living with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the emotional challenges that often accompany it. TBIs can impact mood, identity, relationships, memory, and daily functioning in ways that feel overwhelming and isolating. I provide a compassionate, structured space to process grief, adjust to changes, and build practical coping strategies for anxiety, depression, irritability, and life transitions related to brain injury. My approach is collaborative, strengths-based, and tailored to each person’s cognitive and emotional needs.

My work is grounded in a person-centered philosophy, emphasizing collaboration, empathy, and respect for each client’s unique experience. I draw from evidence-based modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and psychodynamic approaches. Treatment is always individualized, integrating insight-oriented work with practical skills to support lasting change.

You don’t have to face these challenges alone. With over 16 years of experience in both public and private settings, I’m committed to supporting you as you navigate life’s difficulties, discover insight, and helping you move forward. Contact me for a free 15 minute intro session to see if I could be a good fit for you as your therapist.