Dr. Rachel Kinison, LCPC, LMHC

Dr. Rachel Kinison helps people who are overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, grief, or big life changes. She writes in a down-to-earth way and aims to give practical tools that fit daily life. Rachel has nearly 20 years of counseling experience and prefers clear, straightforward work with clients.

She earned a doctorate in Pastoral Community Counseling and a master’s degree in Counseling. Rachel holds an Illinois Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor credential (LCPC) and a Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor license (LMHC). Her background includes community counseling, hospital behavioral health, and work in adult probation programs.

In sessions she often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, but she adapts her methods to what each person needs. She also draws on trauma-focused ideas, narrative therapy, and emotionally focused approaches when those fit better. Rachel emphasizes skills that can be practiced between sessions, such as relaxation and small behavior changes.

Rachel is candid about living with mild cerebral palsy, dystonia, and chronic migraines, and she shares that these are managed with regular medical care. That lived experience informs how she talks about struggle and resilience with clients.

She combines individual and group therapy experience and can guide people through issues like addiction, relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting stress, anger, and mood disorders. Her style is collaborative - she helps people notice one change that can lead to other improvements.

Outside work she enjoys cooking, travel, and quiet evenings with her basset hound and beagle. Rachel aims to be a steady guide while clients do the problem solving themselves.

How Rachel’s approaches translate to online therapy

Rachel often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing small behavior changes to reduce symptoms like anxiety or low mood. That approach works well in online sessions because it relies on concrete exercises and homework that can be reviewed together.

She also uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy ideas to help people understand and name emotions and improve how they respond in close relationships. This work helps with intimacy-related issues and attachment patterns and can be done through conversation and guided exercises in remote sessions.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Rachel will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts techniques over time and checks in to make sure the plan feels useful and manageable.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video allows face-to-face interaction for role plays and visual cues, while phone calls can fit a quick check-in or someone with limited bandwidth. Live chat and messaging are useful for shorter updates, homework review, or when writing helps a person process thoughts. These options aim to make therapy flexible and easier to fit into a busy life.