Rachael Smith, MSW, LCSW

Trauma & Attachment-Focused Therapist

Works with: Adults (25+), Couples

Specialties: Internal Family Systems (IFS), Trauma & PTSD, Complex Trauma (C-PTSD), EMDR, Anxiety, Attachment Wounds, Perimenopause & Menopause, Christian Counseling, Military Members & Families

You’ve Done the Work…So Why Do You Still Feel Stuck?

Maybe you’ve read the books, listened to the podcasts, or even been to therapy before. You understand your story and can explain why you think, feel, or react the way you do. Yet despite all of that insight, you still feel anxious, emotionally exhausted, disconnected, or caught in patterns you wish you could change.

Perhaps you’re the person everyone else depends on. You work hard, care deeply about your family and relationships, and appear to have everything together on the outside. But inside, you’re carrying a weight that feels increasingly difficult to ignore.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

I believe healing happens when we move beyond simply understanding our stories and begin healing the deeper wounds that continue to shape how we think, feel, relate, and respond to life’s challenges. My goal isn’t simply to help you manage symptoms—it’s to help you experience lasting transformation so you can live with greater peace, freedom, and connection.

Who I Help

I specialize in helping adults (ages 25+) heal from trauma, PTSD, complex trauma (C-PTSD), anxiety, chronic stress, burnout, attachment wounds, grief, and relationship patterns rooted in painful life experiences.

Many of my clients are thoughtful, capable people who have learned to survive by staying strong, taking care of everyone else, or simply pushing through. Those strategies often served an important purpose—but over time they can leave us feeling disconnected from ourselves and the people we love.

I also have a special interest in supporting women navigating perimenopause and menopause. Hormonal changes can intensify anxiety, brain fog, sleep disruption, irritability, overwhelm, and the lingering effects of unresolved trauma. Having personally experienced this season of life and pursued extensive education in this area, I understand the unique ways hormonal changes can intersect with trauma and attachment wounds. I enjoy helping women make sense of what they’re experiencing while moving toward greater stability, confidence, and healing.

My Experience

Since beginning my career as a social worker in 2013, I”ve had the privilege of working in a variety of clinical settings, including domestic violence and sexual assault services, children’s behavioral health, school counseling, hospice, community mental health, and private practice. While the settings have varied, one truth has remained constant: healing is most transformative when people feel genuinely seen, understood, and safe enough to do the deeper work. That belief continues to guide every aspect of my practice today.

How I Help

My primary therapeutic approach is Internal Family Systems (IFS), an evidence-based model that helps clients understand and heal the different “parts” of themselves with curiosity and compassion rather than judgment. Rather than fighting against the parts of yourself that feel anxious, critical, overwhelmed, or stuck, we’ll work together to understand what those parts have been trying to protect and what they need in order to heal.

I am also EMDR-trained and integrate Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) when appropriate to help clients process traumatic experiences and reduce the emotional impact those memories continue to have in the present.

For couples, I utilize Intimacy From the Inside Out (IFIO), an Internal Family Systems-based couples therapy model that helps partners deepen emotional connection, improve communication, and heal relationship patterns shaped by trauma and attachment wounds.

Clients often describe my style as warm, collaborative, and intentional. Therapy with me is active—we won’t simply revisit the events of the week. Together, we’ll uncover the deeper patterns beneath your symptoms so you can experience lasting healing, not just temporary relief. It is a privilege to walk alongside clients as they discover that their past doesn’t have to define their future.

Faith Integration

My Christian faith is an important part of who I am. For clients who desire it, I am happy to thoughtfully incorporate Christian counseling and a biblical worldview into our work together. Whether or not faith is part of your therapy experience is always your choice, and every client is welcomed with compassion, respect, and genuine care.

A Little About Me

My life has been shaped by military service—from growing up in a Navy family to becoming an Army spouse. I was born in Washington, and when I was nine years old my family moved to Colorado, where my dad continued serving in the U.S. Navy until I was thirteen. After getting married, the Army took our family from Colorado to Missouri, Hawaii, back to Colorado, and now to San Antonio following my husband’s retirement.

After years of military moves, we’re excited to finally put down roots in Texas and become part of this community for the long haul. My husband and I have three wonderful children and a very enthusiastic Goldendoodle named Zoey, who was originally in training to become a therapy dog but ultimately decided that believing every stranger is her new best friend was a better career path.

When I’m not in the office, you’ll usually find me spending time with my family, listening to audiobooks, cheering on my kids at soccer games and gymnastics meets, exploring San Antonio, enjoying a great cup of coffee, or convincing friends to join me for karaoke. We’re also enjoying finding a church home, building lasting friendships, and becoming part of this wonderful community.

Let’s Begin

Beginning therapy can feel like a big step, but you don’t have to navigate life’s challenges alone.

Whether you’re carrying the weight of past trauma, struggling with anxiety, navigating the challenges of perimenopause or menopause, seeking Christian counseling, hoping to strengthen your relationships, or simply longing to feel more like yourself again, healing is possible.

I provide in-person therapy at the Institute for Couple and Family Enhancement in San Antonio, as well as telehealth services for adults throughout Texas and Colorado. It would be an honor to walk alongside you as you move toward greater freedom, deeper connection, and lasting hope.

Contact: 210-496-0100 | rsmith@icfetx.com | www.rescounselingservice.com