Dr. Rachel Dawkins
Practical, trauma-informed therapy for stress and relationships
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Experience
- 9 years
- Licensed in
- Illinois
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Rachel
Dr. Rachel Dawkins is a licensed clinical social worker with a doctorate in social work. She offers practical, evidence-informed therapy and focuses on stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, and relationship and family concerns.
Her style is straightforward and skills-based so people leave with tools they can use. She has nine years of clinical experience helping people manage upsetting symptoms and rebuild daily routines. She uses cognitive behavioral therapy - CBT - to identify unhelpful thoughts and try small, testable changes.
Background and approach
She is trained in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing - EMDR - which is often used to reduce distress linked to traumatic memories. She has also trained in dialectical behavior therapy - DBT - and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy - TF-CBT. Sessions emphasize clear steps and practical skills.
Conversations tend to focus on what feels most troubling now and what can be done between sessions. People can expect a mix of talking, skill practice, and short take-home exercises. Dr.
Dawkins holds an Illinois LCSW, license number 149024431. She provides services in English and works with common concerns like anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, and relationship or family issues. To begin, clients follow an intake and matching process and schedule sessions based on availability.
Therapy is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, letting people choose what fits their life.
Evidence-based approaches delivered online
Dr. Dawkins uses several proven techniques in straightforward ways. Cognitive behavioral therapy - CBT - focuses on identifying and testing unhelpful thoughts and building new coping strategies to reduce anxiety and depression. EMDR, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, helps people process distressing memories so those memories hold less emotional charge. Trauma-focused CBT and elements of dialectical behavior therapy - DBT - are also part of her toolbox, offering skills for emotional regulation and safe processing of traumatic experiences.Choosing the best approach is collaborative. The therapist will talk with each person about symptoms, goals, and preferences and then try methods that fit those needs. Adjustments are made over time if something is not working, so the process stays flexible and client-centered.
Online therapy offers practical benefits for busy lives. Video calls enable face-to-face work from home, phone sessions remove travel barriers, and live chat or text messaging provide shorter, flexible check-ins between sessions. These options make it easier to attend regularly and to use therapy tools when they matter most.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also works with
- Experience
- 9 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English
Next step
Talk to Rachel
- Takes a few minutes
- Nothing to set up just to look
- Stop at any point