Rachel McGowan
Compassionate, practical support for everyday parenting
- Credentials
- LICSW
- Experience
- 11 years
- Licensed in
- Massachusetts
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Rachel
Rachel McGowan is a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) practicing in Massachusetts. She uses a warm, interactive approach and draws on 11 years of clinical experience. Rachel creates a calm, non-judgmental space where people can talk about stress, anxiety, mood struggles, and parenting concerns.
She believes a trusting relationship with a therapist is the most important part of change. Rachel blends straightforward skills work with conversations that respect each person’s story.
Background and approach
She teaches practical coping strategies for anxiety, low mood, and anger. She also supports people managing ADHD, bipolar symptoms, and trauma responses. Mindfulness and skill practice are woven into sessions so skills can be used day to day.
Her background includes work as a school social worker and several years in residential care supporting people who experienced physical, sexual, or emotional trauma. That mix of settings shaped her focus on clear tools and steady support. She also has experience addressing social anxiety, panic, and attachment concerns.
In sessions Rachel adapts methods to fit the person in front of her. That might look like cognitive behavioral techniques to shift unhelpful thoughts, dialectical skills for emotion regulation, motivational interviewing to clarify goals, or client-centered conversations that follow the client’s lead. She emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and practical steps.
Rachel also mentions a certified therapy dog, Bauer, who helps some people feel more at ease. If a parent is looking for help with parenting, family problems, or a child’s emotional challenges, Rachel offers straightforward coaching and skill-building to make daily life easier.
Practical approaches adapted for online therapy
Rachel commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based techniques to support people with anxiety, mood concerns, and stress. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new ways of thinking and behaving, which helps with panic, social anxiety, and mood-related patterns. Mindfulness therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and make daily stressors feel more manageable.She also integrates dialectical behavior therapy skills when emotion regulation or intense moods are a focus. DBT skills include grounding, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation exercises that can be practiced between sessions to improve day-to-day functioning. Together these approaches give clear tools and short exercises to try between meetings rather than relying solely on talk.
Finding the right mix of methods is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful, then adjust techniques over time. Clients and the therapist work together to pick the strategies that fit each person’s needs.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text messaging, which can make regular work on skills easier to maintain. These options provide flexibility for busy families and parents who need to fit sessions around schedules. They also allow therapists to share exercises, check in between meetings, and support practice in real life situations.
Client-Centered Therapy
The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does Rachel help with?
What is her therapy style like?
How much clinical experience does she have?
What credentials and location should I know about?
Which languages are used in sessions?
Can people outside the country work with her?
What session formats are available?
How do I begin a therapy match and what are costs like?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- LGBT
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 11 years
- Licensed
- Massachusetts
- Languages
- English
Next step
Talk to Rachel
- Takes a few minutes
- Nothing to set up just to look
- Stop at any point