Rachel Minton
Trauma Therapist
About Me
Rachel Minton, LPC-S, SEP, CSAT Candidate
I have worked in the field of mental health for over 20 years, first as a recreational therapist and now as counselor. I received my Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Park Administration from Eastern Kentucky University. I went on to receive a Masters of Science in Professional Counseling from Grand Canyon University.
For the last six years, I have worked as a trauma resolution therapist at The Meadows, a world renown inpatient treatment center for trauma, addiction and everything in between.
The Meadows has enabled me to train and work with the likes of Dr. Peter Levine, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Dr. Richard Schwartz, Dr. Tian Dayton, and Pia Mellody.
The world-class training and experience I have had and continue to receive at The Meadows is beyond measure and has sculpted me into an amazing therapist.
My Approach
My philosophy is one of unconditional positive regard toward all of those with whom I work. I believe that we all have everything we need to heal already inside of us but due to trauma and other life events/situations we lose track of our self, of our own healing capacity. It is my goal to help you access your own innate healing capabilities and help you live your best life.
My style of therapy is eclectic and person-centered. Together we can work to find what works best with your system. I have extensive training in a number of different trauma treatment modalities including Somatic Experiencing (SE), EMDR, Internal Family Systems (Level 1), Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), psychodrama, Post Induction Therapy (Meadows model), Brain Spotting (BSP) and am currently a CSAT candidate.
Therapeutic Modalities
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing, or SE, is a body-oriented approach to the healing of trauma and other stress disorders. SE works to discharge traumatic stress energy and bring the nervous system into a state of balance, regulation, and wellness.
Sand Tray Therapy
Sand tray therapy is a technique that has been widely used for healing in children and adults alike. It allows for an expression of thoughts, emotions and insights when talk therapy is not enough. It can help you become "unstuck" allowing you to move to a deeper level more quickly...
Post Induction Therapy
Post Induction Therapy, or PIT, is Pia Mellody’s model of developmental immaturity and codependency. This model depicts how childhood trauma affects us as adults in our lives today. Together we will connect the dots of what happened, how it affected you then, how that may have changed overtime, and it’s connection to your current circumstances.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) provides clients with new skills to manage painful emotions and decrease conflict in relationships. DBT specifically focuses on providing therapeutic skills in four key areas. First, mindfulness focuses on improving an individual's ability to accept and be present in the current moment. Second, distress tolerance is geared toward increasing a person’s tolerance of negative emotion, rather than trying to escape from it. Third, emotion regulation covers strategies to manage and change intense emotions that are causing problems in a person’s life. Fourth, interpersonal effectiveness consists of techniques that allow a person to communicate with others in a way that is assertive, maintains self-respect, and strengthens relationships.
Internal Family Systems
Internal Family Systems, or IFS, is a trauma-focused approach to psychotherapy that defines and addresses multiple internal sub-parts (or “families”) of self within each person’s mental system. Often the internal parts are in conflict with one another and with the person’s core Self. IFS focuses on healing the wounded parts and restoring mental balance and harmony by changing the dynamics that create discord among the internal parts of self.
Safe and Sound Protocol
Safe and Sound Protocol, or SSP, developed by Dr. Steve Porges, is a five-day non-invasive auditory intervention involving listening to music for five 1-hour sessions. The music has been filtered to retune the nervous system resulting in significant improvements in the following areas:
Social and emotional difficulties
Auditory sensitivities
Anxiety and trauma -related challenges
Inattention
Stressors that impact social engagement
Sex Addiction Therapy
CSATs are highly-trained trauma treatment specialists who help clients work through issues that untrained clinicians may leave unaddressed. CSATs understand the underlying wounds, experiences, patterns, and trauma that can lead to sexual addiction. Those struggling with sexual addiction need an experienced and skilled therapist who understands and can treat the root causes of their addiction and walk them from the helpless cycle of addiction to an enriched, sexually-healthy life with renewed emotional intimacy. Those who have recovered from sexual addiction often say that, while they would never wish their addiction on anyone, they would wish their therapeutic recovery on everyone because of the freedom and strong relationships it produces.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy
Accelerated Resolution Therapy, or ART, is a trauma specific therapeutic modality that facilitates the accessing and processing of traumatic memories using bilateral stimulation, typically through eye movements. Using a technique called voluntary memory/image replacement, ART helps the brain to adjust how disturbing memories are stored in the brain, so these images stop triggering intense emotional and physical reactions. This therapy is designed to reduce or even totally remove physiological responses linked with traumatic memories.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, is a simple but efficient trauma focused therapy using bilateral stimulation (BLS) – tapping, auditory tones, or eye movements – to accelerate the brain’s capacity to process and heal traumatic memories in the context of a safe environment. EMDR assists the brain in forming new associations between the traumatic memory and more adaptive memories or information. These new associations result in complete information processing, new learning, elimination of emotional distress, and the development of cognitive insights about the memories.
Brainspotting
Brainspotting (BSP) is a powerful, focused treatment method that works by identifying, processing and healing core sources of emotional body pain, trauma, dissociation and a variety of other challenging symptoms. It provides a path for deep healing with the brain and body. BSP points within the line of vision that correspond with where negative experiences and blocks are held deeply in the brain and nervous system. By locating and focusing attention on these “brainspots,” clients access their own innate healing abilities to eliminate the blocks quickly and gently.