Rachel Fraade LCSW
Psychotherapist
Rachel Fraade (she/her) is a warm, thoughtful therapist who believes that meaningful change begins with feeling understood. She brings a relational and trauma-informed approach to her work, creating a space where clients can slow down, make sense of their experiences, and develop a deeper understanding of themselves and their relationships. Rachel works with adults and couples navigating anxiety, depression, self-esteem, trauma, relationship challenges, and major life transitions. As a parent herself, she has a particular interest in supporting individuals and couples through the deeply personal and often complicated journeys of fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenthood. She understands that these transitions can bring joy and connection alongside grief, uncertainty, identity shifts, relationship strain, and unexpected emotions. Rachel offers a space to hold all of those experiences without judgment. Rachel draws from relational therapy, CBT, behavioral approaches, EMDR, and trauma-informed care to help clients understand the patterns that may be keeping them stuck while developing practical tools for moving toward the life and relationships they want. Her approach is collaborative and curious, balancing deeper exploration with tangible strategies for navigating what is happening in the present. She believes therapy can be both a place to understand where we come from and a place to practice doing things differently. Rachel’s clinical background spans outpatient mental health, trauma-focused care, and work with individuals navigating complex and often overwhelming circumstances. Across settings, she has developed a sensitivity to the ways that trauma, attachment, identity, and life experiences shape how we understand ourselves and connect with others. She brings this perspective into the therapy room with compassion, openness, and respect for each client’s individual story. Rachel earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Chicago, with a clinical focus and certificate in Trauma-Informed Care, and her BA with Honors in Sociology from Duke University. She is licensed in New York and Illinois and has completed training in EMDR and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).