Rachel Kaplan, LCSW

About Rachel Kaplan

When anxiety or traumatic experiences are actively present in your life, it can be hard to find new ways of coping. The impact of these challenges can leave you struggling to make difficult decisions on how to move forward. You may grapple with low self-esteem and overall feelings of emptiness or feeling misunderstood – even by those people closest to you.

You may be going through a period of anxiety or depression as a result of childhood trauma, more specifically, Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN), which has impacted your outlook on life and relationships in adulthood. Or perhaps you have experienced a meaningful loss, gone through an impactful crisis, or are trying to cope with a new diagnosis or chronic illness. Maybe you’re experiencing deep and worrying anxiety or depression with no obvious indication of what the cause may be.

Discovering new ways of managing your life challenges can be an enriching and empowering experience.  Our sessions together will provide you with an emotionally safe space to process your feelings while also helping you to gain insight about how your environment and the people around you impact your life. Together, we’ll navigate your relationships, anxieties, and stressors so that you can build a coping “toolbox” full of practical, diverse, and effective strategies available for you to access whenever you need. In other words, we will work to discover your existing strengths and help you to uncover new ones.

My Approach

My approach in the therapy space is warm yet very pragmatic. Our time together will consist of a combination of techniques that will range from the very practical to those that aim at helping you to better understand your emotions. With Cognitive Behavior Therapy, we will explore how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected, and how becoming aware of these can help to gain more control over your responses to stressors and emotional triggers. You will also learn to understand the connection between your body and your mind through exposure to mindfulness and relaxation techniques that help to alleviate physical or mental agitation such as anxiety.

I have a Masters in Social Work from New York University, as well as certifications in Advanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Palliative and End of Life Care. My extensive experience with chronic illness has allowed me to understand how empathy and support show up in many different ways, and how illness can affect many different facets of life. Understanding what you are going through is important to me, and I would be honored to help you develop the skills you need to help you live the life you desire.

You deserve to live a more content, full, and satisfying life. Therapy can provide you with the opportunity to speak with someone in an unbiased, non-judgmental, and comfortable environment. If you’re ready for change, I am here to help you get where you want to go.

Podcast Episodes with Rachel Kaplan, LCSW

Professional Memberships

New York City Cognitive Behavior Therapy Association