Rachael Valler, LMSW

Staff Therapist, Senior Cultural-responsiveness Training Lead

She/Her

Rachael’s goal is to foster a therapeutic environment that is supportive, warm, and judgment-free. She aims to help people feel comfortable as their authentic selves and to create a space to process what is going on in their world. Her hope is to learn more about her clients’ emotions, beliefs, and behaviors to bolster long-term healing in the ways they’re looking for.

Rachael has experience supporting clients with anxiety, depression, PTSD, self-esteem, dating, and relationships. She is passionate about supporting people through gender, sexuality, relationship, and identity questions, with a specific interest in the LGBTQIA+ community. She is also passionate about supporting survivors of trauma. Rachael uses an individualized approach, incorporating relational, psychodynamic, and solutions-oriented behavioral therapies. She is committed to centering anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices in her interventions and work.

In addition to her work as an IHI staff therapist, Rachael is also senior training lead for IHI’s external cultural-responsiveness training program, IHI Competency Courses. In this role, she oversees delivery of external trainings including IHI’s ongoing training program with NYC Health + Hospitals.

Rachael is a graduate of the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College where she received her Master of Social Work with a focus on sexuality and gender. Rachael has completed the Level 1 and 2 clinical training with the Gottman Method for couples therapy. Rachael utilizes the Gottman theory and tools as needed, with a particular focus on supporting LGBTQIA+ clients and nonmonogamous relationships models. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies from the University of California, Davis. Prior to becoming a therapist, Rachael worked in the nonprofit sector for over a decade. Rachael also has social work experience in community health, as well as in counseling for survivors of intimate partner violence.