Rachel Del Dosso
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
Registered Clinical Art Therapist
Hi, I'm Rae Del Dosso, Trauma Therapist
Sex Therapist
Serving Thousand Oaks and Westlake
Founder of Solstice Therapy in Thousand Oaks.
Qualifications:
-
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist & Clinical Art Therapist
-
Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Loyola Marymount University with specialized training in Clinical Art Therapy
-
Registered Clinical Art Therapist (ATR), American Art Therapy Association
-
AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, Specialized training in Sex Therapy from California institute of Integral Studies, 2021
-
EMDR Therapist, Trained in Level 1 & 2 through EMDRIA in 2016
-
Certified Brainspotting Therapist, trained in Phase 1, 2, and Expansion (began in 2018)
-
Apprenticeship to the Sacred Wild, 10 month folk herbalism, plant spirit medicine, and spiritual ecology apprenticeship with Marysia Miernowska at the School of the Sacred Wild 2022
-
Sacred Plant Medicine Apprenticeship Herbalism Training (12 month program), Gaia School of Plant Medicine (2020, 2025)
-
Trauma-Focused CBT, 2015
-
Child Friendly Spaces Training for Disaster Relief, American Red Cross 2016
-
Developmental Needs-Meeting Strategy, 2018
-
Mindful Self Compassion, Kristin Neff
Experience:
-
Ten years of experience as a therapist
-
Worked with children 0-5 for five years prior to becoming a therapist
-
Turnaround Arts 2016, Hoopa Valley CA, collaborated with other art therapists to do large scale therapeutic art to highlight and strengthen resillience with at-risk indigenous youth
-
Camp Joy, 2016, 2019, Thousand Oaks, CA, facilitated large group art activity of painting murals to foster collaboration and a sense of belonging
About me:
-
queer and neurodivergent
-
anti-oppression and anti-racist
-
neurodiversity-affirming
-
parent of two elementary aged children
-
spent my 20's recovering from C-PTSD
What it feels like to work with me:
Expect to be met with a warm, attuned, presence that will help you feel comfortable. I will see the best in you and accept you for who you are. I take a client-centered approach meaning that you are the expert in your experience and you get to decide what is most important that you want to focus on each session. We can go as deep as you want to, and will always respect if you are not ready to work on a certain topic yet. There will be room for tears, anger, and laughter because I don't take myself too seriously. I am comfortable integrating spirituality into our work together in a way that fits for your beliefs and worldview if desired. I am connected to and in reciprocal relationship with the earth and the elements, the plants and animals.
My work is about allowing the process toward reclamation of self and liberation to unfold with warmth, patience and love.
One of my strengths is really seeing people and reflecting back to them their unique brilliance and the strengths and special qualities they possess. I truly care about and love my clients and care deeply about their well-being and progress in therapy. When people make shifts toward living more authentically, coming into their power, or being liberated from old stories and burdens, it brings me immense satisfaction and grattitude for the sacredness of this work. I also use my intuition to know when to gently challenge clients or to discern the direction our work together should take.
When not providing therapy:
you will find me with my family and friends, growing vegetables and native plants, practicing herbalism, writing poetry, enjoying concerts, hosting gatherings, being in nature, doing yoga, hiking, starting new hobbies, and making art.
Contact me for a 15-20 min phone consultation to see if we are a good fit to work together.
Where I shine:
somatic therapy
children of narcissistic or alcoholic parents
children of emotionally immature parents
LGBTQ+ affirmative care
communication improvement
depression & anxiety
creative blocks & performance enhancement
sexual trauma
boundary setting
complex PTSD
parts work
inner child healing
neurodivergence- affirming care
Modalities
Brainspotting
Brainspotting harnesses and taps into the body’s natural ability to heal. It promotes healing in your brain and body, resulting in positive psychological impacts. Brainspotting (BSP) locates points in the client’s visual field that help to access unprocessed trauma in the subcortical brain. This goes deeper than traditional talk therapy because it heals in the more primal "fight or flight" area of your brain which leads to subsequent changes in your neocortex, or"thinking" part of your brain. This helps resolve symptoms and reactions that might feel "automatic" or out of your control. When a Brainspot is stimulated, the deep brain appears to reflexively signal the therapist that the source of the problem has been found. BSP can also be used to find and strengthen our natural resources and resilience. Expansion Brainspotting is effective in enhancing performance and strengthening desired states of being. Expansion Brainspots have amazing healing potential.
EMDR
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based treatment that helps people heal from the effects of traumatic experiences. It is based on the adaptive information processing model which suggests that the cause for distress is the way memories are stored in the brain and body. EMDR helps memories move from being stored in painful (maladaptive) ways to being stored in healthy (adaptive) ways. Maladaptively stored memories cause physical symptoms, unhelpful behaviors, and overwhelming emotional distress, Adaptively stored memories are the basis for healthy functioning and resilience.
Developmental Needs-Meeting Strategy
Developmental Needs-Meeting Strategy (DNMS) is a strengths-based, ego-state therapy designed to heal childhood wounds by meeting the emotional needs that were missed early in life. Even the most loving and well-meaning parents can sometimes fall short in providing consistent empathy, connection, validation, or protection. When our core developmental needs aren’t met, it can shape how we see ourselves and relate to others—leading to chronic self-doubt, low self-worth, difficulty setting boundaries, and struggling to get our needs met in adulthood. DNMS helps address these unresolved childhood experiences by activating and strengthening internal resources that offer the nurturing, support, and guidance we may have missed. Through this process, we can soothe emotional pain, shift unwanted patterns, and begin to see ourselves through a lens of compassion, capability, and wholeness.
Clinical Art Therapy
Clinical Art Therapy is an approach that weds traditional psychotherapy methods with art-making that helps you communicate and process in an embodied and nonverbal way. Art-making can aid in expression of feelings when words aren't enough and is a great approach for you if you consider yourself quiet or creative. Even with limited words spoken, symptoms can be reduced and overall wellness improved through the use of clinical art therapy. You will be provided with a variety of high-quality materials as an avenue for self-exploration and growth. Art approaches you can use in session include painting, drawing, sculpting with clay, throwing on the pottery wheel, collage, poetry, and creating comic books. We shape sessions to uniquely fit your needs, strengths, & interests. Rachel and Maggie completed their education in Clinical Art Therapy at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles and both are Registered Art Therapists. Sara and Danny also use art with her clients and learned under Rachel's supervision..
Fees
Individual Sessions: 250/45 min session
Couples Sessions: $300/60 min
Longer sessions offered on a prorated basis.
If my fees are not affordable for you, I can make a recommendation for another team member with lower fees or provide referrals for low fee services.
