Rachael Scroggin, MA

Who am I?

I’m Rachael, a Resident in Counseling eager to navigate the difficult aspects of life with others in order to foster healing and growth in their mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical lives. The invitation to witness and join another’s journey through therapy is invaluable; we weren’t meant to navigate life alone. I believe that relationships are central to humanity; we flourish when we are living in authentic, deep, life-giving relationships and community with self and others. In a space that offers objectivity, authenticity, non-judgement, along with knowledge, therapy is an opportunity to examine oneself and cultivate new skills, leading to greater personal responsibility, and healthier relationships with self and others.

I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Family and Human Services from John Brown University, with concentrations in Child and Family Studies and Pre-Counseling. I then acquired my Master of Arts in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling from Messiah University. I’ve had the opportunity to work in multiple states and cultural contexts in community agency settings providing support to at-risk and underserved adolescents and adults in individual and group contexts, as well as group practices serving children and teens, families, couples, and adults.

On a personal note, I enjoy the finer things in life–getting down and dirty in a Spartan Race or pushing the limits in my personal fitness, hiking and exploring outdoors, travel, and DIY projects. My faith, family, and friends are a vitally important part of my values system.

I love working with:

We long to avoid pain and struggle, however, it is an inevitable part of each of our lives. Wounds, grief, hardship, and life transitions lead us to places that can feel overwhelming, lonely, or confusing. We can often successfully navigate these difficult aspects of life, but there are times when we have done all we can do, and despite our best efforts, we remain stuck.

In my work with others, I find being “in the weeds” with teens, young adults, and adults particularly enjoyable. I am passionate about empowering those in an individual context, as well as couples and families to help facilitate systemic change. I am particularly skilled at working with others as they face anxiety, depression, relationship issues, life transitions, parenting challenges, identity development, and those on the search for meaning and purpose.

Some of my favorite approaches include:

It is critical to approach things holistically, and systemically, in hopes of getting the best sense of all parts of a person’s world. I find it is most necessary to meet someone where they are, and will utilize the best integrative approach based on the needs of the context someone is currently in. Oftentimes, I turn to ACT, Existential, Emotions-focused, CBT, Strengths-based, TF-CBT, and Narrative therapy techniques. In the context of couples, I frequently utilize the Gottman method. I am happy to incorporate Biblical counseling principles at the request of those seeking support within the framework of a Biblical worldview. It is my ultimate goal to approach the hard work of therapy with a balance of authenticity and professionalism, in a relaxed, curious, thoughtful manner, sprinkled with some humor!