About Me
Rachel Diamond, PhD, LMFT
As a licensed marriage and family therapist I am informed by a relational, systemic perspective and specialize in treating clients in the context of their relationships. I believe all our problems are relational – the ways we communicate, the ways we interact, the ways we cope – we are wired to connect! In therapy, I use research-informed interventions to create new experiences for clients to gain a deeper understanding of the issues they bring into therapy and use this to transform their ways of interacting.
Change is difficult and can, at times, be uncomfortable. I challenge you to lean into those difficult moments to develop into the person you want to be or even discover the type of relationship you could have for the first time. I’ll meet you in those moments with both support and gentle challenge. Together, we will work to develop a clear plan to accomplish your goals for therapy and ways of meeting those goals that work with your lifestyle.
I am committed to promoting a therapeutic space that is respectful of all clients’ diverse identities. I fully embrace providing high quality, empirically supported, and culturally sensitive services that affirm the dignity, worth and value of all individuals and relationships.
Professional Background
I am a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) in the state of Illinois, a Clinical Member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. I am The Director of Clinical Training & Assistant Professor for the Department of Couple & Family Therapy at Alder University in downtown Chicago. I oversee the clinical training for the masters and doctoral students in our department and provide their supervision during their training. I also teach classes on related to supervision, couples and family therapy, and perinatal mental health. As a part of my teaching, I am actively engaged in research that informs my clinical work and also present this research to other clinicians at various conferences. Please check out the “Research” section of my website to see a selection of my scholarly publications.
Education
Postdoctoral Clinical Fellowship – The Family Institute at Northwestern University
PhD Marriage and Family Therapy – Saint Louis University
MA Community Mental Health Counseling & Research in Family Therapy – Saint Louis University
BA Psychology & Spanish Language and Literature – Marquette University