About

Everyone has a story—a history, family experiences, life experiences. And your story informs how you operate in all areas of life. You can see your story in how you function in relationships, how you spend your time, and how you’ve moved forward in your career.

Early on you developed ways of coping with life experiences that at one time served you well. They helped you get through difficult things. The problem is, those same coping strategies are no longer as helpful as they once were, and sometimes are even harmful.

Furthermore, most of these ways of coping operate on an unconscious level so we know that something is wrong or that we’re struggling, but we aren’t sure what’s going on. Looking at your story and understanding its impact helps you to identify the things that are getting in your way.

Therapy is about identifying the parts of your story and the accompanying ways of coping that have an adverse effect on your life.

I will work with you to take a closer look at your story and get some clarity regarding:

How your past is showing up in your present
Unhelpful coping strategies that you may be using
How you’re operating in relationship to yourself and others
Healthy tools to use in place of unhealthy coping strategies

Contact me if you want to make an appointment to talk more about your specific situation.

Beth Ratchford

Beth Ratchford is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Masters in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Western Seminary. She specializes in treating adults who have experienced childhood trauma.

Beth has trained with Pia Mellody in the Post Induction Therapy model of treatment and uses it as the primary framework in her work with clients. She is also trained in the use of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for treating trauma and other difficult life experiences.

Beth is an EAGALA certified mental health specialist and provides Equine Assisted Psychotherapy services. She is also a qualified practitioner of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and finds it a helpful lens to help clients get a sense of some of the hard-wired ways that they operate in the world.

Before entering private practice Beth owned a consulting business providing leadership development and team building experiences to businesses and non-profits. Prior to starting her consulting business Beth worked with older adults at a large continuing care retirement community. Beth also worked as a social worker in Seattle where she managed a transitional living program for homeless youth and their children.

Beth is a member of Northern Virginia Licensed Professional Counselors and the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA).

If you have questions or would like to make an appointment, please get in touch today.