Partnering in the healing process with my clients is such an honor for me. I am a trauma, attachment, and addiction specialist, as well as a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP).
I work with a variety of issues, with a focus on healing from trauma, or "toxic" life experiences. I can also help with life changes and stress, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, phobias, low self-esteem, relationship issues, secondary traumatic stress, complex trauma and dissociative "disorders." I work hard to meet the needs of each individual, providing a safe, non-judgmental, empathic space essential for healing. I am up front and "real," while highly nurturing and caring; I believe in the transformative effects of the therapeutic relationship.
I have 20+ years working as a psychotherapist with a central focus on trauma and trauma healing, along with the myriad of affects resulting from unresolved traumas/ adverse experiences and attachment wounds.
I also have years of specialization and training in addictions/compulsions (mostly sexual & substance, along with work and food-related compulsions, among others). I do not view addictions or compulsions as diseases, lack of willpower or moral failures, nor do I view them as life sentences. I use modalities that can help people heal from such issues, not just manage them. This work requires working on traumas, when the individual is ready and it is safe to do so.
My decades of dedicated and focused work in this field of trauma recovery, has included, but is not limited to, working with adult survivors of single-incident traumas, complex trauma, developmental trauma, toxic stress, insecure attachment, and/or adverse life experiences. I believe that unresolved traumas, and/or insecure attachment (early relationships with caregivers), is at the root of most of our emotional, relational and physical issues. This has in fact been proven, and cannot be disputed, by multiple and extensive groundbreaking scientific studies (see the ACE Study- Adverse Childhood Experiences- at: https://acestoohigh.com/aces-101/).
I use a Trauma-Informed approach, asking the question: "What happened to you?" instead of "What's wrong with you?" This also requires that safety comes first, as well as a commitment to do no harm.
I also work with individuals struggling with difficult life situations and transitions, such as job changes / job loss, break-ups or separations, partner infidelity, gaining or losing weight, legal trouble, abortions or miscarriages, contemplating a change in career, moving to a new city, or just any place in your life where things feel "off-balance," and your "normality" has been interrupted.
I also enjoy working with people who are simply wanting to gain a deeper understanding of themselves, increase self-confidence, or wanting to feel re-invigorated by life. With the use of EMDR, Mindfulness Work and Body-Centered/Somatic Approaches, I have seen many people achieve this in an incredibly deep, powerful and transformative way! Talk therapy can help greatly, and is a very important part of therapy, especially as it is needed to create safety and trust in the therapeutic relationship (which is essential for healing), however I have found that adding EMDR, as well as Body-Centered Approaches, along with other modalities of therapy, helps us achieve the lasting results we desire much faster and more profoundly.
I use a variety of practices including, but not limited to:
-Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR);
-Psychodynamic Therapy (Object Relations, Self-Psychology, Ego Psychology);
-Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR);
-Mindfulness-Based Therapy;
-Somatic/ Body-Centered Psychotherapies: The Hakomi Method, Sensorimotor, and Somatic Experiencing (SE);
-Psychoeducation;
-"Parts Work"/ Ego State Psychotherapy;
-The EMDR Phobia Protocol;
-The EMDR-based Feeling State Addiction Protocol;
My goal in therapy is not to help people just cope and survive, but to actually heal and thrive. No one wants to just manage and survive- we all want to be able to live, and this is possible! I believe all good therapy is an art, not a technique. I practice in an individualized and integrative way, using only scientifically proven modalities. You are an expert in your healing and in your struggles. You bring the problems, I bring the expertise, and we will embark on your healing journey together. If I'm not the right fit- I will be happy to direct you to someone who is, and/or support you in finding the right help.
Feel free to reach out! I look forward to hearing from you!
Additional areas of focus: Family conflicts, Grief, Eating disorders, Sleeping disorders, Anger management, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Depression, Coping with life changes, Compassion fatigue, Abandonment, Adoption and Foster Care, Attachment issues, Caregiver issues and stress, Chronic pain illness and disability, Commitment Issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with Natural or Human-Caused Disaster, Dissociation, Divorce and separation, Domestic Violence, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Eating and Food-Related Issues, Emptiness, Family of Origin Issues, Family Problems, First Responder Issues, Guilt and shame, Impulsivity, Infidelity, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Men's issues, Midlife crisis, Military and Veterans Issues, Multicultural Concerns, Narcissism, Obsessions, Compulsions, and OCD, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Phobias, Post-traumatic stress, Prejudice and Discrimination, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Self-love, Sex Addiction, Sexual Assault and Abuse, Social anxiety and phobia, Somatization, Workplace issues
Clinical approaches: Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Mindfulness Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
NC LCSW C007487
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Alison "Rachel" Weiss. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
This has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Every session is as helpful as the one before, and I was shocked by even just after one session how much I walked away with. From somebody who has always looked at therpay as a weakness, I can confidently say now as a 34 year old man is that there is nothing weak about doing the work it takes to better yourself for you, your loved ones, and the world.
Written on Mar 14, 2023 after therapy with Alison "Rachel" for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, sleeping disorders, bipolar disorder, and adhd