Rachel Hansen is a Licensed Social Worker at Chicago DBT Institute®. She earned her masters degree in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago where she specialized in advanced clinical practice. Rachel was a member of the 2023-2024 Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program cohort at Loyola University Chicago, focusing on the screening, assessment, and treatment of individuals at risk of behavioral health issues with a focus on marginalized communities and medically underserved settings. Rachel received her undergraduate degree in social work from Loyola University Chicago as well. Rachel completed her masters-level internship at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL in the inpatient psychiatry unit, providing individual, family, and group therapy to children and adolescents. Rachel has received foundational training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) through Behavioral Tech. Rachel has also received training in evidence-based treatments, including Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT), the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders, and the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT).

Rachel practices from a framework grounded in the understanding that distress is often a response to a hostile and unjust world. As a therapist, she recognizes her responsibility to engage in dismantling systems that cause harm to her clients. Rachel has significant experience treating suicidal behavior, non-suicidal self-injury, trauma, personality disorders, emotional dysregulation, severe mood disorders, and anxiety, and she specializes in working with children and adolescents. She enjoys working with kids and adolescents, approaching her work with a recognition of the importance of involving the entire family system and drawing her extensive experience in acute settings to stabilize and support those in crisis. Rachel loves working with LGBTQIA+ youth and adolescents, and these experiences have reinforced her passion for providing inclusive, affirming, and culturally responsive care to all individuals and families she works with. Rachel provides intentional, evidence-based, and relationship-focused care, taking a holistic, whole-person approach and incorporating humor to create a warm and supportive therapeutic environment.

In her free time, Rachel enjoys making soup, going on walks, listening to podcasts, and going to the farmer's market! She also enjoys spending time with family and friends, trying new restaurants, and playing board games. Rachel is excited to take this step toward healing with you!