About Rachel

Rachel is a holistic psychotherapist and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing. She received a diploma in Mind-Body Wellness from Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, where she also received her certifications in Transformational Life Coaching and Clinical Hypnotherapy. She studied Theater and Acting at Loughborough University (UK) and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. She has also received shamanic training from The Foundation for Shamanic Studies.

Along with a professional life in the arts as a writer and performer, Rachel has served as an adjunct professor of writing at several East Coast colleges, including Philadelphia University, Bucks County Community College, and Emerson College. Rachel is an online faculty member at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, where she teaches courses in spirituality and modern mysticism, Jungian archetypes, and ethical business practices for healers. She is also a Guide for the Holomovement/LightNet’s annual Purpose Lab.

Rachel is an author of both fiction and non-fiction books, all of which promote individual healing and wellness. She was a nominee for the Pushcart Prize in Poetry and was the 1996 Poet Laureate of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

A woman and a young boy sit on the ground outside, drawing on a large piece of paper with a black marker. The boy wears a bright green shirt, and the woman wears a black dress and glasses. They are coloring a large outlined letter on the paper, which is placed on the pavement. A pink bag filled with markers is beside them.

Rachel has been a featured writer for Elephant Journal, an online magazine dedicated to the mindful life. Her column, “Let’s Get Intimate,” answers readers’ questions about human sexuality and intimacy.

Her international work has centered on the promotion of humanitarianism through the arts.

She is an ordained clergy member, holding the titles of Peace Counselor and Humanist Celebrant since 2002.

Crowd of people protesting outdoors, holding a large black flag with white text and signs. Some signs include messages about fighting for change and social justice.

Rachel’s human rights activism began with the South African anti-apartheid movement in the 1980s. She has marched for AIDS research, gun control, LGBTQ+, and women’s rights. She has been a Palestinian-Israeli peace activist since 2003—both as a member of Women in Black in New York City (serving on their Board in 2004), and as the founder of The Astarte Project, through which she organized art events and lectured at such venues as New York City’s New School on the topic of employing the arts as a means toward conflict resolution.

Child wearing a green hoodie and gray pants playing in a muddy area in a concrete frame outdoors

In 2007, Rachel traveled to Udaipur, India to work with the Non-government Organization (NGO) Mahan Seva Sansthan, through the Foundation for Sustainable Development’s ProCorp volunteer program. During her two-month tenure, Rachel wrote a documentary film script, “Mahan Seva Sansthan: Educating for Empowerment,” about MSS’s work in rural Rajasthan. She shot video footage in villages working with vermicomposting and watershed projects, conducted interviews with plant medicine keepers, and compiled film stills to be used in the documentary.

Smiling girl with backpack at outdoor market with people and stalls in the background.

Rachel brings to her practice the vision of unity through individuality.
The stronger our foundation of self, the more authentically we contribute to the world around us, and to collective consciousness as a whole.

work with Rachel