I'm
glad
you're
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Hey, it's me, Raina. Wanna learn a little more about me? Read on!
Some quick facts about me:
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​​I'm a condiment QUEEN (AKA the sauce boss)
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I'm gluten free (sad, but true)
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I LOVE LOVE LOVE swimming and dancing
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I have to read fiction before bed (Most recently finished The Poppy War, which wasn't actually the most calming bedtime read hehe)
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I'm a dog mom to Wilhelmina Basil (she's a border collie / pittie mix)
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I also run a coaching biz focused on supporting mixed folks with belonging
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I'm mixed race (Black, white, and Turkish), Queer, Neurodivergent, and I, perhaps like you, have had a chronic pain journey
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I live on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe people (that's Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, MI)​
I know firsthand that the hunt for a therapist who gets you can be downright grueling. There are so many of us out there to sort through. And even if you've been in therapy before, you might be feeling frustrated or doomed and wondering if you're even help-able!
Many people come to me after being in talk therapy for years because they still feel stuck. My approach is rooted in neuroscience - which means we won't just be throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. I'll come up with a solid plan to help you move from point A to B. If you're looking for someone who specifically supports people with trauma, racial identity, or chronic pain you are in the right place.
Sometimes it's hard to really get a feel for what sessions will actually, factually be like. The best way to get a feel for who I am as a therapist is to read what some of my clients say about me:​
​Still wondering if you're in the right place?
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The people I work with struggle with things like confidence, insecurities and shame, feeling triggered, avoidance and procrastination, rejection sensitivity, making or maintaining healthy and satisfying relationships, setting boundaries, expressing needs, social anxiety, and more.
I especially enjoy working with mixed adults, and I also collaborate with individuals of other identities for whom trauma and belonging are concerns, including BIPOC, Queer folx, first-generation immigrants, disabled folks, and more. Many of my clients are therapists, entreprenuers, and creatives, I welcome those who are neurodivergent, ENM/polyam, and kinky. And if you don’t see yourself on this list you still may very well be in the right place!​
Curious about my nerdy background?
Education
Masters in Public Health, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, 2016
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Masters in Social Work, Interpersonal Practice University of Michigan, 2016 - Licensed with Clinical focus in the State of Michigan
Women’s Studies and Social Anthropology, University of Michigan, 2012
Training
& Past Roles of Note
Many of the modalities I'm trained in are rooted in the wisdoms and technologies from Indigenous populations around the world, namely African, Indian, and the original people of Turtle Island. In today's world, they have been repackaged and sold as certificates.
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Rest and Restore Protocol Certified Provider, 2025
Safe and Sound Protocol Certified Provider, 2025
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Liberation Reiki Level II Certified Practitioner, 2025
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NeuroAffective Touch Foundation Graduate, 2024
Integrative Somatic Parts Work Certificate, The Embody Lab, 2021
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Gottman Method for Couples Therapy - Level One, 2021
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Somatic Abolitionism, Resmaa Menakem, 2020
Movement for Trauma (Jane Clapp) - Level One, 2020
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Parts Work with Tom Holmes, 2020
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy - Level One, 2019
Certified Yoga Teacher, 200 hours, A2 Yoga, 2013
Trained in Hatha & Vinyasa styles
Many hours of coursework in health coaching and motivational interviewing 2012-2017
Former Faculty for the Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board, 2018-2019
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Former Health Coach for adolescents at Corner Health Center in 2014 and 2017
Former Community/Peer Health Educator in the areas of sexual health, sexual assault prevention, and healthy relationship skill building education - Over 100 hours training, 2006-2012