Rachel Schripsema, MAPC, LPC is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago’s Institute of Pastoral Studies, where she earned her Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling. She sees clients at Claret Center as a counseling resident and serves as parish counselor at Old St. Mary’s Parish in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood.
She brings experiences from a diverse background to her counseling practice. She earned her BFA in studio art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by work in nonprofit libraries, with the local production of a major off-broadway theatrical production, and on a research study of how faith can play a role in health and wellness. Her practicum experience was at JourneyCare hospice, supporting patients and families.
Rachel’s pastoral counseling work is grounded in her Zen Buddhist practice. Her meditation practice supports a present-moment relationship with each client and makes space for Spirit to enter the counseling relationship and guide the work. She practices contemplative psychotherapy, using mindfulness techniques to help clients access their own wisdom. Reflecting on this wisdom together can lead to making choices and taking actions that better reflect clients’ values and the way they would like to be in the world.
She brings a warm, personal and creative approach to her counseling relationships, working with clients to access their passion, joy, and natural capacities for growth.
Other areas of interest include the role of nature in healing, the use of imagery, ritual, and metaphor in the counseling process, and existential psychotherapy’s exploration of the “big questions” of human life.