Rae Blaisdell (they/them)

Polyamory and CNM occur around the world, with variations in societal and cultural responses. This is not to say "cheating is normal," but to say that humans have more diverse sexual and partnership needs than are served by a monogamous, heteronormative model of living and loving. If you are looking for relationship therapy for your polycule, exploring your personal relationship preferences, or want to discuss how you'd like to do this whole CNM thing, I'd be happy to help.

Whether you are looking for therapy specifically related to LGBTQIA+ experiences or you want someone you don't have to do a ton of emotional labor with, I'm happy to help. I am in the community, but that doesn't make me an expert on all experiences. I have put additional effort into learning, exploring my biases, and becoming a trans and non-binary affirming therapist. I work with children, teens and families. I often see adults for WPATH letters, intersectional or relational support.

Through 2 miscarriages and 4 live births, I found my experiences in pregnancy, birth and postpartum to be such a fragile time. It felt like I could have fallen into misery or been lifted in empowerment, all based on the kind of support I had or didn't have. I decided that Every Parent deserves support, I became a labor doula and childbirth educator for a few years, then studied to become a Perinatal Mental Health Professional. I work with dads, moms, couples, families, kids, everybody.

Jungian and depth psychotherapy are the approaches that made me feel at home with psychotherapy, and one of the biggest ways that I personally approach my own integrated wellness. Considering the deeper processes of the psyche, at work in dreams, art, stories, and imagery, is a process that often underlies the situations and struggles we experience on the surface. Not all clients are looking for deeper explorations, but for those who are, I am willing to dive the depths with you.

Narrative approaches include an understanding that the Problem and the Person are separable, that the Problem is one created by the stories told about Problems and people who know them well, and that through exploring the other parts of one's experiences, the Person and small groups, with their strengths and beauty, can rise above. Problems are integrated with all the people who interact with a Problem, so this approach can include additional members of the community, advocacy and activism.

Family systems is an approach that considers the broader context of challenges and also may integrate other community members into the therapy. This could involve whole families, couples, parent-child dyads, or any other constellation of a social group coming to therapy together. It might otherwise be individual work with occasional involvement of supportive people from your life or personal exploration of how the social contexts of your life influence current problems and preferred experiences.

I chose family therapy as an educational path because of my existing perspectives about the importance of our environments, our ancestors, and our cultural communities. I believe that looking only inward or at medical descriptions will provide tools, but often lacks integration of the influences that environment, culture, intergenerational trauma and perseverance have made in our journey. Unpacking intergenerational and cultural trauma builds authority over your own story.

Attachment and individual differences go together in my work. Neurodiversity-affirming therapy, to me, means acknowledging how our nervous systems impact attachment, regulation, and how we experience the world. I do attachment work with all ages. I often work with children, adults, and families who are neurodivergent, have experienced trauma, and/or have labels for problem behaviors. We work to build self awareness, attunement, and relational safety.