Rachel Bentley , LMFT

Rachel Bentley is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) whose work centers on helping individuals, couples, and families navigate relationship challenges, trauma, addiction, and major life transitions. Originally from Southern California, she completed a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy at Pepperdine University and achieved independent LMFT licensure in 2010. Her clinical background spans group homes, school-based counseling, outpatient addiction programs, and adult residential services for people with serious mental illness, giving her experience with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families.

Rachel draws on object relations and attachment theory to help clients see how early caregiving relationships shape present-day thoughts, feelings, and relationship patterns. She is trained in cognitive behavioral interventions, dialectical behavioral strategies, and play therapy, and integrates these methods to help clients identify unhelpful thinking, build new coping skills, and restructure interpersonal patterns. Her approach emphasizes empowerment and advocacy, supporting clients to recognize existing strengths and develop practical tools for change.

With a long personal connection to military life as an army spouse, Rachel has a particular sensitivity to the needs of service members and military families. Outside of practice she is actively involved in her children’s academic and sports activities, and she brings that same commitment to supporting families through difficult transitions and promoting lasting relational growth.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Rachel Bentley draws on attachment-based work to explore how early relationships influence current patterns in closeness, trust, and emotional reactivity; this approach can be especially helpful for people dealing with abandonment, attachment wounds, or intimacy struggles. Client-centered therapy forms another key part of her practice, offering a respectful, empathetic space where the therapist follows the client’s lead and helps build on existing strengths to support personal growth. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used to identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, providing practical strategies for managing anxiety, depression, and stress.

Finding the right combination of approaches is a collaborative process. Rachel works with each person to understand their goals, preferences, and life context, and she adapts methods over time so the therapeutic plan fits the client’s needs.

Online therapy options such as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging make it easier to maintain consistent care while balancing work, family, and other responsibilities. These formats increase flexibility and accessibility, allowing clients to connect with licensed professionals and continue therapeutic work from home, on the go, or between appointments.