Rachel Wright, MSW, LICSW, VSW-CP

Welcome! I'm happy you are here. As a psychotherapist and veterinary social worker I focus on the intersection of mental health and the human-animal bond. I wholeheartedly understand the importance of the interconnectedness between humans, animals, nature, and the therapeutic value of these relationships. I will honor, support, and integrate your unique connection with the human-animal bond and how it impacts and enriches your therapeutic process and healing at every level. As Washington State's pioneering veterinary social worker offering the broadest range of services, I bring both expertise and empathy to support every aspect of the human-animal connection within mental health care. PRACTICE DAYS: Monday - Thursday PRACTICE OFFICES: Issaquah, WA. Sessions are available virtually, in person at my office with mountain views, or as walk-and-talk therapy on the Confluence Park trails located next to the office. AVAILABILITY:As of October 2025, I have a waitlist. Click "request appointment" to book a free 20-minute virtual consultation at the earliest available slot. The practice will confirm your appointment and send details. FREE INITIAL (REQUIRED) VIRTUAL CONSULTATION: The free initial 20-minute virtual consultation is the first required step to begin therapy or veterinary social work services in my practice. This consultation is an opportunity for us to get to know each other, discuss your needs, answer questions, and see if we're a good fit. If both of us agree it's a good fit, we'll go ahead and schedule your first full therapy session. To book your free consultation, click the "request appointment" button and choose a date and time from my calendar. After you make your request, the practice will confirm your appointment and send further details. THERAPEUTIC FOCUS: With nearly three decades of clinical experience since 1996, I offer comprehensive professional expertise, personal lived experiences, and a commitment to supporting each client's individual journey. My therapeutic approach is person-centered, strengths-based, compassion-focused, collaborative, and empowering. I recognize that your strengths and challenges are unique to you and I tailor therapy to address your specific experiences, needs and concerns. I incorporate a range of evidence-based modalities and theoretical frameworks. I draw deeply from psychodynamic and attachment-based theories, trauma-informed care, narrative therapies, mindfulness-based techniques, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), Brainspotting, meaning reconstruction, and post-traumatic growth modalities. Extensive training in diverse therapeutic models allows me to maintain an integrative mindset and honor each client's unique narrative and lived experience. I understand that there are many twists, turns, and complexities on the road to healing. While it is very challenging and painful work, it can also be incredibly transformative, life-changing, and beautiful. I am here to companion and walk alongside you, to witness and support you on your unique journey along the path to find your way to hope, healing, recovery. SERVICES: MENTAL HEALTH THERAPY • Individual grief therapy sessions for human or animal loss/bereavement • Individual mental health therapy sessions for women's issues, across the lifespan • Individual mental health therapy sessions for veterinary, animal care and human health care professionals • Individual therapy sessions for caregivers navigating medical care and/or anticipatory grief for a beloved person or animal with a chronic or terminal illness • Couples/partners therapy sessions, specific to grief or caregiving of a loved one VETERINARY SOCIAL WORK • Contractual social work services with veterinary practices and organizations: provided as individual mental health therapy sessions or group mental health therapy sessions • Self-referrals: veterinary and animal care professionals seeking individual mental health therapy APPROVED CLINICAL SUPERVISION FOR PRE-LICENSURE THERAPISTS, SOCIAL WORKERS + VETERINARY SOCIAL WORKERS • I provide supervision and consultation for veterinary social workers. • I am an approved supervisor for social workers and therapists working towards their full LICSW licensure in Washington State. If you are interested in obtaining approved supervision hours for your licensure, please contact me! PROFESSIONAL CONSULTATIONS • Provided to licensed social work, mental health, health care colleagues, as well as to veterinary leaders, and all types of veterinary or animal care practices and organizations. • Provided to students seeking to learn more about veterinary social work or the intersection of mental health and the human-animal bond. • Consultations are scheduled as the free initial 20-minute virtual consultation appointment (see above for details and to schedule online). Further consultations are fee-based, which I am happy to discuss when we initially meet. PRESENTATIONS/CE EVENTS • For National or Regional Conferences or Organizations ONLY. Presentations, webinars and skills-based trainings are offered on a variety of topics for veterinary and animal care professionals. • I have presented at numerous regional and national conferences. My collaborations include organizations such as AAHA, OVMA, ACVIM, Royal Canin, VMX, PNWVC, WSVMA, WSAVT, IAAHPC, Sage, Ethos, NVA, and Pet Partners (Delta Society). Additionally, I've offered a wide range of presentations and workshops to various veterinary hospitals, clinics, and teams. Over the years, my work in the human-animal bond field and as a veterinary social worker has also been featured through interviews published in print, shared on social media, or broadcast on television. GROUPS • Support, debriefing, de-stressing groups. As of Fall 2025, I am not offering any groups. STUDENT PRACTICUM/INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT & OPPORTUNITIES • I have extensive experience serving as a field instructor and supervisor for student interns pursuing master's degrees in social work, counseling, and mental health. My site is approved for internships and practicums by a variety of accredited master’s-level academic programs. • I only take advanced or specialized MSW student interns. As of May 2025, I am no longer accepting new interns. RATES & INSURANCE Rates and fees for 2025 are below. Your scheduled time is reserved specifically for you; late cancellations (less than 24 hours) or missed sessions will be charged the full fee. I do not bill insurance directly but am an out-of-network provider. After payment, clients receive a "Superbill" to submit for possible reimbursement—please check with your insurance carrier about out-of-network coverage. I cannot guarantee reimbursement and have no direct relationship with any insurance company. . Payment is required immediately after each session. All major credit cards and checks are accepted. Superbills and insurance reimbursement are not available for clients working with student interns. ABOUT ME: I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), mental health therapist, veterinary social worker, and an approved supervisor in Washington State. Additionally, I provide consulting and presentations on topics addressing the intersection of mental health and the human-animal bond. As a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist through the Grief Recovery Institute and an experienced Animal-Assisted Therapy practitioner, I have completed comprehensive training and certification in evidence-based practices and integrative approaches for therapy focused on grief, trauma, and a broad spectrum of women's issues. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology/Drug & Alcohol Studies from Washington State University; my Master of Social Work degree from University of Washington; and my Post-Masters Graduate Certificate in Veterinary Social Work from University of Tennessee (through the Colleges of Social Work and Veterinary Medicine). I have worked in the counseling field since 1996, providing services to a wide variety of clients across the lifespan in different settings, including community mental health, inpatient addictions treatment, school-based, hospitals, and hospice agencies. I have integrated the intersection of mental health/the human-animal bond within different capacities for the last 23 years. For 10 years, I owned Compassionate Canines, a practice focused on integrating animal-assisted therapy into different clinical and health care settings, dedicated to teaching and evaluating animal-assisted intervention teams. I have owned my clinical private practice, Paws To Connect Counseling, LLC since 2016. I was the Director of Programs/Therapy Animal Program Manager at Pet Partners (formerly Delta Society) for 6 years, leading the program; as well as teaching and evaluating therapy animal teams as a Licensed Pet Partners Instructor and Team Evaluator for 10 years. For 13 years, I integrated my own furry family members - Mia (basset/labrador), Byron (flat-coated retriever), Coach (basset hound), and Clover (rabbit), as Pet Partners trained and nationally registered (certified) therapy animals into counseling with clients in clinical, healthcare and school-based settings. Over the years, my beloved therapy animal partners have all passed away from Lymphoma. Currently, my cats Cairn and Byson join me virtually in sessions on a monthly basis to provide feline-assisted comfort and support. I also integrate animal-assisted therapy into sessions by incorporating clients' unique relationship dynamics with their own beloved companion animals into their therapeutic process. I was a clinical counselor specializing in co-occurring disorders in community mental health and school-based systems for many years. During that time, I co-developed and co-implemented animal-assisted therapy programs with a focus on co-occurring issues with teens, young adults, and families. I've also trained colleagues on the framework and approaches for integrating animal-assisted therapy with different client populations. I began my journey as a veterinary social worker in 2012, when my dog Mia was diagnosed with Lymphoma. For the next 8 years, I navigated a lot of intensive caregiving of cancer and other life-limiting/terminal medical conditions and death and dying within my family. Through my own journey and learnings coupled with seeing many serious gaps and needs for this work to support both clients and professionals, I obtained my post-MSW veterinary social work certificate and began working within this area of practice in 2015. I was the founder and leader of the veterinary social work program for 6 years at a local large specialty and emergency veterinary hospital. I worked there as an embedded veterinary social worker providing supportive services and counseling to employees and clients, and supervised masters-level interns and another full-time social worker. In my last year there, I worked with senior leadership with the intention to create improvements on positive client experience, culture change, and wellness for employees. Over the years, I have also worked collaboratively and extensively with many general practice, specialty, and emergency veterinary practices both regionally and around the country. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my partner and husband of 25 years, and my furry family - Bear the 10 year old sweet-and-spicy basset hound, and two incredibly affectionate and mischievous 5 year old sibling cats - Cairn, the sassy adventurous calico and Byson, the quirky, affectionate gray tiger tabby. I also have 30 houseplants who are such lovely therapeutic office mates! I enjoy photography, traveling, reading, and spending a lot of time in nature - whether that be on the trails, at the ocean, exploring a new National Park, or adventuring to a 'bucket list' destination. I am an empath, a vegan, and very passionate about protecting and preserving our natural environment in micro, mezzo and macro ways. *COPYRIGHT 2016-2025. PAWS TO CONNECT COUNSELING, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED*