Rafaela DeSoto-Ray

Rafaela DeSoto-Ray is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in Texas who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, and big life changes. She works with adults managing grief, trauma, sleep problems, ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, and intimacy or relationship strains. Her approach aims to give practical ideas that people can try between sessions.

With 25 years of experience, she has worked with developmental and behavioral concerns as well as issues related to head injury, dementia, and other neurological conditions. She describes her style as flexible and tailors techniques to each person's needs. Sessions focus on learning skills and small steps that make daily life easier.

Rafaela uses straightforward methods drawn from client-centered care, cognitive behavioral tools, and solution-focused strategies. She listens first, then helps clients set clear, short-term goals and plans for change. The aim is gradual progress rather than sudden fixes.

She believes people bring their own strengths and knowledge to therapy. Her role is to support exploration, offer new perspectives, and practice skills that reduce overwhelm. Many people come away with clearer priorities and workable techniques for managing stress and relationships.

If someone is unsure where to begin, she encourages taking a simple first step and completing an initial questionnaire to match needs with a plan. That starting action is often enough to begin feeling a bit more hopeful.

How these approaches fit into online therapy

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and understanding a person's experience. The therapist provides a supportive, nonjudgmental space and follows the client's lead to build trust and clarity. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, helps identify unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns and teaches practical skills to change them, which can be useful for anxiety, depression, sleep, and mood regulation. Solution-Focused Therapy looks for small, achievable steps and recent successes to build momentum and tackle specific goals.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will listen to goals and preferences, suggest techniques that fit the situation, and adjust methods as progress is made. Clients and the therapist decide together what to try and what to keep working on from session to session.

If you are considering online work, confirm the current session options before booking so you know how sessions will be arranged. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, reduce travel time, allow a shorter check-in when needed, and let people work on skills between responsibilities. Licensed professionals can tailor pacing and homework to suit each person's daily life while focusing on clear, practical goals.