Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Hackler
Hi Rachael, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Rachael Hackler, Licensed Professional Counselor and owner of TrueSelf Counseling in Fort Worth. My desire to work in the mental health field began a long time ago though I didn’t come to realize it until I was in my twenties. Here’s a little insight into why.
It all started in a small town in Oklahoma. I was born and raised in Henryetta, which is also known as the “Home of Troy Aikman.” I recall meeting him once when I was 7 years old in the local Homeland and got his signature on the receipt. That was the coolest moment for this Cowboys fan! I was raised by a single mother after my father was tragically killed when I was an infant. Being raised without my father was rough, but I had a tremendous amount of love from my extended family. My hometown is small and only takes about 5 minutes to get anywhere, so I spent a great deal of time with my grandparents, who always had fun things to get into. Both grandparents had their own farm, so playing in hay bales, feeding the calves, and searching for worms under cow patties were just some of the highlights. I also loved playing sports, mainly softball but struggled academically. Reading and spelling were so hard for me, and I remember in late elementary it all came to a head. There was such a rapid shift in my personality when I was in the 5th grade due to trauma I would come to recognize later in life. I see now that I needed a “me” during that season of my life. I can look back at that time as a now counselor and recognize that I was screaming in silence. This is just a part, though a big part, of what led me to being someone I needed as a child.
Early on, I knew I wanted so much more for myself that I battled for it. After high school, I moved to “the city,” aka Oklahoma City, to attend college. I started college as an education major, thinking that was who I wanted to be for children. Once I got into the education coursework, I realized I wanted to be more for kids-I just wasn’t sure what that was exactly. I finished my undergraduate degree in Family Studies/Child Development with plans to explore the adoption world. I was so blessed with an opportunity to be an adoption counselor for an agency in Dallas. This small town girl was moving to a much bigger city-it was a shock to my system! The traffic and massive highways scared the crap out of me. I had no idea what HOV even stood for! However, I loved the challenge and found my way.
I returned to college in my mid-twenties as I knew without a doubt I wanted to be a psychotherapist. I was pumped until I received my first graded essay and saw red ink all over it. The last page read “this is not graduate level work”. My 10-year-old self came flooding back, and I felt so out of place. I felt defeated and so alone. I lived alone with my dog, Winny, had a couple of wonderful friends, but my family was hours away. I remember crying to my friend’s mother one day at Sonic about wanting to run back to Henryetta. She talked me down and the next thing I knew I was graduating with a Masters in Community Counseling and moving to Fort Worth. Shortly after meeting my now husband, we went to eat lunch at Fred’s Cafe. While waiting for a table to open, some stranger offered to let us to join them. For such a small gesture, it left such a big impact. I knew right their Fort Worth was home for me.
Upon graduation, I continued to work directly with individuals who were choosing adoption for their child as well as the adoptive parents. The strength and endless love in those women and families is remarkable. I soon found myself working with parents of young children, ages 0-3, through Early Childhood Intervention. There, I worked as an infant mental health therapist and grew tremendously as a parent educator. Although I loved my role at ECI, I did not return after the birth of my twins. I had planned to stay home for a while but felt this pull to return to the mental health field for my own sanity. That is when I found the most challenging yet rewarding role as a therapist. I began work as a behavioral health assessment specialist, working directly with children and adults at a local psychiatric emergency department.
Who I am today is a direct product of my struggles, successes, and failures. My life has not always been flowers and rainbows, but it has paved my path to where I am now. The path definitely had some detours and a few potholes, but somehow, it has helped me to be a better version of myself. It has also given me the ability to easily connect and openly sit with the children, teens, adults, and families that choose me as their therapist.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am constantly saying, “I’m just rolling with it,” and that has absolutely been the foundation of TrueSelf Counseling. I knew in 2018 that I wanted to branch out on my own and build a practice that was holistic, relatable, and, frankly, just chill. It started as a super part-time gig where I was using my husband’s office one day a week since I was working full-time in the psychiatric ER. In early 2020 I made the decision to jump all the way into TrueSelf Counseling, sign my own office lease, and put in my notice at my full-time, secure with benefits, job. This was 3 weeks before Covid and the world shut down! I was terrified as I just left a job with so much security and now, I’m unable to see TrueSelf clients in the new office I must pay for. At that moment, I was full of regret and began to doubt myself. However, I had no choice but to “roll with it,” and that’s what I did. I transitioned to online/telehealth sessions and was able to work a few shifts at the ER for extra income. I spent a great deal of time reading, learning, and growing as a therapist. I had more time with my children than ever before, and something told me it was going to be okay.
Though I started the game on the toughest level, that makes me confidently know TrueSelf Counseling has a firm foundation. We are now a thriving practice with 4 full-time, wonderful therapists who all have the same style and vision for TrueSelf as I always have.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I remember friends in college telling me that I needed to be a counselor. I wasn’t even sure what that meant at the time, but I knew that I loved talking with people. I really love getting to know others but on a deep level. Now, don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy the everyday weather talk occasionally, but it’s the really get-to-know-you sort of talk that feeds my soul.
I love everything about being a therapist/counselor. It’s always been a part of me, but now I get to do it as a profession. I spent many years working directly with the adoption triad, which only fed my need to further my education in counseling. I have also worked with many young children and their families who have experienced trauma. This, along with my experience at a local psychiatric emergency department, led me to creating my own therapy practice, TrueSelf Counseling.
My heart has always been drawn to adolescents and that felt even more true when working in the emergency department. I knew these kids needed more than inpatient admission; they needed someone who understood them. They needed someone who they connected with and felt truly seen and heard by. I am not a “fix-it” therapist; I am a therapist who will see you and hear you, all the parts of you. Most of us, regardless of age, know what we should do when we are struggling. We aren’t looking for someone to solve the problem for us. We are looking for someone to sit with us in our insecurities, helplessness, sadness, and internal conflict.
I believe what sets me apart from others is my ability to connect with those who choose to share space with me. My hope is to create a welcoming, inclusive, and empowering environment so that opening up about the difficult stuff feels safe. I work mostly with teens, young adults, LGBTQIA+, and women who may be struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, transitions, and relationships. I incorporated a variety of therapeutic models, such as Internal Family Systems (IFS), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). My approach is holistic and looks at the self to empower my clients to be true to who they are.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
There is no better way to recall childhood moments and the feelings connected with them than to have children of your own. As a mom to 8-year-old twins, I find myself being that parent who loves to tell them stories of me growing up. The other night, my daughter asked me to tell her a story about my Granny Sharon, who recently passed away. When I think about the best parts of my childhood, she is in it, so of course, my favorite memory is surrounded by her. As a young child, I spent a great deal of time at her home. I remember Thursday nights going into town to grab a newspaper so we could circle all the best yard sales we’d be hitting up the next day. We always looked for sales “on the hill” in my hometown because that’s where the “fancy” people lived. We’d stop at McDonald’s to grab a biscuit and an orange juice before heading to the first sale. One day, we found a massive stack of old laminated posters, so of course, she bought them. We took them back to her house so Papa could hang them up as wallpaper in the old chicken coop. My cousin, who was more like a sister, and I played in that chicken coop for hours each day. It was no longer a chicken coop, it became a restaurant with a drive-thru, a day care, and a home for all our baby dolls.
Pricing:
- $140-$150
Contact Info:
- Website: www.
TrueSelfCounselingFW.com - Facebook: www.facebook.com/
trueselfcounselingfw - Linkedin: Linkedin.com/in/
rachael-hackler-ms-lpc-emdr- 0002911b
