Rachel Oxley, MSW LICSW
Social Worker/Therapist
Rachel Oxley, MSW, LICSW (she/her/hers) earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology through Iowa State University in 2012 and her Master of Social Work through The University of Iowa in 2015. Rachel first developed an interest in feminist frameworks during an internship at a domestic violence and assault support center. From there she pursued an in-depth understanding of the relationships between gender/sexuality and institutions/systems.
While in her graduate program, Rachel used her internship experiences to advance her knowledge of best practices for working with the LGBTQIA+ community as well as effective treatments for eating disorders and body image concerns. Additionally, she used this time to examine the overlap between various gender/sexual identities and eating disorder symptoms and treatment. Unexpectedly and proudly, this was the time in Rachel’s life when she began to understand her own queer identities.
In her 8 years of clinical practice, Rachel has worked in a variety of settings. In addition to supporting LGBTQIA+ youth and adults, she has worked with family members to support their loved ones through changes and needs that can arise during a transition or coming-out experience. Rachel is guided by WPATH and informed consent models as she uses a multidisciplinary approach of support professionals (e.g., physicians, teachers, psychiatric providers) when working with transgender and gender diverse individuals.
Rachel additionally has a passion for supporting individuals through the healing of religious trauma. She also utilizes body intuitive approaches and a body positive framework to address body and eating shame. Rachel’s work is guided by Feminist Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Mindful Self-Compassion, and Narrative Therapy principles.
The values that characterize Rachel’s therapeutic relationships include trust building, safety, relentless curiosity, client autonomy, and humor when appropriate. Rachel’s strengths in the therapeutic process include incorporating creativity and language reframing. In addition, she has a peculiar ability to remember the rich details in client history. She holds the foundational belief that each client’s journey reflects their personal uniqueness, and welcomes client feedback in the co-creation of a safe and healing space.
Rachel views her ongoing clinical growth as paramount to meeting client and community need. She is committed to continuing education goals that include best practices to support the needs of BIPOC as well as those of diverse relationship configurations (e.g., ethical non-monogamy, polyamory, kink). Rachel is actively engaged in building an enriched Multicultural Therapy practice.
Rachel is in network with most major health plans, including BCBS, United Healthcare and affiliates, Midland’s Choice, Medicare, and Nebraska Medicaid managed care plans. If you would like to work with Rachel, we strongly encourage you to check first with your insurance plan by calling Member Services to ensure that Rachel is in network with your policy.
Rachel can also see clients on a self-pay basis. Our Client Coordination Team can provide you with more information about this option if you are interested; just write “self-pay” in the corresponding field when submitting your service request!