Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Daggett.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Where do I even begin? I’ll start by first saying that never in a million years did I think I’d be where I am today. When I think back to my worst days, when I was at rock bottom, the idea of being a licensed clinician with my own ocean view office, a full and busy practice, a growing family, and a sense of confidence, security and peace within myself seemed like eons away…or like a ridiculous pipe dream.
I can get more into those personal challenges I overcame later. But in terms of my business … if I had to use one word to say how I got here it would simply be “help”. I have had a hell of a lot of help, in many forms, from some amazing people. Yes, I can take credit for all of my hard work and the blood, sweat, and tears that I (and only I) put into my getting here, and I do take credit for that. However, I would be lying if I said I did this all on my own or could have done it on my own. The kicker for me though was that I had to learn to be open to the help that was out there for me, and I had to be humble enough to admit that I needed it, to seek it out, and to accept it.
I wish I could sit here and name each person that has made a monumental difference in my life and thank them personally for helping me get here. Most of them know who they are…some probably have no idea. These people range from perfect strangers to doctors and therapists, professors and supervisors, to friends and family. Some of these people on my path actually hurt me along the way, but little did I know at the time that my biggest hurts and wounds would actually help me become successful.
The support, mentorship, love and encouragement that I have received throughout my career path have helped me get from “lost and don’t know what I’m looking for” to “I’m here. I’m right where I’m supposed to be”.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This road has certainly not been smooth. I really don’t think anyone’s road to success or fulfillment is. I’ve overcome many obstacles, including my own personal battle with mental health and my recovery from an eating disorder.
I started my path to this career in college as a Psychology major. I was always passionate and excited to learn about people and learn how I could help people but was never really sure what that actually looked like. College was also the time that many of my own inner demons reared their ugly heads. I struggled with depression, anxiety, and an eating disorder through college and into the years after…things always being at their lowest during times of high stress or change, and progressively getting worse.
By the time I started my first year of graduate school in an MFT Program (I had figured out at this point that I wanted to be a therapist), things were pretty bad. Eating disorders are sneaky, deceiving, and isolating, so while on the outside I was a happy girl doing well in school with a great boyfriend and busy social life, I was crumbling and dying inside. Unbeknownst to many of the people around me, things were not as they appeared. I put every ounce of energy I had into hiding the darkness, pain, and dwindling will to live that was pumping through my veins.
Finally, with the help of my therapist at the time and my parents showing up at my house one Sunday morning for an intervention, I ended up in a treatment program. But oh, denial is a beautiful thing. I thought I’d go to this day program for a little while to humor my parents, eat some breadsticks, go through the motions and pretend to get better so I could go back to my “perfect” life with my black-out curtains, my precious scale and sweet loneliness. No one was going to take away the comforts of my self-destruction or make me admit that things were seriously not okay.
Things did not go as I had planned and I ended up ashamedly being forced to take a medical leave from graduate school to enter residential treatment. Long story short, varying levels of treatment lasted about a year in total, and by the time I got out and was ready to re-enter the functioning world, I wanted nothing to do with the realm of psychology or becoming a therapist. Looking back now I can see that going back to school and becoming a therapist would be a vow to my recovery and a huge piece of accountability that I was not ready to commit to.
I got an 8-5 job as a receptionist in West LA, a cute apartment, and went right back to many of my scary unhealthy ways. Thankfully this did not end me up in treatment again, but at some point during that year (as I was continuing to work with an outpatient team of a therapist and dietitian), something changed and a good, hard look at myself and my life made me finally decide that I actually did want to choose a recovered life and I wanted to help others do the same.
As I continued on my own journey of healing, I re-enrolled in my graduate program and soon started seeing clients as a trainee in our community counseling clinic.
My favorite part of this story is that still at this point, freshly strong in my recovery and still vulnerable, I was sure that I wanted to work with young kids (as a former nanny this was comfortable for me) and did not want to treat eating disorders. I felt it would be too close to home, too triggering, and hypocritical in some way because I had struggled myself. However, as that year went on and we were randomly assigned clients based on schedule and availability, I kept finding myself working with young girls who were struggling with their body image and disordered eating. At first, I was frustrated and terrified by this, but as I processed it with my supervisors and peers, I started to learn my first and biggest lesson as a therapist … that the clients who need you most, find you. And I have found that to be true ever since.
So I opened myself up to the possibility of specializing in eating disorders and pursued continued training and experience with this after graduating and beginning my 3-year process of accruing the 3,000 needed hours towards licensure. And now, it’s what I do! And I love it! I am proud and happy to call myself fully recovered and to help others along their own paths to recovery.
The road has not been smooth…it’s been full of more obstacles and hardships than I could ever fit into this article…and still is! But it’s taught me so much and helped me become a better clinician and human.
Our greatest heartaches, our challenges, our deepest pains and griefs can become our greatest gifts. And that’s why I am thankful for my rough road.
Alright – so let’s talk business. What else should we know about you and your career so far?
My business is a private psychotherapy practice in which I see clients individually and as a family. I work with both teens and adults, helping people navigate through many issues ranging from life adjustments and relationship issues to trauma, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. My clients are extremely important to me and I take care to make sure that it feels like the right fit to them from the beginning, and to build a unique, trusting, and solid relationship with each individual I work with. Oftentimes, I will incorporate session “outings” when appropriate, such as meal support sessions for those in eating disorder recovery, or “walk and talk”/outdoor sessions for those suffering from anxiety or depression.
Aside from my private practice, I am involved in various other community efforts to raise awareness, educate, and provide needed services to the community and those in need. I sit on the board of The South Bay Eating Disorder Coalition, leading an amazing group of eating disorder professionals in providing education and support to our community here in the South Bay. I am also actively involved with The Jimmy Miler Foundation, where we provide ocean and surf therapy to at-risk youth and veterans.
I really enjoy making art as a way to practice my own self-expression and create something tangible out of what goes on in my head, and I encourage my clients to do the same in whatever form of creative expression works for them.
I am passionate and committed to this work and am grateful to the amazing human beings I get to work with everyday, for their openness and willingness to challenge me and allow me to walk with them on whatever journey they are on.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
As I alluded to earlier, the people who have helped me are the reason I am where I am. I wish I could thank every single person who deserves credit here in this article. There are certainly a handful of professors, therapists, supervisors, and clients I’ve had who have made a huge impact on my life both personally and professionally. My parents have always been there for me, helped me get through my toughest days as a struggling young adult, and even let me live at home multiple times long after I should have “fled the nest”.
I can’t go without personally calling out my number one though, my husband, Sean. This amazing man has helped me and supported me in so many ways, including helping me grow my business and supporting my long journey of being un-paid or underpaid for years as a student, trainee, then intern. He never questioned my goals or dreams despite how long the road would be, and he’s always been there to either push and challenge me to do something I’m scared of or call me out when I’m doing too much and on the brink of burn-out. I never question that he wholeheartedly believes in me and wants me to succeed. Admittedly, some aspects of business management are not my biggest strengths (such as finances), and he’s taken on the role of “CFO” willingly and without complaint. Sean has also been there to always love me harder when I need it most, such as the really tough days with my own mental health and personal healing. For this steadfast and selfless love and support from my hubby I will be forever grateful.
While I am at peace with where I’m at and enjoying this phase of my career, I know that my journey is far from over! Growth is never-ending, and I still have a lot of learning and growing to do. There is still so much more I want to do and accomplish in this life, and I am thankful to have a support system and team of colleagues and friends who I know will be there to help me and cheer me on.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2401 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 107
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 - Website: www.racheldaggett.net
- Phone: 3106976728
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachel_daggett/
- Other: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hungry-raising-hope-advocacy-and-awareness-for-recovery-tickets-64705850942
Image Credit:
Casey Figlewicz
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