Inspiring Conversations with Rachelle Bodle of Therapist Effect Academy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachelle Bodle.

Hi Rachelle, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I grew up going to therapy and continue today. It was a place for me to find my own identity and be myself. Growing up multiracial was confusing and I never felt like I fit in anywhere. Therapy was a place I felt safe enough to be me, Rachelle. I could be me without any labels or barriers. I never thought I would be a therapist, but here I am now providing a safe place for others to process any emotional, cultural, social, and familial trauma.

While working at a non-profit agency, I had the opportunity to mentor pre-licensed therapists and give them the support I felt like what was missing during my internship. A place to go beyond supervision or school to ask questions they felt too embarrassed or scared to ask, or just talk.

That sparked the idea to create my second business Therapist Effect Academy to mentor future therapists not just at the agency, but everywhere. I feel like it’s a circle of healing and helping.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Becoming a therapist was a long journey. I started going to college right after high school and a semester before graduating with my bachelor my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I took some time to take care of her and it was the hardest thing for me to do, Our roles had reversed. I was her caregiver now. It was a strange feeling and it was difficult for both of us to adjust to. But we did it. When she went into remission, I decided to go back to school and I worried I wouldn’t fit in again. How would anyone understand I what I was going through for the past few years? It turned out I never felt more connected and understood by others until I started my Master’s program. I made friends who accepted me immediately and it was like I was meant to be there all along. I still talk to my friends from my program almost every day. They became my family.

My biggest challenge was when I failed my clinical exam. It was a blow to my ego and I thought I was never going to be licensed. It didn’t help I didn’t feel supported at my site. It took me a year to have the courage to take the test again and I passed. Looking back, failing the test took me on another path and it was for the better. It brought me here.

We’ve been impressed with Therapist Effect Academy, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I established the Therapist Effect Academy to empower, support, and guide future mental health professionals through coaching and courses. I love being able to share my knowledge and be a source of wisdom for others.

When I was creating the Academy, I realized there was a lot of coaching or courses geared towards pre-licensed mental health professionals. Everything was about studying for your license and what to do after licensing, There was this place of limbo that was untapped. I hope I am able to fill that void. Next year, I hope to launch my podcast, Thriving Therapist, to go along with the Academy.

I’m most proud of coming this far. I set this goal to become a therapist and now I am my own boss running a small business. It’s my greatest accomplishment. It’s amazing to find your place in the world to grow and know this is the place you belonged to the whole time.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
The most important lesson I could share with anyone is to accept and love yourself. Going to therapy and working on myself, made me realize my uniqueness, and life lessons made me special. If you learn to love yourself and accept help, your personal growth will flourish.

I think we get caught up in thinking if I get this one thing or if I was just like this person, everything will fall into place. It’s about learning from our experiences, finding a support system, and asking for help. I know it’s scary, but changing my own narrative showed me the validation I was seeking had to come from me. I hope my work instills this message in my clients and future mental health professionals.

Pricing:

• Consultation: Free
• Coaching: $250/session
• Courses: $25-$100

Contact Info:

• Website: www.therapisteffectacademy.com
• Instagram: @therapisteffectacademy
• Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/rachelle-r-bodle-santa-clarita-ca/491281 

Image Credits
@azziesphotography