- Client-centered approach
- Skills and strategies
- Strengths-based work
About Rafaela
Rafaela DeSoto-Ray is a licensed professional counselor in Texas with 25 years of experience helping people through common and complex life challenges. She focuses on concerns like stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, and coping with life changes. She also works with ADHD, trauma and abuse, sleep problems, parenting strain, anger, and mood concerns such as bipolar disorder.
Rafaela takes a practical, person-focused approach. She starts by listening to what matters most to the individual and builds on the client’s strengths. Sessions aim to leave people with at least one idea or skill they can try between meetings. She describes herself as eclectic and open to using different methods to fit each person’s needs.
Her background includes work with developmental and behavioral disorders, head trauma, dementia, and other neurological conditions. That experience informs how she adapts strategies for people facing cognitive or medical challenges. She also addresses long-term patterns such as attachment issues, family of origin concerns, and codependency.
Rafaela uses Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy in her work. She emphasizes clear, straightforward tasks and goals, and she invites collaboration about which methods feel most helpful. Her aim is to make therapy useful in everyday life.
Many people begin by completing a brief matching questionnaire and scheduling sessions that fit their timing. Rafaela emphasizes steady progress and practical steps rather than quick fixes.
How her approaches shape online therapy
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building on a person’s own strengths; it helps people who need space to tell their story and decide goals at their own pace. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns common in anxiety, depression, and stress. Solution-Focused Therapy zeroes in on concrete goals and small steps that produce noticeable improvements in daily life.Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. She collaborates with each person to choose methods that match their needs, goals, and comfort. That means trying things, reviewing what helps, and adjusting strategies together as progress is made.
Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people practice new skills in the settings where they live and work, then bring those experiences back to therapy to adjust the next steps.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Credentials
Texas
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does this counselor address?
Rafaela helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and intimacy-related issues, and coping with life changes. She also works with ADHD, trauma and abuse, sleeping problems, parenting strain, anger, and bipolar-related concerns.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is person-focused and practical. She listens first, then offers skills and small steps to try between sessions.
What is her professional background?
She has 25 years of professional experience and has worked with developmental and behavioral disorders, head trauma, dementia, and other neurological conditions.
What credentials and location are on record?
She holds an LPC credential and practices in Texas.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with international clients?
She is not accepting international clients at this time.
How are session costs handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability and are billed through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin sessions with her?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.