Meet Rachel Harkness, LLMSW
Helping Families Heal, One Connection at a Time
Hi, I’m Rachel – and I want you to know: there’s nothing wrong with your child.
If you’re here, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, confused—or just plain exhausted.
Maybe your child doesn’t listen, argues constantly, seems overly emotional, shuts down, lashes out, or melts down over the smallest things.
Maybe teachers, caregivers, or relatives have said things that left you wondering:
“What’s going on with my child?”
“What did I do wrong?”
“Am I missing something?”
I want you to hear this from me: You didn’t fail. Your child isn’t broken. They’re going through something—something big enough that they can’t manage it on their own. But with the right support, they don’t have to.
I work with children and teens who feel hard to reach—and I help families find their way back to connection.
Most of the kids I work with are between the ages of 8 and 18. Many have experienced trauma or big emotional upheavals. Some are adopted or in foster care. Others are simply struggling, and no one can quite figure out why.
What I hear most often from parents is that their child is “too sensitive,” “too angry,” or “too much.” But when I meet that child, what I see is a kid who’s doing the best they can with what they’ve got—and who desperately needs someone to understand them.
That’s where I come in. My clients often say it feels like they’ve known me forever. I’m able to connect quickly and help kids feel safe being themselves, even when they’re scared, guarded, or acting out.
Therapy isn’t just for your child—it’s for your family.
As a parent, your insight is everything. I bring parents into the therapy process early and often, because I know how important your role is in your child’s healing. I help you see your child with fresh eyes—not just through the lens of behavior, but through understanding. I call this working against “parental blindness,” where we start to miss what’s really going on beneath the surface.
You’ll be supported just as much as your child is—because I believe in empowering parents to help their children long after therapy ends.
Why I do this work
Before becoming a therapist, I worked in foster care and adoption. I visited children once a quarter—and it was never enough. I saw the pain and confusion they carried, and I wanted to do more than check in. I wanted to be someone they could count on, someone who had time to really show up and help. That’s what led me here.
Loving and supporting children—especially those who’ve been hurt, misunderstood, or written off—has been a lifelong calling for me. I understand emotional kids. I understand families in crisis. And I understand how incredibly hard you’re trying.