Experience Counts

With over 30 years of experience as a licensed clinical psychologist in Colorado, I continue my commitment to helping people navigate life’s most difficult challenges with clarity, intention, commitment and purpose. I have practiced clinical psychology both in private practice and at Kaiser Permanente Behavioral Health from 1991 to 2019, serving as both staff psychologist and supervising psychologist/manager. 

I earned my Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) from Wright State University, School of Professional Psychology, where I specialized in clinical psychology. My training includes a clinical psychology residency at the Veterans Administration Medical Center at Fort Meade/West River Mental Health Consortium in South Dakota (1987-1988) and a post-doctoral year of supervision with Robert Arnio, PhD, at Psychological Associates of the Black Hills (1988-1989). I also pursued doctoral studies in Clinical Developmental Psychology at The Ohio State University (1982-1984), focusing on child and adolescent clinical psychology. I hold a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Psychology with Honors Distinction from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1980).

As a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), I am dedicated to evidence-based, inclusive psychological care. I continue to pursue continuing education and in depth training in emerging developments in the field of psychology and psychotherapy, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy to name a few.

My Psychotherapy Approach

My work as a psychologist is grounded in the scientist–practitioner model and evidenced-based psychotherapy. I work to understand the suffering of each individual person within their life context, developmental stage, and unique psychological, social, and cultural history. I approach therapy with honesty, compassion, and directness, creating a collaborative space where we can explore thoughts, emotions, and behavioral patterns with clarity and purpose.

I believe that truly effective therapy goes beyond just managing symptoms. We’ll work together to understand how your anxiety, mood, or recurring thoughts fit into the larger story of your life — how your experiences, habits, and sense of self have shaped the way you think and feel. By exploring these patterns with care and curiosity, we can discover what drives them and how they might be serving you. The goal is not only to ease your distress, but to help you build a more adaptable, grounded, and purposeful life that reflects what matters most to you.

During our life journey, we live innumerable experiences, both joyful and painful, some deeply rewarding and meaningful and some hurtful and traumatic. Sometimes, thinking becomes rumination, worry becomes anxiety, sadness deepens into depression, restlessness disturbs our sleep, and efforts to shield ourselves from pain can, paradoxically, become obstacles to the change we need. Life’s challenges—such as loss, trauma, or chronic illness—can expose vulnerabilities and deep-seated uncertainty about ourselves and life.

I’ve learned that each moment of psychological pain contains an opportunity to change ignorance into understanding, unskillful behavior into skillful behavior, self-judgement into self-compassion, and being stuck into flexibility and new behaviors.

Psychotherapy is work we do together. I bring honesty, directness, and authenticity to the work. I value creating a supportive safe space for you to share your pain and struggles with me. I support you being honest and curious about yourself and your struggles. Integrating evidence-based methods with insights from contemplative traditions, our sessions become a collaborative exploration. We don’t limit our goals to alleviating distress and suffering; we aspire to cultivate a mindful relationship with your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors freeing you to live flexibly, creatively and fully according to what you value most in this life.

Vita for Rachael St.Claire PsyD

CURRENT WORK

Rachael St.Claire PsyD LLC
Licensed Psychologist, Private Practice,
Accepting new clients for virtual psychotherapy
303-351-2251 rachael.stclaire@hush.com

EDUCATION

Wright State University
Dayton, Ohio — Doctor of Psychology 1985 - 1988 American Psychological Association approved

Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio — Completed 130 quarter hours in Clinical Child Psychology Program 1982 – 1985

University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana, Illinois — Bachelor of Science with Distinction in Psychology 1977 - 1980

Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, Illinois — psychology major completed 31 semester hours 1976 – 1977 Diploma with Honors Distinction

PRE-DOCTORAL CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP

Fort Meade Veterans Administration Medical Center / West River Mental Health Psychology Internship Consortium, Fort Meade and Spearfish, South Dakota, 1987-1988, full accreditation by the American Psychological Association

HONORS AND AWARDS

Kaiser Permanente Colorado Diversity Achievement Award Nominee – 2014

Kaiser Permanente National R. J. Erickson Diversity Achievement Award – 2013

Kaiser Permanente Colorado Diversity Achievement Award – 2013

ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIPS

American Psychological Association: member since 1996

World Professional Association for Transgender Health, member since 1997.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Staff Psychologist, Kaiser Permanente, Behavioral Health Department, Denver, Colorado 1992-2019

• Staff psychologist 1992-2001

• Assistant Supervisor 2001-2003

• Clinic Supervisor 2003-2005

• Clinic Manager 2005-2008

• Senior Manager 2008-2009

• Staff Psychologist 2010-2017

• Transgender Behavioral Health Services (lead psychologist) 2017-2019

• Staff Psychologist responsibilities: out-patient psychotherapy; individual, couples and family therapy; psychological assessment, psychological testing, report writing; crisis intervention and involuntary mental health holds; group therapy and psycho- educational classes, including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) groups.

• Transgender Behavioral Health responsibilities: therapy with children, teens, adults and parents to assess and resolve concerns related to gender identity and expression; therapeutic support for gender transition; WPATH assessment and referral for gender-affirming medical treatment; training behavioral health professionals in gender-affirming behavioral healthcare; supervising graduate psychology students and predoctoral psychology interns in gender-affirming behavioral healthcare; transgender services program development.

• Clinical Supervisor for pre-doctoral interns from the University of Denver Graduate School Professional Psychology.

• Past management responsibilities included managing operations of multi-disciplinary outpatient behavioral health clinics, including supervision of clinical and non-clinical staff, staff hiring, clinical supervision, oversight of all behavioral health clinical and clerical services, development of mental health outcome tracking, implementation of department and organizational strategic initiatives, and collaboration within a labor-management partnership with union represented employees

Field Supervisor, University of Denver, Graduate School of Professional Psychology; Denver, Colorado 2006-2017

• Clinical supervision of doctoral clinical psychology students; supervised activities include diagnostic interviewing, psychological assessment, and individual and group psychotherapy; approximately 5 students each academic year; committee member for doctoral student dissertations

Clinical Psychology Private Practice, Denver, Colorado 1995-present

• Psychological evaluation and psychotherapy

• Specializing in treatment of the full range of mental health conditions including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and worry, panic disorder, trauma.

• Couples counseling using Emotion Focused Couples Therapy as developed by Sue Johnson.

Mobile Crisis Team Evaluator, Mental Health Corporation of Denver; Denver, Colorado 1995-1997

• Emergency psychological evaluation of acute or chronically mentally patients in the community and at emergency departments of general hospitals; evaluated dangerousness to self and others and gravely disabled; consulted with physicians and psychiatrists; evaluated patients for involuntary mental health holds

Private Group Practice, Clinical Psychologist, Craig, Colorado 1989-1991

• Psychological evaluation and therapy, forensic evaluation, competency evaluation, custody evaluation, consultation to mental health professionals

Psychological Associates of the Black Hills, Psychology Trainee, Spearfish, South Dakota 1988-1989

• Individual and group therapy, psychological evaluation, forensic evaluation, competency evaluation, custody evaluation, consultant to Archdiocese of Rapid City (Marriage Tribunal and Deaconate), professional workshop administration. Supervised by Robert Arnio PhD, licensed psychologist

Freshwater House; Psychological Assistant, Columbus, Ohio 1983-1985

• Psychological evaluation and individual psychotherapy. Supervised by Carol Manchester PhD, licensed psychologist

PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE

Licensed Psychologist, Colorado, licensed since July 1991, License No 1546

PERSONAL INTERESTS

Long distance trail running, wilderness hiking, watercolor painting, mindfulness meditation