Rachel Saffer (she/her/hers) earned her Masters of Social Work from Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Starting as an office volunteer at Austin Grief, Rachel quickly grew to be an integral part of our team.
Rachel has experience in providing counseling to adults, teenagers and children who have experienced significant trauma in both group and individual settings. Rachel utilizes various interventions in her practice including therapeutic yoga, EMDR, and traditional play therapy. She believes in providing every client with a welcoming and safe environment so that they can work towards healing on their own terms.
THERAPY SERVICES
The Austin Center for Grief & Loss offers individual, couples, and family therapy for adults, children, and adolescents as well as a variety of support groups. Our compassionate and caring therapists are trained in the unique aspects of therapy specific to all types of loss, grief, and bereavement to help people better understand this experience.
We understand that loss and grief occur due to many life experiences ranging from a divorce, family estrangement, a transition or move, an empty nest, chronic pain, diagnosis of a disease or terminal illness, substance abuse, care giving, and so many more life events in which we experience unexpected change and a loss of expectations. Often a sense of loss and grief occurs when a loved one is physically present, but they no longer have the ability to be mentally present; family members and friends experience a profound sense of loss.
We incorporate a variety of approaches and methods to include traditional talk therapy, play therapy, compassion-focused therapy, meaning reconstruction, fostering of continuing bonds, EMDR, and an array of creative interventions, available in both English and Spanish. Individual sessions are generally 50 minutes, and family and couple’s sessions are generally 90 minutes. We strive to help anyone in need of hope and healing, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and/or socioeconomic status. We offer a sliding scale fee structure for those in need and a Care Assistance Program. For more details and to access our services please call 512-472-7878.
WHAT IS GRIEF?
Loss, change, and death are universal human experiences, and grief is the normal, natural, and adaptive response to many types of loss. Every person's experience is unique. Grief can be experienced and expressed in many ways which include changes to thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Grief can also be experienced through physical symptoms and changes. Sometimes, our lives are shaped by the experience of various and numerous losses over time. Loss experiences can be both difficult and transformative. Grief therapy provides one more tool to assist us as we incorporate these experiences into our lives.
WHAT IS GRIEF THERAPY?
Grief therapy provides support and guidance to help bereaved individuals, couples, and families navigate through all kinds of significant loss experiences. Grief therapy can help people identify, understand, and develop effective methods for coping and managing their grief during a time of loss, change, and transition. The purpose of grief therapy is to help people work through the feelings, thoughts, and memories associated with loss and grief in ways that are congruent with a person’s personality, preferences, values, and goals.
Some people comment that they have not directly experienced the death of a loved one or a friend, but they are experiencing the symptoms of loss and grief, or trauma. They may not be able to pinpoint the loss. This type of loss is called ambiguous loss, or disenfranchised loss or grief, and is followed by unidentified grief that persists in our lives. Examples of ambiguous loss are: the inability to say goodbye to the friend or loved one; a change in a relationship; estrangement from a parent or from the family; multiple moves due to work or to military service; loss due to a loved one's substance abuse / misuse/ addiction/ death; or transition from one school to another. Other examples are the loss of expectations and dreams due to a chronic illness, injury, disability, medical diagnosis, or trauma.
At the Austin Center for Grief & Loss, we recognize and respect the losses in life that may result in experiencing grief, and we want to walk with you as you seek comfort, adjustment, reorientation, understanding, or a new normal in your life. Call to schedule an intake session with us.
Good Faith Estimate Notice
You have the right to receive a ‘Good Faith Estimate’ explaining how much your therapy may cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who do not have insurance, or who are not using insurance, a cost estimate of the bill for medical items and services.
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You have the right to receive a ‘Good Faith Estimate’ for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.
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Your health care provider must give you a ‘Good Faith Estimate’ in writing for scheduled services within designated timeframes. You can also ask your health care provider for a ‘Good Faith Estimate’ before you schedule an item or service.
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If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your ‘Good Faith Estimate’, you can dispute the bill.
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Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
For questions or more information about your rights to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.
Telehealth Therapy Services and Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The safety, well-being, and health of the people we serve, our volunteers, and staff, are our highest priority. The Austin Center for Grief & Loss is committed to supporting the safety of our community.
Individual therapy services will continue onsite as well as through telehealth services. We know that people are continuing to experience adjustments to current stressors caused by changes to everyday life resulting from the coronavirus/COVID-19.
We understand that grieving people may be especially vulnerable to anxiety and feelings of isolation during times of uncertainty. Through this time of concern and closures in our community. The Austin Center for Grief & Loss will be providing the option for persons participating in support group services to receive individual, telehealth services* for grief and loss. These services are provided by fully licensed therapists, and licensed Associate therapists, and are provided on a fee schedule that includes sliding fee scales and secured remote billing. All telehealth services are completely HIPAA compliant, confidential, and secured. To assess whether your insurance reimburses for these services, please call your insurance company directly. The telehealth platform does require a computer, smart phone, or tablet and is user-friendly. We will provide navigational support to all clients interested in beginning telehealth. A telehealth video session with an Austin Center for Grief & Loss therapist can be scheduled by calling 512-472-7878.