01 · Who Rafaela works with

Rafaela works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and depression

Rafaela lists 13 specialisms and 26 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Rafaela chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Rafaela's own words

What Rafaela says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I am licensed in Texas with 25 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress, depression, anxiety, PTSD, & coping with life changes. I am knowledgeable and skilled with developmental and behavioral disorders, issues associated with head trauma, dementia, and other neurological conditions.

Because every individual is different I am eclectic in my therapeutic approach. I am willing to find the techniques and approaches that will work best for you. My hope is that with each session I am able to give you some new idea or skill that will bring a positive change to your life outside of therapy.

I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!

Rafaela DeSoto-Ray, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Rafaela works

The 3 approaches Rafaela lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Rafaela lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Rafaela's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Rafaela runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Rafaela practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Rafaela's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Rafaela at this point.

2. Naming Rafaela specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Rafaela is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Rafaela.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Rafaela

Built from what Rafaela actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Rafaela's - Rafaela has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 25 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPC

Licensed in

Texas

Licence

TX LPC 18263

Licence number

18263

Licence expires

30 Apr 2028

NPI

1265579403

Years in practice

25

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Rafaela's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Rafaela. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.