Ricky Raphael - MFT Student Therapist
I work with individuals, couples, and families from diverse and various backgrounds and relish the opportunity to help clients overcome the challenges that hinder them from experiencing self-acceptance, functional and fulfilling relationships, and improved quality of life.
I believe the client is the expert, and no one knows a client better than themselves. I aim to thoroughly understand the client’s perspective, create a safe, non-judgmental space, provide helpful resources/insight, and build a therapeutic relationship with clients that enable persistent and determined clients to reach their therapeutic goals.
I am particularly passionate about working with couples and any issues regarding relationships such as infidelity, attraction, attachment, and sex therapy. I will often use Emotionally Focused Therapy to address the unmet, unexpressed, and underlying attachment needs that serve as a source of conflict in romantic relationships.
I am also highly mindful of technology and its impact on self-esteem. When people are blocked, ghosted, and unfriended, it leads to questions like "What happened?” “What did I do wrong?” or “What’s wrong with me?” Social media etiquette is a hot-button topic for many couples too. I embrace the role of helping clients navigate through the relational challenges of living in a technology-reliant world where direct communication and emotional transparency are lacking and where hiding behind technological devices is a common occurrence.
My other focus areas consist of helping clients with anxiety, building low self-esteem, challenging negative thoughts, and depression. I also have focused on the phase of life problems, such as divorce, retirement, breakups, career changes, and significant life transitions.
My favorite part about being a student therapist is seeing a client’s growth and development. A client arrives in therapy with presenting problems, we collaborate, and week by week, session by session, I get to witness clients go from metaphorical caterpillars finding their way to transforming into beautiful butterflies! A beautiful butterfly manifested as a better version of themselves, with better relationships, better-thinking patterns, better behavior, and better quality of life.
One of my favorite quotes by Gloria Steinem reads, “Far too many people are looking for the right person, instead of trying to be the right person.” As a student therapist, I have a role in helping others be whatever the “right person” means to them, and doing so brings me immense joy.
Ricky is from Houston, Texas, and moved to Las Vegas to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Houston in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. He is a current graduate student at the University of Nevada- Las Vegas and will graduate with a master's degree in Couple and Family Therapy in December 2022.