Rachael Berg-Martinez, PhD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist - CA PSY26730; MI 6301019003
EMDR Certified Therapist
Perinatal Mental Health Certified Therapist

Rachael sees clients at our Santa Ana location.
714-558-9266 x244

If you are struggling to find your way and finding yourself impacted by hurt and harm from your past, I am here to help. Our past can weigh heavily on our present relationships, sense of thriving, and spirituality. You don’t have to do this alone. I am passionate about helping adults and children who come from hard places to find hope and healing, including those with PTSD, anxiety, spiritual trauma and church hurt, and attachment problems.

I find great meaning in working with parents who themselves have come from hard places or with histories of trauma or loss who are struggling to find their way in parenting. This includes treatment of young children with disruptive behaviors, parent-child attachment and relationship issues, and those impacted by foster care and adoption. 

If you have grappled with the rollercoaster of trying to conceive, infertility, IVF, miscarriage or perinatal loss, or birth trauma, or if you are a birth worker (doula, chaplain, nurse, etc.) experiencing vicarious trauma, I would be honored to walk alongside you on your journey.

If you are wondering if there might be more to the picture that meets the eye or suspect you or your child might have autism, ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), a learning disorder, or something else going on, I often provide comprehensive evaluations of children and adults, particularly those who have gone unrecognized historically or who have complex issues that need sorting out. We can play detective together to find you answers! Each evaluation culminates in a feedback session, a written report, and list of recommendations and resources that are specific to you.

I tailor my approach to each individual’s and family’s strengths and needs, culture, spiritual beliefs and values, pulling from several evidence-based practices (which you can read about below), teaching concrete skills and focusing on reflection and relational patterns in the safety of a warm, compassionate therapeutic relationship so that you can move toward healing and wholeness. I am passionate about evidence-based, whole-client, and culturally-sensitive practice, taking both a practical and reflective approach to design a treatment plan that respects your goals and needs while reflecting the scientific and theoretical literature, and the culture and values of your family. I pull from all the below areas as well as expressive and creative therapies with a foundation in depth psychology.

I have worked, trained therapists, and supervised for over a decade in diverse settings including community mental health clinics, a university counseling center, and non-profit counseling centers. I have been trained in the following: 

• Relational and Attachment-Based Psychodynamic therapy (which honors the impact of early relationships and experiences on a person throughout their life)
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) certified, including training in attachment-based EMDR
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), a parent coaching model for young children (ages 2 to 8) with trauma and/or difficult behaviors (tantrums, defiance, aggression)
• The TIES Transition Model including Adoption-Specific Psychotherapy (ADAPT)
• Perinatal Mental Health certified (PMH-C)

I completed my Ph.D. at Rosemead School of Psychology, my APA internship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles with Project HEAL, the child trauma specialty program, and my post-doctoral fellowship with UCLA TIES for Families, a clinic that specializes in foster and adoptive children and families.