Rachel Lucas Counseling, LLC

09/02/2025

My colleague and I are also in the process of screening for the Trauma Education and Skills Group - which is slated to start next week! This may be the last time we offer this group and we have some spots left. It's a 10-session psychoeducation and skill building group with a broad focus on understanding impacts of trauma and the process of healing. Details are below - if you are interested contact one of us as soon as possible.

Start date: September 9th (may have to delay a week)
End date: November 18th
Meeting times: Tuesdays 4:30-6pm MST
Location: 2850 McClelland Dr, ste 3400, Fort Collins, CO 80525
Session fees (per group): $50, sliding scale available
Insurances accepted: Most major insurances accepted
Requirements: Group screening prior to group admission, current stability/supports in place, and previous (or current) individual therapy specifically addressing trauma. Must commit to attending all 10 groups.

Interested clients can contact us directly, Emilie at [email protected] or Rachel at [email protected]

09/02/2025

I'm getting excited to start the fall series of our new Somatic Healing Group THIS Saturday! The overarching theme for our fall series is a Felt Sense of Attachment. Details are below - I'd love you to join us while we still have a few spots left!

Meeting dates: September 6, October 18, November 15
Meeting times: Saturdays 9am-12pm MST
Location: The Lotus Room at Hope Roots
Session fees (per group): $150, with options for supported or sponsoring pricing available.
Insurances accepted: Medicaid only, otherwise out of pocket payable by Venmo, PayPal, or check prior to each group.
Requirements: Group screening prior to group admission, currently stable, and currently seeing an individual therapist. Must commit to attending all three groups.
Spots are limited, and screenings are already underway so please reach out ASAP if you are interested to schedule a screening!

04/19/2025

My friend and colleague, Emilie Ryan of Sense of Self Counseling and Mindfulness, and I are Licensed Professional Counselors in Fort Collins who specialize in trauma healing using a mindfulness and somatic (body-based) approach. Trained in Somatic Experiencing and heavily informed by neurobiology and attachment theory, we are passionate about providing accessible, high quality care with a focus on autonomy, choice, and nervous system regulation. We have been co-facilitating therapeutic groups for over 7 years together as a way to provide further healing and growth to individuals in numerous and diverse ways, and are excited to offer a new, cutting edge offering:

Somatic Healing Group: A new three-hour group therapy intensive utilizing embodied practices to build capacity for distress, manage emotions, and increase awareness of the mind-body connection. We will break out of the traditional model of talk therapy to utilize experiential techniques for befriending the body and healing from within. This group focuses on building capacity and flexibility within the nervous system to promote health and well-being in everyday life. It is appropriate for adults who want to build their resiliency, engage in more meaningful, authentic connections with others, and already have an individual therapist. We ask that participants commit to attending three consecutive group intensives in order to provide consistency, predictability and stronger group cohesion for maximum benefit and growth.

The theme for the summer series is working with Nervous System States.

Meeting dates: May 17, June 28, July 26
Meeting times: Saturdays 9am-12pm MST
Location: The Lotus Room at Hope Roots
Session fees (per group): $150, with options for supported or sponsoring pricing available.
Insurances accepted: Medicaid only, otherwise out of pocket.
Requirements: Group screening prior to group admission, current stability/not a risk to self or others, and currently seeing an individual therapist.

Space is limited so please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions or to set up a screening:
Emilie Ryan, LPC, NCC, RYT, SEP at 970-716-0417 or [email protected]
Rachel Lucas, LPC, NCC, CAS, RYT at 970-818-2659 or [email protected]

12/27/2024

Upcoming Group Offerings:

My colleague, Emilie Ryan, and I are really excited to put our Somatic Experiencing training to use in a new therapeutic group intensive starting in January! This 3-hour Somatic Healing Group is experiential and will be offered approximately once per month on Saturday mornings. If you have a client who is interested (or are interested for yourself) please reach out to schedule a screening. This group is appropriate for adults who have an individual therapist and can attend in-person in Fort Collins. We will accept Medicaid and private pay only for this group (sliding scale available). Unlike our other groups, this is not a trauma-healing specific group and anyone looking to work on experiential healing is welcome, including clients who have experienced trauma(s).

We are also gearing up for the next round of our 10 week Trauma Education & Skills Group series (information in comments with a link) which will meet in person on Thursdays from 4:30-6pm and is slated to begin the last week of January or the first week of February. We are always appreciative of referrals from fellow therapists and healers, and love forging relationships with you all so you have a sense of who we are and what we offer.

10/23/2024

What is Somatic Experiencing (SE) and how does it treat trauma?

I often struggle to answer this question in a clear and concise way, partly because being concise just isn't my strong suit and due to the complexity and nuance involved in one's experience of trauma and its impacts and in SE as a treatment approach.
I found this 6 minute video by Peter Levine (the founder of SE) summarizing trauma and SE as a treatment, and really appreciate the brevity and accuracy of his explanation:

Peter uses his famous "Slinky" presentation to demonstrate the effects of trauma on the nervous system, and his philosophy of treating trauma; which involves...

10/02/2024

In order to differentiate my counseling practice and associated clinical mental health services from the more holistic and non-clinical services that I've been developing and offering over the past year (such as circles, mindfulness and meditation, yoga, etc), I've formed a separate business: Dynamic Integration, LLC
I'll be marketing for those non-clinical services on the other page so feel free to follow it if you want to know about new offerings!

09/03/2024

Last call! We are now only one week away from the start of our first virtual offering of this group since 2020! Currently accepting telehealth referrals from throughout Colorado - with the ability to bill for most insurances - including Medicaid and Medicare.

About the (virtual) Healing from Trauma Education and Skills Group:
This therapeutic group is a closed 10 week series in which we provide psychoeducation about trauma and its various impacts coupled with mindfulness-based skills clients practice in group and can use to address or manage trauma-based symptoms independently outside of group. It is very structured with little processing and is appropriate for those who have experienced trauma(s), are stable, and have done a fair amount of individual therapy or are currently seeing an individual therapist for trauma-related work. This group has been a favorite among participants, who often cite it as transformational and leave it feeling ready to do deeper trauma work. Note: the curriculum and facilitation of this series have changed in recent years to incorporate newer research outcomes related to trauma healing and treatment effectiveness, to provide education and practical skills application from polyvagal and attachment theory perspectives, and to prioritize and incorporate precursors to change that can be individualized and are foundational to trauma processing and integration (healing).

Start date: September 10th
End date: November 19th
Meeting times: Tuesdays 4:30-6pm MST
Location: Online (via HIPAA-compliant Zoom)
Session fees (per group): $50, sliding scale available
Insurances accepted: Most major insurances accepted including Medicaid
Requirements: Group screening prior to group admission, current stability/supports in place, and previous (or current) individual therapy specifically addressing trauma.

Contact information is on the flyer and there's not much time left so reach out to schedule a screening now! 🤓

08/17/2024

The Trauma Education and Skills Group will be offered via Telehealth this fall and is now accepting referrals. If you or a client of yours have been waiting for an online offering of this group, now is the time!

About the Facilitators: My colleague, Emilie Ryan, and I are Licensed Professional Counselors in Fort Collins who specialize in trauma and utilize a mindfulness and somatic (body-based) approach to our work, heavily informed by neurobiology and attachment theory. We are passionate about providing high quality trauma treatment to those in need with a focus on autonomy, choice, and nervous system regulation.

About the Group: We developed and have been co-facilitating this comprehensive healing from trauma education and skills group series for over 7 years now, which we regularly offer 2-3 times per year. This group was created to be a complement to individual therapy in order to help clients gain a deeper understanding of the impacts of trauma and what research shows to be effective along the healing journey. A brief description and important details are included in the comments below (flyer attached) for your reference. Participation in this group commonly leads to tremendous progress with their own individual therapist or a readiness to further their growth in numerous other ways.

The fall series will begin September 10th and will be held via Telehealth, meeting Tuesdays 4:30-6pm MST. Screenings are required for participation, and there are a limited number of seats available, so please pass this information along to those who may benefit or reach out if you are interested to schedule a screening.
Space is limited so we appreciate your timely referrals and please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions or to help a client set up a screening:
Emilie Ryan, LPC, NCC, RYT, SEP at 970-716-0417 or [email protected]
Rachel Lucas, LPC, NCC, CAS, RYT at 970-818-2659 or [email protected]

06/21/2024

Hi friends, family, loved ones and acquaintances,

Many of you don’t know this but I’ve been immersing myself in numerous trainings and skill developments over the past 3+ years, which have been immensely meaningful, challenging, and beneficial for my own personal healing and growth, but also invaluable preparation for elevating my counseling approach and the creation a second business. These have included extensive trainings and practice in mindfulness and meditation, yoga & yoga teaching, healing circle facilitation (informed by Jalaja Bonheim’s Circlework), Nonviolent Communication, and specialized trauma treatment based in Somatic Experiencing, Interpersonal Neurobiology, and applied Polyvagal & Attachment Theories (among others).

I could not have done all of this learning and growing without the loving support of my partner, who has been consistently both encouraging and accommodating, having spent countless hours on solo parenting duty in order to provide me the necessary time away to complete many of these trainings and experiences. These past three years have been and continue to be life-changing as I have begun to integrate what I’ve learned into my daily life, relationships, and counseling work with clients.

Up until now I’ve been largely prioritizing my existing counseling practice and gaining further experience and skill development in yoga/yoga teaching, mindfulness and meditation, and somatic experiencing, but am now ready to offer more of these services directly (and at a discounted rate) while I continue to hone my craft. Although I don’t yet have a website up and running, I am available for private yoga instruction (primarily at the beginning level), mindfulness and meditation instruction, and somatic experiencing sessions. Because they are offered separately and distinctly from professional counseling, I am able to provide these services to most friends, acquaintances and loved ones, so if one or more of these sound appealing to you and you’d like to try them out, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Similarly, any willingness on your part to share about these services (and the new business: Dynamic Integration, LLC) is greatly appreciated! Website, social media and other details to come! [email protected] (970)818-2659.

Have a lovely weekend.

04/16/2024

Summer is just around the corner, and so is the Healing from Trauma Education & Skills Group!

This 10 week series starts May 21st, is limited in size and will be the last in-person format of 2024 - so if you are interested, contact myself (970-818-2659 [email protected]) or Emilie Ryan at https://senseofselfcounseling.com (970-716-0417 [email protected]) now to schedule a screening and secure your spot!

We LOVE facilitating this group together because we get to see clients experience so much growth and progress in their healing journey by participating. Additional details included below:

Start date: May 21st
End date: August 6th
Meeting times: Tuesdays 5-6:30pm
Location: In person at 2850 McClelland Dr, Suite 3400, Fort Collins
Session fees (per group): $50, sliding scale available
Insurances accepted: Most major insurances accepted
Requirements: Group screening prior to group admission, current stability/not a risk to self or others, and previous (or current) individual therapy specifically addressing trauma.

03/26/2024

I am excited to announce the next 10-week series of the Trauma Education and Skills therapy group. A brief description and important details are included below (flyer attached), and please note this summer offering will begin on May 21st, will run for 12 weeks total, which includes two break weeks. This will be the last in-person group opportunity with us in 2024, so we hope that having this information early will provide adequate time for passing it along to prospective clients so they can plan accordingly.

Healing from Trauma Education and Skills Group:
This therapeutic group is a closed 10 week series in which we provide psychoeducation about trauma and its various impacts coupled with mindfulness-based skills clients practice in group and can use to address or manage trauma-based symptoms independently outside of group. It is very structured with little processing and is appropriate for those who have experienced trauma(s), are stable, and have done a fair amount of individual therapy or are currently seeing an individual therapist for trauma-related work. This group has been a favorite among participants, who often cite it as transformational and leave it feeling ready to do deeper trauma work.

Start date: May 21st
End date: August 6th
Meeting times: Tuesdays 5-6:30pm
Location: In person at 2850 McClelland Dr, Suite 3400, Fort Collins
Session fees (per group): $50, sliding scale available
Insurances accepted: Most major insurances accepted
Requirements: Group screening prior to group admission, current stability/not a risk to self or others, and previous (or current) individual therapy specifically addressing trauma.

Space is limited so we appreciate your timely referrals and please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions or to help a client set up a screening:
Emilie Ryan, LPC, NCC, RYT, SEP at 970-716-0417 or [email protected]
Rachel Lucas, LPC, NCC, CAS, RYT at 970-818-2659 or [email protected]

01/22/2024

My colleague, Emilie Ryan, LPC, NCC, RYT, SEP, and I are gearing up for another 10-week session of the Trauma Education and Skills therapy group.

We have run this group since 2018 and love being able to provide this valuable experience to those who have experienced trauma(s). It's a combination of psychoeducation and mindfulness-based practices over the course of 90 minutes with a focus on choice, autonomy, and nervous system regulation. We accept most insurance including Medicaid.

Appropriate referrals are adults located in the state of Colorado who have experienced trauma of some kind (we are very broad in our definition of what constitutes trauma), have an individual therapist with whom they have done some trauma-work, and have reasonable stability. While we do not share trauma stories we do talk a lot about trauma and its impacts and that can be dysregulating.

Reach out to myself (970-818-2659 [email protected]) or Emilie Ryan (970-716-0417 [email protected]) with questions or to set up a mandatory screening. We'd also love it if you would be willing to
or share this information with interested parties. We are trying something new this time and will schedule group based on interested members' availability. Separate in-person and virtual options may be available.