Rachel Blankenship earned her Master’s of Science in Art Therapy from Florida State University and her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from East Tennessee State University. More recently, she was awarded a prestigious Fulbright grant to attend the University of Stirling in Stirling, Scotland where she earned her Master’s of Science in Sport Psychology. During her time at the University of Stirling, her dissertation research focused on the use of art therapy with athletic populations.

Rachel has played soccer since she was two years old. Throughout her athletic career, she played four years at the Division I college level at East Tennessee State University, and one year at the professional level in Skövde, Sweden. These experiences shaped her passion to help athletes at all levels manage high levels of stress and anxiety and build positive social identities both in and out of sport. Rachel strongly believes that art therapy provides unique benefits to athletic populations who may struggle to verbalize their experiences by providing an outlet for them to identify, share, and process complex emotions.

Rachel has a wide range of clinical experience working with adolescent and adult clients experiencing varying levels of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, low self-concept, cognitive impairment (i.e. Alzheimer's, Dementia), substance use, psychological disorders (i.e. schizophrenia, bipolar), and difficulty with transition. Additionally, she recently worked alongside the Scottish Racing Academy to develop resources for national racing athletes to alleviate feelings of burnout and improve goal setting skills.

Rachel utilizes a strength-based approach that empowers clients to recognize and build upon their existing strengths to promote personal growth, resilience, and positive change. Rachel holds a Provisional Registered Art Therapist (ATR-P) credential.

In her free time, Rachel loves staying active and spending time outdoors. She also enjoys reading and recently started a book club podcast with her sister!