IFSTherapists

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LCSW, LMSW

Jacqueline Rafter, LCSW, LMSW

  • Experience10 years
  • LocationMichigan
  • Focus areasLGBT, Relationship, and Trauma and abuse
  • Therapy approachesInternal Family Systems and Attachment-Based Therapy
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About Jacqueline

Jacqueline Rafter is a licensed clinical social worker with ten years of practice who helps people navigate trauma, relationship struggles, mood and anxiety concerns, ADHD, and life transitions.

Background and approach

She integrates Internal Family Systems alongside EMDR techniques and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to tailor an approach that addresses both symptoms and the underlying patterns that sustain them. Jacqueline frames her work around skill teaching and gradual healing, aiming to empower clients to manage challenges while deeper change unfolds.

Her therapeutic stance is warm, direct, and nonjudgmental, offering a respectful space where sensitivity and compassion guide the conversation. Jacqueline works with individuals facing issues such as attachment wounds, abandonment, intimacy-related difficulties, parenting strain, career stress, chronic pain and illness, and conflict rooted in family of origin.

She also attends to concerns around kink and alternative sex culture, communication and control struggles, and caregiver burnout. Located in Michigan, Jacqueline holds LCSW and LMSW licenses and adapts treatment to each person’s needs, pairing practical coping tools with exploratory work.

She encourages people who are ready for change to take the first steps and offers flexible scheduling to accommodate different routines and time zones when possible.

Approaches for Online Healing and Practical Support



Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps people notice and relate to the different parts of themselves, such as protective or vulnerable aspects, so those parts can be understood and integrated into healthier internal relationships. Attachment-Based Therapy explores how early relational patterns shape current connections and can help people build safer, more supported ways of relating to others. EMDR uses guided eye movements or similar bilateral stimulation to process distressing memories and reduce the emotional charge tied to traumatic experiences, supporting progress when trauma is a central concern.

Finding the right therapeutic mix is a collaborative process. Jacqueline will work with each client to identify goals, assess what feels most useful, and adjust methods over time so the approach aligns with personal needs and preferences rather than relying on a single technique from the start.

Online formats make it easier to access consistent care, offering video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These options provide flexibility for varied schedules, allow for continued work during life transitions, and let clients choose the communication style that feels most comfortable while maintaining ongoing therapeutic momentum.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does Jacqueline address?
She works with a broad range of issues including trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy-related difficulties, ADHD, anxiety and stress, anger, parenting and career challenges, and coping with major life changes.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her approach is nonjudgmental, warm, interactive and direct, blending compassion with practical skill teaching to help clients manage problems while working toward lasting change.
What is her background and experience level?
She has ten years of clinical experience working with people facing trauma, relationship struggles, chronic illness and a variety of emotional and behavioral concerns.
Where is she licensed and based?
Jacqueline is based in Michigan and holds LCSW and LMSW credentials, registered as CA LCSW LCSW118581 and MI LMSW 6801106200.
Does she work with clients in other languages or internationally?
Sessions are offered in English, and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different preferences and schedules.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin working together?
To get started, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

LGBTRelationship issuesTrauma and abuseAnger managementADHD

Also works with

Stress, AnxietyFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesParenting issuesCareer difficultiesCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigue

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAttachment issuesBDSM, kink, and alternative sex cultureCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCo-morbidityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesDivorce and separationFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismPanic disorder and panic attacksPersonality disordersPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPost-traumatic stressProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSexual assault and abuseSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaSomatizationWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Gottman MethodMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

10+ years

Licensed

Michigan, Indiana, California

Languages

English