Meet Rachel Reynders, MSW, LCSW, IECMH-E (she/her)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker | Infant, Child, and Parent Therapy in Madison, WI
When You Want to Understand Your Child
Watching your child struggle can leave you feeling helpless in a way few things do. You see the big feelings, the changes in behavior, or a child who seems harder to reach. You want to understand what’s happening beneath the surface and how to help, especially when your family has been through trauma or loss.
It’s easy to start blaming yourself when you can’t find an answer. Parents tell me they worry a therapist will see them as a bad parent or their child as a bad kid. I won’t. There’s more to your child than the behavior that worries you, and more to you than the moments you wish you’d handled differently. We can work together to understand what your child needs.
A Calm Place to Bring the Big Stuff
When we first meet, I’ll ask how you got here, not just what brought you in. I want to understand the experiences behind what’s happening now, whether you’re coming in for yourself or your child. You can share what you know so far, even if some parts are still hard to explain.
Some conversations bring up more than you expected. I’ll bring a calm, nonjudgmental presence to our sessions, offer another way to look at things when it’s helpful, and make sure we have time to sit with what comes up.
If I’m working with your child, I’ll invite you into the process. We’ll look beyond the behavior that worries you to understand what your child is experiencing and how you can support them at home.
Care for Little Ones and the Grown-Ups Who Love Them
Young children often show us they’re struggling before they can explain why. My advanced training in infant and early childhood mental health helps me understand what a child may be expressing through their feelings, behavior, and relationships.
I work with children under 13 and partner closely with parents, so we can figure out what their child needs together. I also support adults through postpartum life and the challenges of parenting.
- Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers: Support for bonding, attachment, emotional regulation, and early relationships, including Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) for young children who’ve been through something hard.
- School-age kids: Play therapy and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for trauma, anxiety, and big emotions and behaviors, along with support for adoptive families.
- Parents: Support for pregnancy, postpartum, fertility or pregnancy loss, and parenting stress at any stage, whether you’re focused on your own journey or on helping your child.
Your child deserves to be understood. So do you.
Signs Things Are Shifting
Progress can begin when a parent notices why a moment with their child sparked such a strong reaction. They start making connections between their experiences, thoughts, and feelings, and paying attention to their own needs, too. Over time, those changes can ease the tension in their relationships at home.
If you’re coming in for yourself, progress can mean making more time for self-reflection and recognizing that your needs deserve attention, too. As you come to understand your thoughts, feelings, and reactions better, you may notice that you respond to others less intensely and your relationships begin to feel easier.
What Keeps Me Connected to This Work
I love helping parents see the child beneath the behavior that worries them. I love it just as much when children begin to recognize their own strengths.
I’m a parent, too, and I’ve been through difficult seasons. I know how much parenting can bring up from our own lives and how valuable it is to have a safe place to work through it.
That interest in the relationship between parents and children also guides my PhD work in social welfare, where I study attachment, early relationships, and how parents come to understand their children’s inner worlds in ways that help them feel more connected to each other.
Rachel’s Education, License & Training
Education
- Master of Social Work, Clinical Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2021)
- B.A. in Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2015)
Licenses
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Wisconsin
Membership in Professional Associations:
Selected Trainings and Certifications
- Infant, Early Childhood and Family Mental Health Capstone Certificate, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) Learning Community
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Medical University of South Carolina
- Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care, Postpartum Support International
- Newborn Behavioral Observation System (NBO), The Brazelton Institute
- Facilitating Attuned Interactions, Erikson Institute
- DC:0–5 training in infant and early childhood mental health assessment and diagnosis
- Anti-oppressive practice and affirming care training, Dr. Lisa Martin
- Write on Race: Cultural Humility, The Chicago School
- Teaching assistant for Diversity, Oppression, and Social Justice in Social Work (Fall 2025)
- Ongoing training in infant mental health, perinatal mental health, play therapy, trauma treatment for adults and children, and diversity and inclusion
