Rachel Bass, LMSW

Meet Rachel

(she, hers)

Rachel Bass, MSW, LGSW, is a Deaf Licensed Graduate Social Worker and therapist who is passionate about helping individuals recognize their strengths, feel empowered, and navigate life’s challenges in ways that are meaningful to them.

As a Deaf person with disabilities herself, Rachel brings both lived and professional experience to her work. Much of her career has centered on working alongside Deaf, DeafBlind, and disabled individuals through social work, advocacy, accessibility, higher education, and disability services.

These experiences have strengthened her commitment to creating spaces where people feel seen, understood, respected, and empowered.

Rachel recognizes that every person brings multiple identities, experiences, relationships, cultures, and environments that shape who they are and how they experience the world. She values understanding the whole person rather than focusing solely on a diagnosis, disability, or individual challenge.

Rachel is especially passionate about supporting individuals navigating identity, self-advocacy, relationships, life transitions, stress, anxiety, self-esteem, and the many personal, social, and emotional challenges that can arise throughout life. She welcomes clients with a wide range of experiences and believes therapy should be individualized to each person’s needs, strengths, experiences, and goals.

Rachel brings curiosity, compassion, and authenticity into the therapeutic relationship. She understands that opening up and building trust can take time and believes that genuine connection is an important part of the therapeutic process. She encourages clients to explore their experiences without judgment while helping them recognize their strengths, consider new perspectives, build confidence, and identify changes they would like to make in their lives.

Her therapeutic approach is warm, collaborative, strengths-based, and person-centered. Rachel believes clients are the experts on their own lives and views therapy as a partnership. Rather than telling clients what they should do, she strives to meet them where they are, understand what matters to them, and work alongside them toward goals that feel meaningful and achievable.

As a Deaf therapist, Rachel also understands the importance of receiving mental health care in a language and environment where communication access does not have to become another barrier. She values culturally responsive and affirming care and recognizes how communication, culture, family, community, identity, relationships, and lived experiences can influence mental health and well-being.

Above all, Rachel strives to create an affirming and welcoming therapeutic environment where clients can show up authentically, feel understood, and know that their experiences matter.

Outside of her professional work, Rachel enjoys traveling, exploring new places, trying new foods, spending time with the people she loves, and staying connected with the Deaf and disability communities.