Rachel Kitson

My name is Rachel Kitson, and I'm a psychologist providing mental health services.
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I grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and have always loved painting, drawing, and being in nature.

I attended Governor’s School and the North Carolina School of the Arts for visual arts as a teen. I also participated in Outward Bound’s Unity Project in High School.

I ran track and cross country in high school and was a state champion in the mile and 2-mile races my senior year. These experiences were pivotal for me and still inform my life and work.

With all clients, I emphasize the need for challenging ourselves physically and creatively in our lives.

I obtained my Bachelor’s in sociology from Brown University. My undergraduate thesis examined the concept of “mattering” in a teenage population and linked the lack of this experience to illicit drug use.

I applied to work at an employee rights law firm in Manhattan right after college and worked there for about three years as a paralegal, primarily on discrimination and class action cases.

I provided much “counsel” for the clients of the firm and at the end of my big city stint, decided to apply to graduate school for school psychology, hoping to continue to work both with people and within an institution.

I obtained a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While there, I developed a strong interest in Autism and Asperger’s through my work with TEACCH, extensive training in assessment and diagnosis, and clinical experience in an adolescent psych ward at UNC hospital and through my school-based externships.

I also externed with UNC’s Child Maltreatment Center and Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities and participated on UNC Hospital’s forensic psychiatry team, performing court-ordered custody evaluations.

My dissertation examined verbal memory in children who have been maltreated.

I completed my clinical internship and post-doctoral training at Southeast Psych. During these years I became trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and experience advocating for my clients both in court and in the schools.

I also developed a passion for working with couples, parents, and adults.

I still paint occasionally and love to be outdoors as much as possible.

Like many of us, I love readiing and finding new music to listen to and good shows and movies to watch. I also love learning about what my clients read, listen to, and watch.