Hi! I’m Rachael!
I am so glad that you are here!
I am a wife, a mama of two and a licensed professional counselor based in Cincinnati, OH with a passion for all things maternal mental health, providing therapy virtually in Ohio and Kentucky.
I earned my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Eastern Kentucky University, go Colonels! I also hold a Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C) though Postpartum Support International.
My approach to therapy is grounded in evidence-based treatments that are especially effective for the emotional challenges women face during pregnancy, postpartum, and throughout motherhood. In addition to being certified in perinatal mental health, I’m trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT) for perinatal OCD.
These approaches help women better understand their thoughts, manage intense emotions, and reconnect with the kind of mother—and person—they want to be.
ACT helps you change your relationship with difficult thoughts and emotions so they have less power over your actions. Instead of getting stuck trying to eliminate anxiety, guilt, or self-doubt, we focus on helping you stay grounded in your values and the kind of parent you want to be.
DBT offers practical tools for managing big emotions and navigating the emotional intensity that often comes with motherhood. It also helps moms learn how to hold the many opposites that show up in parenting — loving your child deeply while still needing space, or feeling grateful and overwhelmed at the same time.
For mothers experiencing intrusive thoughts or fears about harm coming to their baby, I also use I-CBT, a specialized treatment for OCD. This approach helps you understand how the mind can get pulled into frightening “what if” scenarios and teaches you how to step out of those doubt loops so you can trust yourself again.
It’s Personal
I didn’t become a therapist for moms because it sounded like a nice niche. I became one because I was her.
I know what it’s like to be hit with the tidal wave of postpartum anxiety and depression. To love your baby deeply and still feel like you don’t recognize yourself in the mirror. I wasn’t prepared for how lonely it would feel, how quickly my sense of identity would vanish, or how much of my own history — the things I hadn’t yet faced — would surface the moment I became a mother.
No one really tells you how becoming a mom can shake the foundation of everything: your relationships, your routines, your sense of safety. I felt overwhelmed, unprepared, and like I had missed some secret manual everyone else got.
But over time — and with support — I found my way back. Not to the old version of me, but to someone stronger, more honest, and more grounded. And now, I help other moms do the same.
I created After the Glow Counseling to be the space I wish I had back then. Where you can feel seen, held, and supported through every messy, beautiful, exhausting layer of motherhood.
Whether you're navigating postpartum depression or anxiety, struggling with identity loss, dealing with relationship shifts, or just craving space to breathe and be you again, you're not alone.
“It’s not that you are doing motherhood wrong. It’s that you were never meant to do it alone.”
I am here to support you.
Working with me is like finally exhaling after holding your breath for too long. This is a space where you don’t have to perform or pretend. It is a safe space where the messy, complicated parts of motherhood, womanhood, and life are not just allowed, but welcomed.
Whether you roll in after a sleepless night in pajamas, pause to hold back tears, or just feel “off,” you’ll be met with curiosity, compassion, and zero judgment.
I’ll cheer you on, gently challenge you, and walk beside you when things feel heavy. Together, we’ll untangle the overwhelm, question the “shoulds,” and lighten the invisible pressures you’ve been carrying.
We’ll laugh. We’ll sit in the hard stuff. Most of all, we’ll do the work at your pace, on your terms, and in a way that actually feels possible.
In The Media
As a guest on podcast Lex Go Girls, Rachael dives deep into the critical topic of maternal mental health, shedding light on the complexities of pregnancy, postpartum and motherhood. Rachael and hosts Brooke Otis and Maxine Reyburn discuss Rachael’s own journey, her training in perinatal mental health and the importance of seeking support, listening to your body and finding community to support mental health.
Motherhood can be beautiful — and also deeply disorienting. So many moms experience a sense of loss of self in the transition into motherhood and struggle to reconnect with who they are in this new season of life. This week, licensed professional counselor Rachael Smith joins Emily for an empowering conversation on how moms can reconnect with themselves after having kids.
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