Rachel Shopper is an inclusive therapist based in Asheville, NC, providing both in-person and online counseling in North Carolina.
Rachel Shopper MS, NCC, LCMHC (she/her)
I am a fully licensed counselor in Asheville, NC, and have worked in a variety of mental health settings including outpatient, residential, and wilderness therapy.
I am a certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist and a Kripalu-trained yoga instructor at the 200hr level. Additionally, I’ve completed years of training and mentorship in deep nature connection, wilderness rites of passage work, and somatic psychodrama.
A broad variety of life experiences influence my perspective as a counselor. I’ve worked as an outdoor educator, lived out of a backpack in Central America, studied and practiced agroforestry and permaculture design internationally, and worked as a poetry editor for a literary press.
I appreciate the vulnerability of asking for help and I’ve learned firsthand the combination of grit and surrender involved in the process of change. Above all, I bring a down-to-earth sense of humor and authenticity to my counseling practice.
An avid gardener in my free time, you
can also find me reading, singing, cooking using every pot and pan in the kitchen, and hiking with my family.
M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Western Carolina University
North Carolina LCMHC #16355
Educational Experience
MS Mental Health Counseling, Western Carolina University, 2020
BA English, Wesleyan University, 2010
Disability Affirming Psychotherapy, 2026
Navigating Relationships, Dating, and Sexuality with Autism, 2026
EFT Success in Vulnerability Focus Lab, 2025
EFT Certification Completed, 2024
EFT Attachment Injury Repair Model, 2023
EFT and Sexual Attachment, 2023
EFT Considerations in Poly Relationships, 2023
EFT Core Skills, 2022
Ceremonial Rites of Passage Guide Training, Rites of Passage Council 2022-2023
Sex Therapy and EFT, 2021
Gottman Method Modules I & II, 2021
EFT Externship, 2021
Enter the Grave: Tools and Practices to Embrace the Dying Journey with Sacred Crossings, 2020
Introduction to Online Council through The Center for Council, Ojai Foundation, 2020
Decolonizing Wellness with Olatokunboh Obasi, 2019
Intro to Hakomi, 2019
Wilderness Awareness School Immersion Program 2014-2015
200-hr Yoga Teacher Training, Kripalu Institute 2008
