RACHEL L PEPPER

Welcome and thanks for visiting my website!

I AM A LICENSED THERAPIST, AUTHOR, EDITOR, PARENT, AND YOUTH ADVOCATE. I HAVE HAD A WONDERFULLY VARIED CAREER AS A JOURNALIST, BOOKSTORE OWNER, UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATOR, PUBLIC SPEAKER, URBAN FARMER, AND FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS, A THERAPIST WHO SPECIALIZES IN WORKING WITH THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY, TRANS CHILDREN AND TEENS, AS WELL AS A VARIETY OF FOLKS WHO STRUGGLE WITH DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND SOME SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS SUCH AS BIPOLAR DISORDER AND SCHIZOPHRENIA.

Due to COVID 19 safety practices, I am primarily seeing clients using telemedicine, and thus accepting clients from around the state of ca. telemedicine has proved to be as effective for client growth as in person sessions and provides great flexibility in scheduling for clients. i do hope to be back in the office soon, for those clients who wish to return to in-person sessions. Often my practice is full, so call or e-mail for my current availability to integrate new clients.

exciting update! the new, revised and greatly expanded 2nd edition of the transgender child IS OUT!
here is the first interview i did for the new edition:

www.verywellhealth.com/interview-the-transgender-child-rachel-pepper-5272513

About me:
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of California. I did extensive clinical training through several organizations such as the AIDS Health Project and Dimensions Clinic for youth. Since then, I have worked at several well respected agencies such as Stars Community Services and Kaiser Permanente. i am now primarily in private practice.

Areas of clinical expertise include depression and anxiety, communication and relationship issues, and more serious mental health concerns, such as bipolar disorder. I'm also extremely knowledgable about the therapeutic needs of the LGBT community, including coming out issues, relationship/couples issues, and conception, pregnancy and parenting concerns. i also work with transgender children, teens, and adults. I enjoy working with people of all ages, cultures, and gender identities, and especially welcome teens and young adults to my practice.

As an author, I have more than 30 years experience writing for the alternative press and publishing books. My articles and essays have appeared in hundreds of news outlets ranging from the Bay Guardian to Art Forum. I was a founding editor at Curve magazine, where I regularly wrote music and book reviews. I'm currently featured in the wonderful documentary "Ahead of the Curve" which is making the festival circuit at the moment.

Over the years, I have been profiled in many newspapers and magazines including the NY Times. I have written, edited, or co-written several books, the best known of which is The Transgender Child, which I cowrote with Stephanie Brill, and which has been read by many thousands of people all over the world. It has even been translated into German and icelandic!

My writing has won several awards including the 2013 IPPY award for Transitions of the Heart: Stories of Love, Struggle and Acceptance by Mothers of Transgender and Gender Variant Children.

Fun links to learn more:

Here are links to my books, including the 2013 IPPY Award winner Transitions of the Heart.

Very well health blog interview from May 2022:
https://www.verywellhealth.com/interview-the-transgender-child-rachel-pepper-5272513

Me, on TV!
A while back, I had the honor of appearing on Bay Sunday to speak about my work and promote Transitions of the Heart, an award winning book I edited. Here is a link if you are interested in watching it on YouTube: Watch Rachel on Bay Sunday!

Contact me
If you wish to e-mail me, you can do so at RLPepper@Hotmail.com. Please put "contacting Rachel Pepper" in the subject line. You can also reach me via phone at my confidential private practice number, 510-359-8756. If I don't answer, please do leave a message.