Meet Rachel Hasper | Psychotherapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Hasper and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Always bet on yourself. This has been my mantra as a small business owner.

When we think about risk-taking it’s easy to feel afraid. As a psychotherapist, I know that the brain has a negativity bias and is trained to look for what could go wrong.
Maybe it’s because I work with trauma and tragedy on a daily basis, but it’s helpful for me to distinguish risk from threat. Seeing risk as something that makes us unsafe will keep many people playing it small. But most of the time risk isn’t all that dangerous. Risk-taking might lead us into unknown territory, and humans like certainty. This can make us view the risks we’re facing as bigger as they might be.

In therapy, there are two explorations I do when people are wound up in worry. (1) follow it all the way down, meaning – go all the way to the worst what-if. In business that might be about failure or finances. In relationships it might be about hurt and breakups. (2) explore the opposite, meaning – if I’m only writing a story in my head about how things could go wrong, I also have to write another script where things work out great. Our brain’s negativity bias will keep our focus on the bad. We have to intentionally put our attention on how great things could be.

If we take time to reassess how we think about risk, betting on ourselves might not be about putting ourselves in true danger, but stretching ourself to do something that’s simply outside of our comfort zone.

People who know me will probably say that I’m a risk taker, which is funny because I’m afraid of a lot of things. At 18 I took a huge risk and married the person I still feel privileged to call my partner today. I would never advise my children to do the same, but it was instrumental in putting me on the path I am today. It forced me to be independent and showed me that unconventional choices aren’t inherently wrong. I’ve taken chances on my education and am currently writing a dissertation. I’ve taken risks in uprooting my kids to move across the country and watched them overcome new things and be better people for it. And I took a risk more than a decade ago in opening up my private therapy practice. Most of my mentors said I wouldn’t make it without insurance funding, but I have an independent streak where I want to do things my way – and I didn’t want insurance companies limiting how I could help people. Over the years I’ve had to make a lot of decisions about how to run my practice and while sometimes it’s overwhelming, the best part is that I get to be true to myself. I get to help people with all of the tools I have and I care deeply about the quality of my work because I don’t have anyone or anything to fall back on. I’m a better therapist for it. In my life, risk has really come to symbolize an opportunity for growth.

Seeing risk as possibility and trusting in myself have allowed me to live a life with challenge, but it certainly isn’t boring. I’ve learned that when things don’t work out exactly as planned and problems arise, they’re largely figure-out-able. We all fall down in life. But if we’re not truly threatened, physically or psychologically, we’re simply making choices to stay small or believe in ourselves. Always bet on yourself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I love the work that I do and bring my whole heart to it.  I always want to serve my clients with safe, effective, research-based methods, and I make sure to stay up-to-date in what science knows about psychological wellbeing and overall health.  I’m also engaged in multiple supervision groups, one of which is international.  Consulting with therapists all around the world is incredibly enriching.  Staying engaged in therapeutic consultation with other professionals helps me be a better therapist and is also a way I get the support I need so I can be there for my clients.   My love of learning also keeps me busy;  I’m currently writing a dissertation studying the relationship between stress and self compassion. In particular, I’m looking at how our feelings effect the body, and how self compassion can help us counter negative effects of stress.  As a professional in mind-body medicine, I look at health and healing in a holistic way. I care deeply about those that I serve, and that motivates me to grow, learn and take good care of myself, too.  All in all, what keeps me busy professionally is the dedication I have to this field.  I’ve personally experienced how transformative good therapy can be. To me, therapy is far more than a job, it’s part of who I am.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh, this one isn’t easy for me to answer – I’d probably take them to the Fort Worth nature preserve for some hiking and then go on a taco tour of North Texas 🙂

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My success, and bravery, have been largely influenced by two people: my partner, Frank Hasper, and my dear friend and mentor, Tony DiMartino.

Website: rachel@rachelhasper.com

Instagram: rachel.hasper

Image Credits
Amber Shumake photography