Kitchen Table Counseling, Inc.

Hello and thank you for considering my request.

As a trauma therapist running Kitchen Table Counseling in Ashland, my focus is working with children and young adults who have experienced profound loss, abuse, and life disruption. The vast majority of my clients are covered by CareOregon (Medicaid). In a rural region where mental health resources are scarce and specialized trauma clinicians often opt out of state insurance due to low reimbursement rates, keeping my doors open to these families is the central purpose of my work.

My commitment to this field was forged early. When I was a child, my father died in a motorcycle accident while my mother was navigating an agonizing divorce marked by domestic violence. Long before I had clinical terms for trauma, I understood the weight of unspoken grief and felt a deep, instinctive drive to soothe it. That lived experience—combined with subsequent losses and years spent advocating for others as a teacher and organizational specialist—ultimately led me to my true vocation: specialized clinical therapy.

To deliver the highest level of trauma care, I invested heavily in advanced graduate training and extensive certifications in modalities like EMDR. While this training allows me to help children process severe trauma safely, the resulting student debt has created a severe bottleneck.

Because I prioritize clients on CareOregon, my practice operates on narrow margins. The monthly burden of my educational debt directly limits how many sliding-scale and Medicaid-covered hours I can sustainably maintain without risking the closure of my practice.

As Dr. Elvin Semrad once noted, “People can never get better without knowing what they know and feeling what they feel.” My goal is to ensure no child in Ashland has to face those feelings alone.

Thank you for your time, your compassion, and your commitment to the well-being of our community.

If you’d like to learn more about my work, I’ve included some links to my online presence for your reference:

• Psychology Today profile: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/rochelle-de-forrest-ashland-or/407331
• Website: https://kitchentablecounseling.clientsecure.me/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rochelledeforrest/

I understand this is a charitable request, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to consider it. Thank you so much.
Warmly,
Rochelle De Forrest