Rachel Rivera, LMSW

My name is Rachel Rivera, and I am a native Tucsonan, born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a pre-minor in Law from the University of Arizona and later received my Master of Social Work from Arizona State University. My professional background is centered around supporting individuals and families who have experienced crisis and trauma.

I bring over 12 years of social work experience working with youth and families. During that time I spent five years working as a certified school counselor at an alternative high school, where I specialized in college and career counseling as well as dropout recovery. In that role, I often worked with students who had experienced significant adversity, crisis situations, and trauma. My work focused on helping students stabilize during difficult moments while also supporting them in creating a plan to get to graduation and to also plan for their future beyond high school.

After my time in the school system, I returned to the nonprofit sector to focus more directly on social work, prevention, and community education. This work has allowed me to continue supporting individuals and families affected by trauma while also helping raise awareness about the impact of crisis, drug use, suicide, and adversity in our communities. I am passionate about providing compassionate, trauma-informed care and helping people build resilience to move forward in healthy ways.

Outside of my professional work, I enjoy spending time with my son, who is a high school senior graduating this year. I also love spending time with my pets—two cats (one black and one gray) and my Yorkie named Rosie. In my free time, I enjoy traveling to the beach and camping in the mountains, especially in Mt. Lemmon near Tucson.