Rebecca Freking - Galia Collaborative

Rebecca Freking, IMFT

Sometimes after a difficult conversation during a session, clients will turn to me and say, “How do you do this all day?” I’m telling the truth when I say, “It’s my job, and as luck would have it, I really love my job.” (And also, not all conversations here are difficult – often they are heartwarming and full of hope).

What is more interesting than trying to understand why people do what they do? Growing up, my friends were often puzzled by my interest in things like memoirs, documentaries, and plays. But for me, these were all paths to better understanding humans, and there was nothing more fascinating to me than that. Even better, I love understanding what happens when two different people with different backgrounds, interests, and preferences decide to do life together.

I am part of a field called Marriage & Family Therapy, which is separate from professions like clinical psychology or social work. MFTs have extensive specialized training in working with couples and families. It’s very different to provide therapy to multiple people at the same time, and if you’re going to take the leap to start couples therapy, you deserve to be in the hands of someone who has experience with this. MFTs also work with individual clients, just like other therapists. However, we are trained to focus less on diagnosis and more on the full context of people’s lives.

I work with clients of all ages and stages – I love doing premarital counseling; I love helping couples who are in the thick of raising little kids; and I love helping couples who are ready to re-focus on their relationship later in life.

I also work with many individual clients who are dealing with difficult relationships – whether that’s with a parent, a child, or a partner who is not ready/willing to come to couples therapy. I also help individuals navigating big life transitions, like the transition to parenthood, divorce, or big career changes.

Finally, I have specialized training and a certification in a process of helping couples to manage the “mental load” or the “who-does-what” around their home, which is a big issue for relationships today. I promise that I have advice for you that goes beyond, “Talk about it more.”

I do have guidance to offer you, but I do not have judgment. I believe we are all doing the best we can with what we know and the tools we were given. When it comes to relationships, most of us were given no tools at all. In the same way that you invest in a financial planner or personal trainer, you should feel pride in seeking out support and guidance for an area of your life that has an outsized impact on our well-being and mental health.

Meet Rebecca

Rebecca Freking, IMFT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. She received her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from The Family Institute at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. She spent the first decade of her career working with clients of all ages in the Philadelphia area, and in 2020, she returned to her hometown of Cincinnati, where she is raising two daughters with her husband.

Rebecca works with individuals, couples, and families, but always brings a systemic lens to her work – meaning even if you see her individually, she’ll be thinking about the whole context of your life rather than thinking of you as a label or diagnosis.

Rebecca specializes in helping clients with relationship issues, which includes couples counseling, family/parenting support, and assisting clients of all ages to develop healthy relationships with themselves and others. She also works often with clients experiencing anxiety, depression and difficulty with life transitions and changes.

In addition to providing therapy, Rebecca offers corporate keynotes, breakout sessions, and educational programming. She often engages audiences around how to bring relational tools into their work and personal lives, but she can work with you to customize a talk that meets your organization’s needs.

I believe..

...that you have worth and value no matter what you do or don’t achieve.
…that you deserve a relationship where you are respected and cherished.
…that introverts are underrated.
…that problems are less overwhelming when we name them out loud.
…that emotions aren’t facts, but they’re great data about what’s working and what’s not.
…that taking care of yourself isn’t selfish (and usually ends up being a gift to those around you).
…that women would rule the world if half our mental space wasn’t dominated by dieting.
…that parenthood is a blessing…and also sometimes really miserable and hard.
…that everyone should be allotted one “picture perfect” Instagram photo a year, but the rest of the year have to share only real life!
…that it’s okay to change your mind.

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