Rachel Singer, PhD, is recognized with an APA Citizen Psychologist Presidential Citation for her leadership and unwavering dedication to social justice and reduction or elimination of barriers to mental health services in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Singer created a partnership with the African Affairs Advisory Group, a community advocacy group that focuses on the needs of the African immigrant community in the state of Maryland, in order to further their efforts to de-stigmatize mental healthcare help-seeking behaviors and to disseminate accurate information about mental health. She engages in monthly outreach efforts and co-leads pro bono talks at churches and community-based facilities to provide psycho-educational instruction about mental health and inform the community about options for mental healthcare treatment. For these efforts, she received an award for her participation in this group: a proclamation from the county executive.
Singer testified before the City of Rockville’s Mayor and City Council to express support for community efforts to create a sanctuary city that would separate the role of the police department from immigration authorities. Since this testimony, Rockville has adopted a new law, the Fostering Community Trust Act, which enhances the relationship between the police department and the refugee/immigrant community.
Singer has advocated for increased opportunities to provide pro bono services to the most vulnerable community members and has prioritized community outreach as evidenced by her enthusiastic involvement in the Montgomery County’s Immigrant Community Services, a local non-profit organization. Her work enabled the advisory board to design and implement outreach initiatives for both community leaders and directly to the public. Her work with ICS facilitated critical mental health community outreach to communities that had not previously received such outreach initiatives or support services.
Through her synagogue, Singer joined a team in their efforts to sponsor a refugee family in the United States. This group worked in collaboration with the Lutheran Social Services Agency to identify a refugee family in need of instrumental, emotional, community and financial support. Singer obtained furnishings, purchased groceries and set up an apartment for a family of six who entered the United States with a Special Immigrant Visa in 2017. She preemptively offered pro-bono counseling services should members of the family need counseling support services.
Singer is a 2012 graduate of the Counseling Psychology program at Boston College and is licensed to practice psychology in Maryland. She is an assistant professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology’s Washington, D.C. campus and participates in private practice at the Center for Anxiety and Behavioral Change. Colleagues also lead another initiative to provide a hands-on educational and training program for women who are currently unable to break out of minimum wage jobs. The program is called Dreams Are Possible. It is partnering with local social service agencies, community colleges, and the building trades so that women can gain the skills and knowledge to have stable, secure employment and become financially stable. Furthermore, Sebastian serves on the Board supporting two programs of the organization, For A Better Tomorrow: YICU and Youth Global Citizen that train youth to be servant leaders and give awards to youth for their significant involvement and contribution to the improvement of their community.
Sebastian is a licensed psychologist in Bloomington, Illinois. She earned her doctorate from the University of Toledo in 1989 with a major in Guidance and Counseling. She has two bachelor degrees (History, 1966, from the College of the Holy Spirit in Manila, Philippines; Religious Studies, 1985, from Lourdes University in Ohio) and a Masters degree (1975) in Guidance and Counseling from Ateneo de Manila University. She has been in private practice from 1997 to 2010 delivering services to children, adolescents, adults, couples, families and groups. Since 2010, she also has provided evaluation and assessment services to Social Security claimants to determine disability benefits and to the Diocese of Peoria’s Office of the Tribunal’s annulment cases.