Real change starts where pretending ends
Therapy for those seeking deeper relationships, greater authenticity, and a life that feels like their own.
Real talk. Honest Questions. Authentic living.
Rachel Lyons, LPCC-S
Who am I beneath the roles I've learned to play?
What am I sacrificing to keep everything together?
Why does a life that looks successful sometimes feel disconnected?
What would it mean to live more honestly?
These are the kinds of questions that bring people into my office.
As a relationship and identity therapist, I help individuals and couples explore who they've become, how their relationships shape them, and what it means to build a life that feels genuinely their own.
The most important questions are often the ones we spend years avoiding.
Services
-
$150 — 50 min.
You've probably been the strong one for a long time. The one who figures it out, shows up, and keeps moving — even when something inside feels unsteady or unclear.
Maybe you're navigating a shift in who you are or who you thought you'd be. Maybe your relationships keep hitting the same wall no matter how hard you try. Maybe you're carrying something you've never quite had the words for.
This is a space where you don't have to perform okayness. We'll slow down, get honest, and do the kind of work that actually moves something — not just manages it.
I work with individuals navigating:
Identity exploration — gender, sexuality, culture, and who you're becoming
Relationship patterns that keep repeating
Life transitions and the "what now?" that follows
Self-worth, perfectionism, and people-pleasing
Shame and the parts of you that feel too complicated to name
Grief, burnout, and the slow drift away from yourself
Trauma recovery and compulsive patterns
-
$175 — 50 min.
Every relationship hits moments where the distance between two people feels wider than it should. You love each other — but something keeps getting lost in translation.
Maybe you're stuck in the same argument on repeat. Maybe the intimacy has quietly faded. Maybe one or both of you is changing and you're not sure if you're changing together or apart.
This is a space where both of you get to be honest — not just polite. We'll slow down the patterns, find what's underneath them, and build something more intentional than what you had before.
I work with couples of all identities, orientations, and structures — monogamous, polyamorous, ethically non-monogamous, open, and everything in between. LGBTQ+ couples are not just welcome here, they're at home here.
Communication breakdowns and recurring conflict
Emotional disconnection and intimacy concerns
Infidelity, betrayal, and rebuilding trust
Identity shifts within the relationship
Life transitions — parenthood, relocation, career changes
Premarital and commitment counseling
Attachment and unmet emotional needs
-
$200 — 50 min.
For families ready to stop repeating the same patterns.
Families are systems — when one part is hurting, everyone feels it. Sometimes the arguments are loud. Sometimes the distance is quiet. Either way something has shifted and nobody quite knows how to get back to each other.
This is a space where every member gets to feel heard — not just the loudest voice in the room. We'll slow down the reactive patterns, find what's underneath them, and work toward something that actually feels different.
I work with families navigating:
Parent-child conflict and emotional disconnect
Blended families and major transitions
Intergenerational trauma and repeating patterns
Boundary-setting with adult children or aging parents
Rebuilding trust after rupture or prolonged silence
-
Flexible sessions: multi-hour, full-day, and multi-day options available
Some things can't wait for next Tuesday.
Intensives offer uninterrupted, immersive time to focus on your relationship — without the stop-and-start of weekly sessions. Whether you're rebuilding after a rupture, breaking a cycle that keeps winning, or navigating something too big for 50 minutes, this is where real momentum happens.
If you're feeling stuck, craving deeper connection, or ready to do a lot of work in a short amount of time — this is for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
I am an out-of-network, self-pay provider, which means I don't bill insurance directly. However, many insurance plans offer out-of-network reimbursement benefits — and I'm happy to provide you with a superbill to submit to your insurance company for potential reimbursement. Feel free to ask me about this process when we connect.
Current session fees:
Individuals — $150
Couples — $175
Families — $200
Payment is due at the time of service.
In accordance with the 2022 No Surprises Act, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate outlining the expected cost of services. This will be provided upon request.
-
Yes. I see clients in person at my office located in Covington, Kentucky and I also offer telehealth therapy across Ohio and Kentucky. Online sessions are secure, flexible, and just as effective for most people, especially if you prefer meeting from home or live outside the Cincinnati/Northern KY area.
-
I ask for at least 48 hours notice if you need to cancel or reschedule a session. Cancellations made less than 48 hours in advance will be charged the full session fee.
I know life happens — and I'm always willing to have a human conversation if something unexpected comes up. My hope is that we can build a rhythm that works for both of us.
-
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Supervisor (Kentucky #243632)
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (Ohio #E.2102219)
Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling, MS (Northern Kentucky University, 2014)
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, BA (University of Cincinnati, 2009)
-
My approach is integrative — meaning I don't believe one size fits all. I draw from several evidence-based frameworks and tailor the work to what you actually need, not a predetermined method.
In practice that looks like:
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) — helping you and your partner identify the emotional patterns underneath your conflict and build more secure connection. Widely considered the gold standard for couples work.
Attachment Theory — exploring how your earliest relationships shaped the way you love, connect, and protect yourself today. Understanding your attachment style changes everything.
Psychodynamic Therapy — looking beneath the surface at the unconscious patterns, past experiences, and deeper drives that influence how you show up in relationships and in life.
Narrative Therapy — examining the stories you've been telling about yourself and separating who you are from the problems you're facing. You are not your diagnosis, your past, or your worst moment.
Reality Therapy — focusing on what you can actually control right now. Practical, present-focused, and action-oriented when you're ready to move.
-
That's one of the most honest things you can bring into a first conversation — and it's more common than you think.
For the skeptics and the first-timers alike, the answer is the same: you don't have to be sure. You just have to be curious.
If therapy hasn't worked before it usually comes down to fit, approach, or timing — none of which means therapy can't work for you. It means you haven't found the right version of it yet.
A lot of people who find their way to Real Talk are smart, self-aware, and a little wary of sitting across from someone who might hand them a breathing exercise and call it progress. This isn't that kind of therapy.
My work is direct, specific, and tailored to you. If something isn't working we talk about it. The first session is just a conversation. No pressure, no agenda, no commitment beyond showing up and seeing how it feels.
Rachel Lyons
LPCC-S (she/her)
I’m so glad you’ve found your way here.
Starting therapy, returning to it, or even just browsing this site means something in you is stirring. Whether you're looking for ongoing support through life’s twists and turns, or you’re facing something that feels a lot heavier, my work is about meeting you where you are — and staying with you as you grow.
I’m most passionate about helping people uncover the parts of themselves they’ve tucked away — the parts that feel messy, too much, or too tender to name. These pieces? They’re the heart of who you are. And they deserve room to breathe.
At Real Talk, we don’t do surface-level.
We don’t pretend things are fine when they aren’t. We don’t sugarcoat the hard stuff. Therapy can be uncomfortable, vulnerable, and raw. But — and this is the magic — it can also be empowering, liberating, and even kind of beautiful.
I created this practice to push back against the idea that therapy has to be clinical, stuffy, or detached. This isn’t that. My goal is that your time here becomes the most meaningful hour of your week — the one where you leave feeling more connected to yourself, more grounded, and more like the expert of your own life.
I lead with honesty and heart.
I’ll always tell you the truth — gently, but clearly. That’s what you’re here for, right? This isn’t just a place to vent (though you can). It’s a space to do the work. To say the thing you’ve been avoiding. To fall apart and rebuild. To get it wrong and try again.
I’ll be with you every step — holding space, offering insight, and showing you that what you’re facing? It’s not too much. You’re not too much.
Come in, have a seat, and let’s get to work.
-Rachel
