Member Profile: Rachel Wagner, LPC, MA

Member since: All her life! She grew up in the club with her family.  She and husband Benjy Wagner joined together as a family in 2004.

Occupation: Co-owner and psychotherapist at Glass Lake Counseling

Resides in: Whitefish Bay, and grew up on the East Side

Family: Husband Benjy and children Ella (13), Harold (9) and Arthur (6)

Hobbies: Traveling, hiking, live theater and music

Favorite thing about the MAC: “I just love how it appeals to all generations. I can bring all of my kids and there is something fun to do for everyone in the family.”

Claim to fame: “I claim no fame nor do I desire it! I do, however, enjoy a Broadway singalong, a kitchen dance party, and I try to smile more than frown every day."

How she defines wellness: "Although wellness inherently means different things to every individual, I think that wellness generally revolves around emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. I find that in order to tap into and move toward higher wellness a person needs to have an awareness of where they are in each of these areas. It is important to reflect, recognize, and celebrate strengths in each category while identifying areas that need more attention,  and then intentionally strive to improve and strengthen areas that deserve more personal work. I believe a large part of the journey towards wellness is insight and self awareness." 

Rachel as a child with her dad, Frank.

Rachel Wagner may be the longest-standing MAC member I’ve met yet! She’s been going to the MAC with her family (The Gimbels) since she was an infant and even celebrated her bat mitzvah in the Grand Ballroom. Everything has come full circle for her last month as she opened her private counseling practice on the second floor.  

Rachel originally went to college to study theater, but she is not one to hog the spotlight. In fact, she’s more comfortable listening, which is why she’s so effective as a psychotherapist. She returned to Milwaukee to complete her Master’s in counseling and became reacquainted with family friend Benjy Wagner. The rest is (MAC) history…

For over 13 years, Rachel worked primarily with children at Jewish Family Services. She knew it was time to make a change when she realized her emotional cup was running empty at the end of the day when her own kids needed her the most.  

She and colleague Dawn Giorno, LCSW decided to go into private practice together. They both enjoy working with people during transitional periods in their lives but also complement each other in other ways. Rachel works a lot with grief and women’s issues while Dawn has expertise working with pre and postpartum mothers as well as couples.

Rachel’s soft voice, calm demeanor, and general authenticity made getting to know her so enjoyable. In fact, she probably learned more about me than she was anticipating. I found myself opening up to her as I learned about all we had in common, especially our beliefs on parenting, favorite spots to travel, and hidden gems in Milwaukee.

I asked Rachel about her favorite wellness tools, as the trends are ever-evolving.
“I always talk to my clients about mindfulness and try to incorporate it into my own life. It is such a powerful tool,” she says. “That present-orientedness helps unlock your awareness.” Rachel is also a huge proponent of nature therapy. Her favorite places to be outside are Lakeshore State Park, Lion’s Den in Grafton, and Schlitz Audubon Nature Center.  

If you’re interested in learning more about Glasslake Counseling, schedule a free consultation to meet either Rachel or Dawn to see if it’s a good match, and learn about how they may be able to help improve your quality of life. After just an hour with Rachel, she made it obvious that psychotherapy with the right fit between client and therapist can really be beneficial to everyone.