Rachel has worked as a licensed clinical social worker in the field of addiction treatment for a decade. Born and raised in Hawaii, she holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Hawaii and an undergraduate degree from Southern Oregon University. She is inspired by her work in residential treatment at Promises Austin because she helps people transform their lives and become the person they want to be.
Over the course of her career, Rachel has supervised detox, residential, day treatment and intensive outpatient programs. She’s engaged in program development and grant writing. And she has travelled across the country to train treatment providers on an evidenced-based curriculum to address addiction in families with young children. She shares a home in Austin with her husband and two dogs. In her free time, she gardens, runs, bakes and crochets. She loves to go swimming anywhere she can.
Dr. Garcia is devoted to helping people change their lives for the better. He is board certified by ABPN in psychiatry and neurology and has worked in a wide variety of psychiatric settings. A native of Texas, Dr. Garcia attended Rice University and completed a combined MD/PhD program at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. He pursued residency training in psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where he remained as faculty until 2010. He relocated to Austin to continue his academic career with the Dell Medical School and Seton Family of Hospitals.
Dr. Garcia has cared for patients with co-occurring substance abuse and psychiatric conditions across the spectrum of treatment settings including inpatient, outpatient and partial hospitalization programs. In 2017, he left academics to start his own practice and has been the medical director for Promises Austin since then. He has published over 20 articles and chapters across a wide range of topics and has provided mentorship to numerous resident psychiatrists and students. In his spare time, he relaxes by playing guitar and spending time with his family.
Dr. DeGraff takes a social and systemic approach to addiction. She views addiction as a complex disease in which biological, social, psychological and systemic forces are constantly at play, often getting in the way of the individual that is trying to find recovery. She works with a multidisciplinary team to shift each of these forces toward alignment with clients’ health and recovery. The core of her approach involves working within the family system to identify and change family dynamics of addiction. She says it is a privilege to shift family systems and to see relationships shift so that clients can engage in healthy recovery.
Dr. DeGraff specializes in addictive disorders and recovery studies, couple and family therapy, experiential family therapy, financial therapy and relapse prevention. She holds three degrees: a bachelor’s degree in community, family and addiction services from Texas Tech University; a master’s degree in couples and family therapy from Texas Tech University; and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in human development and family science from The University of Georgia. Prior to joining Promises Austin, she served as a program therapist at The Right Step Hill Country and a therapist and research and teaching assistant at The University of Georgia. In her free time, Dr. DeGraff enjoys gardening, cooking, hiking, kayaking and painting.