Rachel Levi, LMFT                     Certified Eating Disorder Specialist Ecotherapist

 Around 1995, my vision of a place where individuals could heal from life-interrupting eating disorders started coming together.   With a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, and all sorts of bureaucracy Shoreline Center for Eating Disorder Treatment was born.  I developed all clinical programs and was CEO and Clinical Director until I sold the company in January 2021. During that time, Shoreline went from a private practice, where I would have my clients with eating disorders gather for a shared meal, and prepare food in a crock-pot in the back office, to programs that have helped thousand heal from debilitating eating disorders with individuals coming from across the US and Canada.  My company grew to three locations in Southern California with 3 levels of care, including intensive outpatient programming, partial hospital programs, and residential levels of care with 24/7 nursing. I am so proud of Shoreline’s mission and success over the past 20 years and trust that my leadership, clinical expertise and curiosity, sense of humor will influence Adventurers in Soulitude in the same way.  I am thrilled to go back to direct eating disorder care, and when appropriate,  bringing in the additional element of ecotherapy for all sorts healing.

As a child, the outdoors was always a prominent part of life. I am the youngest of three girls with a dad who became a boy-scout leader. Appreciating and being in the wilderness was a family priority and introduced to me as a toddler.  As a family, we would explore, adventure and roam all across the United States and beyond. From the redwood forests of the Pacific Northwest, to the majesty of the Grand Canyon to the Boundary Waters of Minnesota. National parks were our Disneyland. Although I am not sure I truly appreciated all that communing with nature then,  I have come to realize just how much those trips have shaped my personal and professional life.

As a teen, I struggled like most to find my place in the world. Adventure and nature gave me direction and brought about insights when not much else did.  At the age of 16, I felt torn between two worlds. The first was fitting in as  a high school song girl, the second was being a rebel explorer with insatiable curiosity and eagerness to see the world. Guess which part won out?  I was 16 when I went on my first of countless solo international trips, going to Australia to visit an exchange student I’d known from the previous year.  The thrill of independence and seeing new landscapes was exhilarating and wrapped its grip on me. I felt more myself than ever before.

In those formative high school years, I was also introduced to the undersea world. My dad needed a partner to get scuba certified and I reluctantly became a semi-willing dive buddy. My initial experience was negative. I was not a fan of cold water and prolific kelp with no visibility.  Although I did get my Scuba certification, I didn’t try again for 10 years, when I was fortunate enough to experience the warm tropical waters of the Caribbean.  Today the undersea represents my happy place. Floating weightless and observing a world that most do not get to witness without hardly being noticed represents my most passionate connection to nature as an adult.

As a clinical therapist and certified Ecotherapist. I want to continue to share the transformative power of nature with others.  Whether its exploring healing from healing from the end of a relationship, personal growth, grief, or any other interpersonal issues, nature has a prescription for all of it.

Credentials, Certification and Training

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, currently in the states of California, Utah and Colorado. I am a clinical member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Additionally, I hold certification as an Eating Disorder Specialist and Supervisor. These are internationally recognized certifications which indicate that I am qualified to provide supervision and training for others working on their eating disorder specialist certification. I am also a continuing education provider in the state of California.
I‘ve been honored to be named a Fellow of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals honoring professionals with more than 15 years in the field who have demonstrated significant contributions to treatment, research , education or advocacy.

Limited sample of recent nature-based trainings Include: