How I became a psychologist ,, and why I’ll forever be in debt to the U.S. government.

Professional bio

Dr. Raychel Powers, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist with a forensic concentration, serving clients in Florida and Colorado.

She earned her Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology from Nova Southeastern University, following a master’s from the same program and a magna cum laude B.A. in Psychology from Purdue University.

As owner and operator of a private practice, she provides individual and couples therapy to teens and adults across a wide range of concerns ,, with care shaped around each person’s own goals. Her forensic work is extensive: competency and Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity evaluations under Florida criminal law, Fitness-for-Duty and firearms assessments for the School Guardian Program and the Department of Corrections, and forensic competency examinations in Leon County. She formerly served as a Senior Psychologist at Florida State Hospital.

Beyond the clinic, she runs a family of practices ,, Powers of Mind, Powers of Forensic Minds, and Powers of VR ,, and supervises mental-health counseling interns and post-doctoral residents toward licensure. Her approach blends evidence-based therapy with somatic and mind ,, body tools, including VR exposure work, the BE333 practice, and structured programs for compulsive patterns.

Her guiding ethos: clarity over judgment, curiosity over shame, and creativity that heals.

The path

Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale was an expensive private school, but it had the forensic psychology program I wanted. From the start, my goal was to work as a psychologist in the Federal Bureau of Prisons ,, with people who had committed serious violent offenses ,, to support reentry and help prevent future violence.

During graduate school I worked in private practice and fell in love with the independence. I worked with battered women in the Broward County Jail and with juveniles in detention ,, deeply meaningful work ,, and spent time in courtrooms watching how the legal and psychological systems overlap and shape people’s lives.

Eventually I landed my first-choice internship at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Terre Haute, Indiana ,, home to the only federal death row. It was life-changing: exhilarating, thrilling, depressing, and ultimately disappointing. I witnessed significant racism within the BOP and was viewed by some staff as an “inmate-lover.” I realized it wasn’t an environment where I could thrive or create the change I believed in. After a short stint in the probation and jail department of the Houston, Texas system, I returned to private practice.

Once I became licensed in 2016, I joined Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee, working with people found incompetent to proceed or not guilty by reason of insanity. The work was fascinating and gave me a wide range of forensic and clinical experience. After a few years, I opened my own practice and began building the career I have today.

What I’m into

I’m most energized where psychology, technology, and real life meet ,, virtual reality, mindfulness, biofeedback, and “vibe-coding” apps that help people understand their own minds and bodies. I care deeply about violence and gun laws, and how systems respond to risk and trauma. Clinically, I love assessments and complex cases, especially ADHD and co-occurring issues. Outside the office, I’m drawn to art, painting, and plants ,, and I’m passionate about the thoughtful, science-informed use of cannabis and psychedelic medicines in mental-health care.