From the moment that Rahe was introduced to occupational therapy at a young age, she knew that this career was the right fit for her. She said that she was drawn to the holistic nature of the profession and it is centered around what's meaningful and purposeful to clients.

When picking colleges, Quinnipiac’s campuses and health science programs stood out from all the others for Rahe. During her time as a Bobcat, she excelled in the OT track and credits much of her career success to the education she received here.

“In terms of having the confidence and capacity to transition into private practice, I think the overall spirit of the OT department helped develop that,” said Rahe. “The professors are super passionate about their work and our profession and I think that passion instilled in me is a major driving force in my career.”

The alumna’s clinical rotation in academia was extremely formative in creating her professional identity. It pushed her to new limits and helped highlight her strengths in public speaking and education. While wary of the experience at first, Rahe fully embraced this crucial step in her field.

Now as a graduate, she has partnered with Tru Whole Care, an integrative medical practice, for her private OT practice in New York. This collaboration is unique as it brings together healthcare practitioners from various disciplines into one office space. Patients and clients can address their concerns from many different angles and have an entire team working for the sole purpose of planning their care.

“My practice specifically specializes in stress and pain management,” said Rahe. “My approach highly emphasizes the connections between our brain, body and mind. When our mind isn't right, our body isn't right and vice versa. I use biofeedback technology as well to measure the physiological impact of various stressors. I find people to be extremely responsive to that since it makes their stress real to them. My biggest message is that we have so much more autonomy and control over our physical and cognitive well-being – we just need to slow down and listen to our bodies.”

Her mission as an occupational therapist is to empower her clients to reestablish control over their health and lives.

She expressed her gratitude for the privilege of helping people live better lives every day. The most rewarding part of being an occupational therapist for this doctor are the moments when she knows she has improved not only their mind and body but their soul too.

“When everything seems to be going wrong and it seems out of your control, it is easy to get frustrated and to feel helpless,” Rahe said. “You are not doomed because diabetes runs in the family. Just because you have anxiety does not mean it has to run your life. With just a few behavioral and physiological tweaks, you can lessen your pain. When people start actively participating in their well-being, they can participate meaningfully in life and that's really what it's all about."