About Raquel Soteldo
Raquel Soteldo is a Registered Psychotherapist, Canadian Certified Counsellor, Clinical Supervisor, Associate Family Mediator, organizational trainer, and Founder and Clinical Director of Soteldo Psychotherapy Clinic Inc.
Her clinical practice focuses on intimate partner violence (IPV), coercive control, narcissistic abuse, post-separation abuse, relational trauma, trauma bonding, psychological and emotional abuse, reproductive coercion, betrayal trauma, and high-conflict relationship dynamics.
Since 2020, Raquel has developed a focused psychotherapy practice supporting individuals affected by complex patterns of interpersonal abuse and control. Her work considers not only individual symptoms, but also the broader relational and behavioural patterns that can develop when a person is exposed to prolonged manipulation, intimidation, instability, coercion, or threat.
Clinical Approach
Raquel brings together training in counselling psychology, behavioural science, trauma-informed psychotherapy, narcissistic and antagonistic relationship dynamics, clinical supervision, family mediation, and clinical hypnosis.
Her background in behavioural science and applied behavioural principles informs the way she examines patterns within relationships. This includes attention to reinforcement cycles, environmental contingencies, relational dynamics, avoidance, boundary erosion, gaslighting, intermittent reinforcement, trauma bonding, and the adaptations people may develop in response to unsafe or controlling environments.
Her clinical approach is integrative and trauma-informed. Depending on the needs of the individual client, her work may incorporate principles and interventions drawn from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Processing Therapy-informed strategies, cognitive and behavioural approaches, mindfulness-based approaches, somatic and nervous-system-informed interventions, clinical hypnosis, psychoeducation, attachment-informed work, and behavioural formulation.
Treatment is individualized rather than rigidly protocol-driven. Clinical decisions are informed by factors such as safety, emotional and physiological activation, dissociation, ongoing contact with an abusive or controlling partner or former partner, readiness for trauma processing, and each client’s individual goals.
A central principle in Raquel’s work is that behaviours sometimes described as maladaptive may have originally developed as understandable adaptations to difficult or unsafe circumstances. Her clinical approach therefore emphasizes curiosity about function, context, safety, autonomy, psychological flexibility, and the development of greater self-trust.
The B.R.A.V.E. Framework™
Raquel is the creator of the B.R.A.V.E. Framework™ for Intimate Partner Violence, Narcissistic Abuse & Coercive Control, a trauma- and violence-informed framework developed to support the recognition of coercive patterns and strengthen survivor-centred professional response.
B.R.A.V.E. is organized around five principles:
Build Safety • Recognize Control • Anchor Stability • Validate Experience • Empower Agency
The framework encourages professionals to look beyond isolated incidents and consider broader patterns of behaviour, restriction, retaliation, intimidation, destabilization, dependency, and control.
It was developed for application within psychotherapy, victim services, clinical supervision, professional education, and frontline settings where practitioners may encounter individuals affected by IPV or coercive control.
Raquel incorporates the B.R.A.V.E. Framework into her professional education and training work with clinicians, service providers, and organizations.
National Center of Excellence for Intimate Partner Violence & Coercive Control
Raquel is also the founder of the National Center of Excellence for Intimate Partner Violence & Coercive Control, an initiative developed through Soteldo Psychotherapy Clinic Inc. to expand specialized psychotherapy, professional education, consultation, and training related to IPV and coercive control.
The Center reflects the growing systems-focused component of Raquel’s work: strengthening the ability of professionals and organizations to recognize patterns of abuse and coercion, respond in trauma- and violence-informed ways, and understand how survivors may interact with multiple systems at the same time.
These systems can include psychotherapy and mental-health services, healthcare, victim services, policing, legal and family-court systems, social services, workplaces, and community organizations.
Through the Center, Raquel develops education and consultation for professionals working within these environments and continues to develop specialized clinical and professional programming related to IPV, coercive control, narcissistic abuse, and post-separation dynamics.
Clinical Supervision & Professional Education
In addition to her psychotherapy practice, Raquel provides clinical supervision, case consultation, therapist mentorship, survivor-focused therapeutic groups, professional workshops, organizational training, and educational programming.
Her supervision work includes supporting developing clinicians and psychotherapy students in areas such as trauma-informed practice, case conceptualization, narcissistic abuse, coercive control, relational trauma, complex clinical presentations, professional boundaries, ethical decision-making, and treatment planning.
Her professional education work extends beyond psychotherapy settings. She develops and delivers training for therapists, victim-service professionals, frontline workers, social-service professionals, healthcare providers, organizational teams, and other professionals who may encounter IPV and coercive control in their work.
Her training emphasizes pattern recognition, safety, survivor response, coercive dynamics, post-separation abuse, trauma presentation, professional decision-making, and the ways that abuse can become more difficult to recognize when individual incidents are considered in isolation.
Education & Professional Development
Raquel holds a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University and an Honours Bachelor of Arts from York University.
She also completed postgraduate education in Autism and Behavioural Science at Algonquin College and Project Management at Fanshawe College, providing additional foundations in behavioural principles, organizational systems, program development, and structured service delivery.
Raquel has completed extensive continuing professional education related to narcissistic and psychopathic abuse, antagonistic relationship dynamics, narcissistic abuse and relational systems, gaslighting, emotional manipulation, coercion, trauma bonding, high-conflict legal and custody dynamics, trauma treatment, codependency, clinical supervision, and related areas of psychotherapy practice.
Her additional professional development includes training in clinical hypnosis, trauma-informed approaches, cognitive and behavioural therapies, mindfulness-based interventions, crisis response, family mediation, and clinical supervision.
Raquel is currently completing a Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy at Yorkville University, with anticipated completion in December 2027.
From Individual Therapy to Systems-Level Change
Raquel’s work has increasingly expanded from individual psychotherapy into clinical supervision, professional education, organizational consultation, framework development, and systems-level training.
This work is grounded in the recognition that survivors of interpersonal violence often encounter many professionals throughout their experience. The ability of those professionals to recognize coercive patterns, understand trauma responses, respond without increasing harm, and support survivor agency can significantly shape a person’s experience of seeking help.
Across psychotherapy, survivor programming, clinical supervision, professional education, and systems-focused training, Raquel’s work shares a common focus:
to strengthen how abuse and coercive control are recognized, how survivors are responded to, and how professionals are prepared to support them.
Professional Focus
Intimate Partner Violence • Coercive Control • Narcissistic Abuse • Post-Separation Abuse • Relational Trauma • Trauma Bonding • Reproductive Coercion • Psychological & Emotional Abuse • High-Conflict Relationship Dynamics • Clinical Supervision • Professional Education
Credentials
Raquel Soteldo, RP, CCC
Registered Psychotherapist — College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario
Canadian Certified Counsellor
Clinical Supervisor
Associate Family Mediator
Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology
Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy Candidate — expected December 2027
Founder & Creator
Founder & Clinical Director
Soteldo Psychotherapy Clinic Inc.
Founder
National Center of Excellence for Intimate Partner Violence & Coercive Control
Creator
B.R.A.V.E. Framework™ for Intimate Partner Violence, Narcissistic Abuse & Coercive Control
